Calling budding filmmakers for National Lottery 'Viral Nation' Competition

Are you a budding filmmaker? Do you think you can come up with an idea for a viral video that would appeal to millions of people across the UK?

Would you like to work with a team of experts to see your idea produced into a viral video that gets spread across the internet for everyone to see? Would you like to win a JVC digital Camcorder?

The National Lottery want to see your idea for a film that shows how Lottery funding has changed your life, or those in your community, for the better.

To celebrate its 15th anniversary, The National Lottery is launching a nationwide search for a unique viral idea. Since its launch in 1994, National Lottery players have raised £25 million a week for Good Causes across the UK, with grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment. These grants have changed people's lives for the better, and had a positive impact on communities all across the UK.

All submitted ideas will be reviewed by an independent judging panel, made up of digital and industry experts (including film director Nick Hamm, CEO of Viral Video Chart Scott Button, and Gail Egan of Potboiler Productions).

The judges will be looking for creative, simple, thought-provoking films, rather than ideas for lavish or overcomplicated productions. They will pick their top five ideas, and these five finalists will then have to 'sell' their ideas to the public with a short film which will be uploaded to YouTube and Vimeo, where the public will vote. The idea with the most votes from the public wins.

The winner will then work alongside an award-winning digital agency and film director Nick Hamm, on a one-day shoot with a film crew, lighting, wardrobe, hair and make-up, to turn the winning idea into a viral video. The viral video will then be distributed across the web, and the winner will also receive a JVC GZ-MS120 Silver Camcorder, which makes uploading videos to YouTube even easier with a "one touch YouTube upload button", for simple and almost instant upload to the web.

Simply describe your one-minute viral video idea in 300 words or less, using our downloadable entry form which you can find on the National Lottery website: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk The deadline for entries is 5pm on Monday 14 September 2009.