RULES
1. Entry is only open to anyone who is over the age of 18 as at 31 January 2018 who is not normally a resident of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man (“UK”). Individuals who have lived or worked in the UK on a temporary basis for no more than 12 months at the time of entering the competition are also eligible. Professional and previously published writers are eligible to enter, but this is not a requirement of entry. We may require proof of eligibility.
2. Entrants must not be BBC, BBC Group company, British Council, The Open University or Commonwealth Foundation employees, close relatives of such employees or any person connected to the competition. Proof of age, identity and eligibility may be requested.
3. Entrants should write a radio play of approximately fifty three minutes’ length on any subject of their choice.
4. The entrants warrant, by submitting plays, that the play:
a) is the original work of the entrants,
b) is not an adaptation of an earlier work (for example a novel),
c) will not have been professionally produced in any medium (an informal play-reading is acceptable; a play-reading with a professional director and in front of a non-paying audience is acceptable, but a performance involving payment to actors and/or a paying audience is not) before 31 March 2019,
d) will not have been offered for publication, performance or broadcast or produced in any other form or medium to any other person or company before 31 March 2019, and
e) will not have been entered for any other competition before 31 March 2019.
A breach of these warranties will result in disqualification from the competition.
5. The winning playwrights will be deemed to have entered into an undertaking not to accept offers for their entries from other broadcasters or publishers before 31 March 2019.
6. All scripts submitted must be approximately 53 minutes in length – this usually equates to a minimum of 45 pages of A4 paper (or equivalent) and a maximum of 65 pages (note, a rough guide is a minute per page; please read and time your play before you send it). The play should have a maximum of six central characters (there may be up to 3 small “doubling” characters too, who don’t have more than a few lines each). There must be no central roles for children. Word count approx. 9000-10000 words
7. Your script should be accompanied by a short synopsis which outlines the complete story of the play. This must be no more than 400 words.
8. There are two categories for entry. One is for entrants who speak English as a first language and the other is for entrants with English as a second language. The BBC may require proof of eligibility for the selected category before announcing a winner. For translated entries, it is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure the translated script fully complies with these rules and entry requirements and the entrant must have the right to enter into a contract on the translator or translators’ behalf as per Rule 24. No additional payment can be made by the BBC for translations. • Please tick this box to confirm the translator has given permission for you to provide their personal details.
