TED Prize Filmmaker AwardTED Prize Filmmaker Award
ABOUT SUNDANCE INSTITUTE | TED PRIZE FILMMAKER AWARD
Sundance Institute and TED believe in the power of non-fiction storytelling and are announcing an initiative to create a short film and multi-platform campaign around the annual TED Prize winner with the goal of raising awareness of their work.
As part of the TED Prize, Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program (DFP) is launching an RFP for a TED Prize Filmmaker Award. One winner will be awarded $125,000 to produce and deliver a cinematic short film. Prize money must also cover qualifying the short film for Academy Awards consideration. The award winner will film the TED Prize winner during the course of their first year after receiving the TED Prize, with the goal of crafting a cinematic independent short documentary film of up to 45 minutes in length, suitable for Academy Award short film consideration. In addition, the winner will craft a plan for a multi-platform presence for the project’s content in shorter formats, including promos, a trailer and a 3-5 minute version of the film. This content will reflect first year of activities related to the TED Prize winner’s project, and be made available to Sundance Institute, TED and the TED Prize winner for their non-exclusive use in perpetuity. The copyright will remain with the filmmakers.
Film projects must be completed within 18 months of the Award announcement, with clips to be delivered and screened the following year at TED Long Beach.
ABOUT THE TED PRIZE
The TED Prize begins with a big wish—a wish to inspire thinkers and doers across the globe. The Prize is awarded to an extraordinary individual with a creative and bold vision to spark global change. TED awards Prize winners $1 million to inspire dreamers to think bigger about what's possible. By leveraging the TED community’s resources and investing in a powerful idea, the TED Prize offers support to build a high-impact project's core infrastructure quickly--so that others can add their own collaborative action.
Education innovator Sugata Mitra is the winner of the 2013 TED Prize.
His wish: Build a School in the Cloud, where children can explore and learn from one another.
To learn more about the TED Prize, go to ted.com/prize.
AWARD CRITERIA
- The story creates appreciation and deeper understanding of the TED Prize winner’s work, vision, challenges and accomplishments in the context of the larger issues they are grappling with.
- The project displays directorial vision/aesthetic and has the potential for theatrical release.
- The project highlights the work of the TED Prize winner over the course of their first (12-18 months) after receiving the award.
- Intended project length is between 25:00-49:00
- The project is independently produced, with creative control held by the producing/directing team.
FAQ
If you have additional questions about applying for the Sundance Institute | TED Filmmaker Prize, click here for our FAQ.
If you have further questions, please e-mail us at dfpted@sundance.org.
HOW TO APPLY
The RFP and online application closed on April 15th. Decisions are expected in May 2013. The Award winner will travel to TED Global (Edinburgh, UK, June 10-14) for the Award announcement.
The Sundance Documentary Film Program and Fund is part of the non-profit Sundance Institute. Sundance Institute reserves the right to solicit proposals. Details of the contract will be presented to projects that are finalists.
History of the TED Prize
The first TED Prize was awarded in 2005, born out of the TED Conference and a vision by the world's leading entrepreneurs, innovators, and entertainers to change the world – one wish at a time.
From Bono's the ONE Campaign ('05 recipient) to Jamie Oliver 's Food Revolution ('10 recipient) and JR's Inside Out Project ('11 recipient), the TED Prize has helped to combat poverty, take on religious intolerance, improve global health, tackle child obesity, advance education, and inspire art around the world. Since the birth of the Prize nine years ago, TED Prize winning initiatives have raised $17 million dollars for ocean protection, helped over 650,000 children in LA schools eat healthier, and inspired over 100,000 people to engage in participatory art project portraits worldwide.