The form can be completed online but must then be printed and posted in, along with the entry itself.

Individuals or groups of up to 4 people can enter, in the following categories:

• 11 – 18 years
• Over 18 years

Only one competition entry per individual or group is permitted.

The themes for Off Your Box 2006 are:

• Twisted fiction (the innovative revamp of a classic genre)
• Rites of passage
• My favourite things
• Modern life is rubbish

Work must have been completed within the last 12 months.

Entrants from Off Your Box 2005 are welcome to submit work, but not any work that was submitted last year.

There is no entry fee.

Entry form

The entry form must be completed in full and include a brief synopsis of the project otherwise it will be not be eligible to enter the competition.

The entries must be screen-based, and can be either:

• A film (including video)
• An animation (including special effects)

Acceptable formats and length:

• High resolution QuickTime file (on CD or DVD)
• AVI file (on CD or DVD)
• Mini DV tape

Work submitted on any other formats will NOT be accepted.

Work submitted can be of any length, but please note that only a 5 minute clip of the submission will be shown at the awards ceremony should it be nominated. If there is a particular clip that you would like to be shown then please provide the 5 minute clip along with your submission. If a 5 minute clip is not provided with the submission then the first 5 minutes of the work will be shown.

Work can only be submitted via post. All entrants will receive an email confirming the receipt of their submission. Work submitted can be returned only if the entrant encloses an SAE with sufficient postage for the weight of the submission with their entry.

Screen Media Lab and the UCE Birmingham will not be held responsible for late or misdirected entries, nor for damage to entries resulting from shipping, handling, judging, or screening.

We reserve the right to keep copies of the entries, and to use them for publicity and marketing purposes.

Competition entries remain the property of the individual / group

All entries remain the property of the individual / group. Winning entries will be used for promotional purposes only.

Entries must be original

Work must be entirely original. If entrants wish to use copywritten material in their submission (e. g music, film clips, logos etc), they must have the appropriate copyright clearance and permission. See the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society website for more information http://www.mcps.co.uk.

By signing the entry form (or ticking to accept the Terms and Conditions in the case of the online entry form), the applicant (a) certifies that the exhibition of the submitted entry will in no way violate any copyright laws or any other rights of any person, film, or corporation, (b) accepts all responsibility relating to any and all disputes and liabilities arising from any such claims by a third party, and (c) participants will warrant their work is original and by no means plagiarised from any existing published work.

Judging criteria

Competition entries must be entered under only one of the themes as specified. Winning entries will be those judged to have answered the brief in the most innovative and original way.

The judges will compile a shortlist of the best entries in the 11 – 18 and Over 18 categories. Nominees will be notified shortly after the judges have made their decision.

All shortlisted entrants will be invited to the awards ceremony when the winners are announced. Should they be unable to attend the awards ceremony, they will have to forfeit their nomination and the judges will choose another entrant to replace them.

In accepting the nomination and the invitation to the ceremony, the nominees consent to taking part in any publicity connected with this competition.

Awards ceremony

All nominees must be present at the Off Your Box 2006 awards ceremony in order to be eligible to win.

Nominees will have to pay for their own accommodation and/or travel to the awards ceremony.

Nominees will be allowed to bring up to 2 guests with them to the awards ceremony. If they wish to bring any additional guests, tickets are priced at £10 per head.

Competition Winners

The awards will be presented in 3 categories – 11 – 18, Over 18, and People's Choice for overall innovation (to be decided by the audience on the night of the ceremony).

The decision of the judges is final and binding, no correspondence will be entered into.

The winners are announced at the awards ceremony and must be present in order to be eligible for the award and prize.

In accepting their award the winners consent to taking part in any publicity connected with this competition.

Details of prizes

There will be one prize for each age group (11 to 18 years and Over 18 years). There will be three runners up for each age group each receiving a certificate and a small prize. A special trophy for ‘screen innovation' will be given at the awards evening. The guests will vote for this on the evening.

Winners will receive one of the following prizes:

11 – 18 years:

• Place/s on animation summer school (one place for each member of a group)

• Website of related work (only one website per group)

• X Box 360 (for individuals only) OR iPod Shuffle (one for each member of a group)

Over 18 years:

• Bespoke screen media training package - up to 6 days training (one place for each member of a group)

• Website of related work (only one website per group)

• X Box 360 (for individuals only) OR iPod Shuffle (one for each member of a group)

Animation Summer School :

The animation summer school is an intensive 2 week course held at Screen Media Lab in Birmingham. Those attending the summer school can expect to learn about 2D, 3D and Stop Frame Animation, looking at areas such as the history, techniques, process and technologies used for each (including Flash, Animo, Softimage, Maya and 3D Studio Max). Students will undertake a short project from concept and storyboard, to production and then post-production. For more information please email rebecca.birch@uce.ac.uk .

Screen Media Training Package :

Winners who choose this prize are eligible for up to 6 days of screen media training with Screen Media Lab in Birmingham, and can choose from a wide range of courses including 3D Studio Max, Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Avid, HDTV, Combustion, Final Cut Pro, Maya, Softimage, Video and Audio Streaming, Flash / Action Scripting. Attendance on the courses will be subject to timetable and availability.

Website :

This prize involves the creation of a portfolio style website for the winner or winning group by the Screen Media Lab team. The website will be subject to a separate contract, and work on it will be equivalent to a maximum value of £1500. The winner/s will be able to input with regards to the content and design of the website. The prize comes with one year's free hosting, but please note, that it does not include the registration or payment of domain names.

Prizes are not redeemable.

Prizes are not transferable and / or redeemable for cash.

Prize redemption period and unclaimed prizes

Winners will be contacted within two weeks of the awards ceremony in order to discuss their prize. The website and training prizes will be subject to contract. Should the winners not be in contact / be contactable within 6 months of winning the prize it will be assumed without further notice that the winner wishes to forfeit their entitlement and the prevailing terms of the competition will dictate the re-allocation of the prize.

Screen Media Lab and the UCE Birmingham will not be liable for any loss or unintentional damage as a result of taking any prize, or provide technical support or warranties (outside of the scope of what is outlined in the separate contracts for the training or website prizes).

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Any contestant who does not follow the rules and regulations will be disqualified from the competition.

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For enquiries about the competition, please contact Rebecca Birch on 0121 331 5633, or rebecca.birch@uce.ac.uk .