RTÉ2 looking for your vision of the future

By @SimonCocking

This could be interesting. Your chance to give your view of how the future is going to turn out. Is it just badly distributed (popularly attributed to William Gibson, despite the quote not appearing in any of his books)? Are we about to reach the singularity? The deadline for submitting your ideas is March 6th.

Do you feel that original thoughts and ideas are rarely represented on television? Do you have a vision of a possible future for Ireland and the wider world?

RTÉ2, in association with Yellow Asylum Films, are inviting entries for a national television essay competition which will aim to present new visions of the future, to be broadcast as a three-part series on RTÉ2. In a contemporary re-take on the traditional notion of an essay-writing competition, this is a chance to articulate new thinking and to present those ideas on national television.

The series mentor is the award-winning director Alan Gilsenan: ‘This is a unique opportunity for anyone, anywhere, to place new thinking about how we live and how we might shape the future right at the forefront of public discussion. It’s a completely open door and we have a truly open mind. In essence, we’re looking for original ideas conveyed in an original way. These ideas can be about anything but they should stimulate the way we think and provoke considerable debate.’

Once all submissions have been received a panel will then select a shortlist for interviewing in early April. Three submissions will be selected to go into television production. The winning authors will be able to direct and/or present their vision on television. They will be given professional production support and a first-rate technical team.

Bill Malone, Head of RTÉ2, says: “These programmes might be presenter-led or narrated, highly visual or experimental –within the practical constraints of budget and time. While the brief is open-ended, radical and thought-provoking visions will be especially encouraged. It can be a conventional essay, a series of cartoons, a storyboard, a piece of graffiti – anything that can convey your thought process and your ideas.”

For full details and to apply, post a written outline of your vision to this link: http://2116vision.ie/ The deadline for submissions is Friday 6 March 2015