Nature in your Neighbourhood

Make the most of your surroundings by creating a short film

Nature in your Neighbourhood Competition
Nature in your Neighbourhood Competition

Closing date - Fri 19 Jun

Competition closed

This competition has now closed. For other competitions, please see our competitions page.

As the coronavirus/COVID-19 situation continues, and schools are closed and everyone is adjusting to life under lockdown, perhaps this time at home has allowed you and your children to become more aware of your immediate surroundings - the nature and the outside world in your local area. Perhaps you're noticing the change of season in your local environment in a way you didn't before? With fewer cars on the road, fewer planes in the sky, and a little more silence, are you noticing a difference? Has the lack of human activity made a difference where you live, and is that difference a positive thing, or a negative?

We want children and young people to create a short film and use nature and their surroundings in an engaging and creative way, to capture the calmness and document something they've noticed or appreciated while spending more time in their local area. Whether it's in the garden, the local park, or even from inside the home, the natural world is all around us. Encourage children to get creative and use their natural surroundings to make a short film, 3 mins or under in length (including titles and credits) using what equipment you have in the home. Films can be made on a mobile phone, tablet or camera, and we have a range of filmmaking resources to help support you.

Submit your film and be in with a chance of winning some amazing prizes. The makers of the winning film will receive a home filmmaking bundle worth £300, and two runners up will get their hands on a year's subscription to Netflix. The closing date for entries is Friday 19 June 2020.

Nature in Your Neighbourhood is open to all young people aged 5-19 across the UK and we will be announcing the winner on our website and social media channels after the closing date. Check the full competition details below to see who can enter and more about what we're looking for.

Need some inspiration? Check out one young person's short film for an example of how you might use your natural surroundings in your own film.

You can find further inspiration in our recent list highlighting some of the best films about the natural world - all of which you can stream from home!

Please ensure you adhere to current UK COVID-19 government guidelines if leaving your home to film content - https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Into Film's Nature in Your Neighbourhood competition and other home learning activity is supported by the BFI awarding National Lottery funding.

To enter, please complete the entry form. You will then be instructed to upload your film. You will receive confirmation on the upload page that this has been successful. If you are aged 17 or under, please make sure you ask a parent or guardian to complete the Entrant Details part of the form. Films can also be entered by a parent/guardian, teacher or other adult on behalf of a young person or group of young people.

We are looking for the most creative and engaging short films using yours and your child's current space and surroundings to the best advantage. In order to be shortlisted for the judges' consideration, submitted films must meet the following criteria:

  • Films may be live action or animation film.
  • Films may be made using any equipment, be it a mobile phone, tablet, camera, or anything else.
  • All contributing filmmakers must be between 5 and 19 years of age at the time of submitting the film.
  • Films should be 3 minutes or under in duration, including titles and credits.
  • Any music, video or still images used in the film should be cleared for use by the copyright holder or be copyright free.
  • You must NOT feature the surnames of any young people under the age of 18, anywhere in the film, including the titles and credits. Into Film are committed to the protection and safety of young people, and the addition of surnames in your films can compromise this. If surnames are included in your film, your entry may not be considered.
  • You must have gained permission to film anyone who appears in the film. Anyone aged under 16 who appears in the film must have their parent or carer's permission to appear.

We will not be judging technical ability alone. Judges will use the following criteria to make their decisions on the winning film:

  • Idea - the film idea is original and creative and has been delivered well
  • Story - the story is strong and engaging and captures the audience's attention
  • Sound - the music, sound effects and dialogue are clear and strengthen the narrative
  • Look - the use of camera angles, movement, lighting and framing support the narrative

You can view our full terms and conditions here.

The makers of the winning film will receive a home filmmaking bundle worth £300, with which to continue their filmmaking journey.

Two runners-up will each receive a year's subscription to Netflix.

  1. The closing date is 19 June 2020. No entries will be accepted after this date.
  2. All films submitted must less than three minutes long (including credits). Films longer than three minutes will not be considered as part of the competition.
  3. Competitions are run by Film Nation UK Ltd of 31 Islington Green, Islington, London N1 8DU. All entrants must be UK residents.
  4. The competition is open to children and young people aged 5-19. All entrants under 18 must have gained the consent of a parent/carer/guardian to enter the competition. All entries from children and young people under 18 must be submitted by a parent/carer/guardian.
  5. All personal data provided when submitting the film will be used only to contact winning entrants, unless the entrant has given communications consent. Personal data will be deleted within six months of the competition closing.
  6. This competition is not open to employees or members of their immediate families or agents and anyone else connected with the promotion.
  7. Winners will be notified by phone, e-mail or post and their first name will be published on the Into Film website.
  8. The judges' decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
  9. No part of a prize is exchangeable for cash or any other prize.
  10. Into Film will endeavour to send prizes within a month of notification of the competition end date but cannot guarantee delivery time.
  11. Into Film will not be held liable for any injury sustained as a result of filming content for this competition.
  12. Into Film reserves the right to disqualify any entrant it has reasonable grounds to believe has breached any of the rules of the competition.
  13. In all cases, the entrant will be bound by the competition Terms and Conditions and Into Film's Privacy Policy as detailed on the Into Film website.
  14. Please ensure you adhere to current UK COVID-19 government guidelines at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus if leaving your home to film content. 
  1. The person submitting content must represent, warrant and agree that they are the owner of all the rights in the content.
  2. The person submitting content must guarantee that it will not:
    be defamatory, abusive or offensive; infringe the copyright, moral right, performing rights, rights of privacy, trade mark or other proprietary right of
 any third party; constitute a misuse of any confidential information of a third party, advertise, promote or endorse any products or services, adversely affect the reputation of Into Film.
  3. The person submitting the content must guarantee that all individuals appearing in the film will have given their written consent to do so. Participants in the film who aged under 18 will have written consent from their parent/carer/guardian to appear.
  4. The person submitting the content must guarantee that any necessary consent, waiver, clearance, licence or approval required for Into Film to make use of the content has been obtained and that any fees or payments relating thereto have been paid; and you have not entered into, nor will you enter into, any agreement or arrangement which could conflict with your obligations to Into Film under these terms and conditions.
  5. Any music, video or still images used in the film should be cleared for use by the copyright holder or be copyright free.
  6. You must NOT feature the surnames of any young people under the age of 18, anywhere in the film, including the titles and credits. Into Film are committed to the protection and safety of young people, and the addition of surnames in your films can compromise this. If surnames are included in your film, your entry may be disqualified.
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