GREAT NEW IDEAS FOR CHILDREN’S STORIES GET THE CHANCE TO BE TOLD!
Tess Daly joins nationwide search to discover the next big story idea for children
Judged by experts from the book, film, TV and theatre world
Challenging convention on how great ideas become stories today.
Britain has created some of the greatest children’s stories in history. From J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the nation has produced ideas that have become part of our cultural heritage and captivated audiences around the world. 
Now  the search is on to find Britain’s next ‘big idea’ with a major new  competition to discover original story ideas for children. The Big Idea will  be encouraging the nation to get creative this summer, giving  participants the chance to see their ideas nurtured and developed by  experts in the world of family entertainment. The competition challenges  convention on how ideas can be brought to life and made into new  narratives in book, film, TV, theatre or gaming. 
The Big Idea is working with six respected judges who have a wealth of relevant industry experience between them:
·               Tess Daly – TV broadcaster 
·               Neil Blair –  J.K. Rowling’s agent 
·               Barry Cunningham OBE – Children’s publisher
·               Debra Hayward – Film producer
·               Sonia Friedman – Theatre producer
·               Philip Ardagh – Children’s author and literary critic
The  judges will work together to choose six winning ideas. The winners will  each receive £1000 plus the chance to see their idea come to life, with  one overall winner offered the prize of a publishing contract and the  promise of their idea being nurtured, developed and written by a  well-known author. As Neil Blair explains, ‘The Big Idea is an exciting new way to bring new children’s stories to life by going  to the heart of every one of them: the big idea at their core.’
The  overall winner’s publishing contract will be in line with industry  standards, with a shared royalty on every copy sold. The six winners  could additionally see their idea work across a variety of media  platforms, including film, TV, gaming, websites, apps and stage, with a commensurate royalty share. 
Entering  couldn’t be easier, and creative writing ability isn’t a requirement –  entrants simply need to outline their original idea in up to 750 words,  describing what happens in the story, who’s in it, where it takes place  and the type of audience it’s intended for. Entrants can visit the  website at www.thebigideacompetition.co. uk for creative advice and look out for top tips and inspiration on The Big Idea’s social media channels. The competition opens on Monday July 7th and the winning ideas will be announced in early November. 
Tess  Daly adds, ‘All the best children’s books come from a great idea, and a  great idea can come from anywhere! I’ve joined forces with The Big Idea  to celebrate Britain’s talent for storytelling and creativity. There  are so many people who have a seed of an idea for a book, film or TV  programme but don’t know what to do with it, so this is their chance to  get support from the best. I love sharing and making up my own stories  with my children – so I can’t wait to help uncover the next big story  idea to be loved by adults and children alike.’
Competition closing date: 2nd September 2014
Twitter: @thebigideacomp
About Chicken House Publishing:
The  Chicken House is a small, highly individual children’s book publishing  company with an enthusiasm for new fiction. Chicken House books have  found huge popularity with children, parents, teachers and librarians  around the world.
About The Blair Partnership:
The  Blair Partnership is a rights management agency with a strong literary  heritage specialising in large-scale commercial properties and projects.  They act as J.K. Rowling’s agents and business managers and work in  partnership with authors, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs and many  other rights owners to develop and manage their properties and ideas  globally across all platforms and media. 
Source: Press Release. 

No comments:
Post a Comment