- Third Coast Festival
- Navy Pier
- 848 East Grand
- Chicago, Illinois
- 60611-3509
- 312-948-4682
- info@thirdcoastfestival.org
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN to make radio!!
THE PEP TALK
The Third Coast ShortDocs Challenge is back! Here's your chance to take part in an international audio mega-project, whether you can produce radio in your sleep, or have always dreamed of uttering the words "Testing, 1, 2, 3. Testing" into a microphone. ShortDocs are for everyone.
Why participate? Haven’t you always wanted to call yourself a Radio Producer? And if you already do, haven’t you been itching to flex your creative muscles on a new project? Plus, keep reading for more incentives.
THE CHALLENGE
As always, the ShortDocs Challenge comes with a set of rules inspired by our collaborator. This year we're lucky and excited to be teaming up with EveryBlock – a Chicago-based website and online forum for neighborhood and community solidarity. With that in mind, we challenge you to:
Produce a short audio story (2 -3 minutes) that features at least two of your neighbors, includes a color in the title, and contains three consecutive seconds of narrative silence. Stories of all styles are welcome – from documentary to drama - and everything in between.
Questions so far? Holler, and/or check out our FAQ. (It's not bad reading, in fact.) You can also check out the current submissions.
THE INCENTIVES
- Four submissions will be selected by Third Coast and EveryBlock, as the 2012 ShortDocs Winners. Producers win a trip to Chicago (most expenses paid) to present their ShortDocs at the opening session of the Third Coast Conference in Evanston (right up the road from Chicago), October 5th - 7th.
- Winners get a free, one-year, SoundCloud Pro Plus account (worth ~$650)
- First 20 submitters receive a free, one-year, SoundCloud Solo account (worth ~$90)
- All submissions will be posted at SoundCloud (where listeners can comment and share with their friends) and live permanently on this site.
- All producers will be added to the Third Coast Producer Index, and their stories will show up on our handsome interactive ShortDocs map.
- Many submissions will air on our weekly radio show Re:sound.
- Many will be featured at listening events around the world.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
- Stories and accompanying information will be submitted via SoundCloud. You must sign up for an account to do this, but it’s free, and painless. We'll also ask you to fill out a brief info form at the same time.
- Submission deadline has passed! But we're keeping the competition site live through today, May 1, in case anyone had trouble submitting the first time. You're welcome.
- Note! If you don't immediately see your submission in the ever-growing pool of ShortDocs, do not panic. We're experiencing a glorious backlog in approving and posting new submissions, so it might take a few hours - even a day - before yours appears. Thanks for your patience!
- Producers will be notified once submissions are received, and again by July 1st if their submission is chosen as a ShortDocs winner.
- Submissions must run between two and three minutes long.
- Submissions must include: title (with color), neighborhood and city producer hails from, producer bio (85 words max), one sentence summary, and an image relative to story.
[As for that image, please send .jpg, png or a gif. Horizontal layout preferable to vertical. Please keep in mind the image will reside on this site at 150 x 100 pixels.]
- We *strongly* recommend that you also post your finished ShortDocs over at PRX.org – public radio's distribution marketplace and a great place to get heard.
Questions? Holler, and/or check out our FAQ. You can also check out the current submissions.
Sorry, submissions are no longer being accepted. But you can listen to nearly ~200 neighbor stories here.
Remember! Your 2-3 minute story must:
- Feature at least two neighbors
- Include a color in your title
- Include three consecutive seconds of narrative silence
ALSO...
Check out our interactive SD map.
Follow ShortDocs you-know-where: #TCshortdocs
Need some inspiration? Check out past ShortDocs Challenges.
Questions? We may have answers. If not, ask away.
Thanks to our Collaborator:
%20that%20features*%20at%20least%20two%20of%20your%20neighbors,%20has%20a%20title%20that%20includes%20the%20name%20of%20a%20color,%20and%20contains%20two%20consecutive%20seconds%20of%20narrative%20silence**.%20Stories%20of%20all%20styles%20are%20welcome%20%E2%80%93%20from%20documentary%20to%20drama%20-%20and%20everything%20in%20between.%20%20*%20Feel%20free%20to%20interpret%20%E2%80%9Cfeature%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Cneighbors%E2%80%9D%20broadly.%20You%20could%20interview%20multiple%20neighbors%20about%20the%20chain%20coffee%20store%20opening%20at%20the%20corner.%20Maybe%20your%20story%20includes%20one%20neighbor%20ranting%20about%20another%20neighbor%E2%80%99s%20midnight%20spaz-metal%20band%20practices,%20or%20raving%20about%20her%20beautiful%20vegetable%20garden.%20Maybe%20your%20housemate%20tells%20a%20story%20about%20the%20owner%20of%20the%20pet%20store%20you%20live%20above.%20Or%20maybe%20your%20closest%20neighbors%20are%20the%20ponies%20in%20the%20field%20next%20door,%20and%20your%20submission%20documents%20a%20day%20in%20their%20lives.%20All%20of%20this%20counts%20as%20%E2%80%9Cfeaturing%202%20or%20more%20neighbors.%E2%80%9D%20%20**%20By%20%E2%80%9Cnarrative%20silence%E2%80%9D%20we%20mean%20silence%20that%20helps%20tell%20your%20story.%20Technically,%20yes,%20you%20can%20insert%20a%20couple%20seconds%20of%20silence%20between%20two%20scenes.%20But%20we%E2%80%99ll%20be%20more%20impressed%20if%20your%20silence%20is%20part%20of%20your%20story.%20Still%20confused,%20or%20curious%20how%20this%20might%20sound?%20Check%20out%20producer%20John%20Biewen%E2%80%99s%20ShortDoc%20from%20back%20in%202008,%20Scared,%20and%20note%20his%20excellent%20use%20of%20silence%20about%201:50%20in.%20http://thirdcoastfestival.org/library/136-scared%20%20Questions%20so%20far?%20info@thirdcoastfestival.org%20/%20312-948-4682%20%20THE%20INCENTIVES%20%20-%20All%20submissions%20will%20be%20posted%20at%20SOUND%20CLOUD%20LINK%20(where%20listeners%20can%20comment%20and%20share%20with%20their%20friends)%20and%20live%20permanently%20on%20this%20site.%20-%20Many%20submissions%20will%20air%20on%20our%20weekly%20radio%20show%20Re:sound.%20-%20Many%20will%20be%20featured%20at%20listening%20events%20around%20the%20world.%20-%20All%20producers%20will%20be%20added%20to%20the%20Third%20Coast%20Producer%20Index.%20-%20First%2020%20submitters%20receive%20free%20SoundCloud%20solo%20account%20(worth%20~%2490)%20%20-%20Four%20submissions%20will%20be%20selected%20by%20Third%20Coast%20and%20Everyblock,%20as%20the%202012%20ShortDocs%20Winners.%20Producers%20win%20a%20trip%20to%20Chicago%20(most%20expenses%20paid)%20to%20present%20their%20ShortDocs%20at%20the%20opening%20session%20of%20the%20Third%20Coast%20Conference%20in%20Evanston%20(right%20up%20the%20road%20from%20Chicago),%20October%205%20-%207.%20-%20Winners%20get%20free%20SoundCloud%20Pro%20Plus%20account%20(worth%20~%24650)%20%20%20SUBMISSION%20DETAILS%20-%20Submission%20deadline%20is%205%20PM%20%5BCST%5D%20on%20Monday,%20April%2030th.%20%20-%20Producers%20will%20be%20notified%20once%20submissions%20are%20received,%20and%20again%20by%20July%201st%20if%20their%20submission%20is%20chosen%20as%20a%20ShortDocs%20winner.%20%20-%20Stories%20and%20accompanying%20information%20will%20be%20submitted%20via%20SoundCloud.%20You%20must%20sign%20up%20for%20an%20account%20to%20do%20this,%20but%20it%E2%80%99s%20free.%20%20-%20Submissions%20must%20run%20between%202%20and%203%20minutes%20long.%20%20-%20Submissions%20must%20include:%20title%20(with%20color),%20neighborhood%20and%20city%20producer%20hails%20from,%20producer%20bio%20(75%20words%20max),%20one%20sentence%20summary,%20and%20an%20image%20relative%20to%20story.%20%20%5BAs%20for%20that%20image,%20please%20send%20.jpg,%20png%20%20or%20a%20gif.%20Horizontal%20layout%20preferable%20to%20vertical.%20Please%20keep%20in%20mind%20the%20image%20will%20reside%20on%20this%20site%20at%20150%20x%20100%20pixels.%5D%20%20%20THE%20FINE%20PRINT%20%20%20-%20You%20do%20not%20have%20to%20live%20in%20a%20city%20covered%20by%20EveryBlock%20to%20participate,%20but%20if%20you%20do%20we%E2%80%99ll%20help%20spread%20the%20word%20in%20your%20neighborhood%20about%20your%20submission.%20%20-%20Submissions%20may%20be%20co-productions,%20but%20if%20chosen%20as%20a%20winner%20only%20ONE%20producer%E2%80%99s%20Conference%20adventure%20will%20be%20subsidized.%20%20-%20Winning%20producers%20must%20be%20able%20to%20attend%20the%20Third%20Coast%20Conference,%20October%205%20-%207.%20(Travel,%20accommodation,%20and%20Conference%20registration%20covered%20by%20TCF.)%20%20-%20Producers%20retain%20all%20rights%20to%20their%20work,%20but%20TCF%20retains%20permission%20to%20feature%20submissions%20on%20the%20radio,%20in%20our%20podcast,%20in%20public,%20and%20for%20promotional%20and%20programming%20purposes.%20Producers%20will%20always%20be%20credited%20and%20notified.%20%20-%20Third%20Coast%20respectfully%20requests%20that%20producers%20reference%20the%202012%20Third%20Coast%20ShortDocs%20Challenge%20with%20all%20additional%20distribution/publicizing%20of%20submissions.%20%20-%20We%20recommend%20that%20all%20submitters%20also%20post%20their%20finished%20ShortDocs%20at%20PRX.org%20%E2%80%93%20an%20online%20marketplace%20for%20distribution,%20review,%20and%20marketing%20of%20public%20radio%20programming.%20%20%20Questions?%20We'd%20love%20to%20answer%20them.%20Just%20send%20us%20an%20email.%20Or%20give%20us%20a%20call%20%E2%80%93%20312-948-4682.%20%20About%20EveryBlock:%20EveryBlock%20(EB)%20is%20a%20Chicago-based%20website%20and%20online%20forum%20that%20encourages%20neighbors%20to%20connect%20and%20share%20information%20about%20their%20neighborhoods.%20EB%20exists%20in%2016%20cities%20across%20the%20US,%20with%20tens%20of%20thousands%20of%20active%20members%20who%20regularly%20engage%20in%20lively%20discussions%20and%20storytelling%20about%20where%20they%20live,%20from%20debates%20about%20local%20issues%20to%20notices%20about%20lost%20pets,%20parades,%20local%20businesses,%20and%20community%20concerns.%20Find%20out%20more%20and%20join%20the%20conversation%20in%20your%20neighborhood.%20%20)
EveryBlock is a Chicago-based website and online forum that encourages neighbors to connect and share information about their neighborhoods. EB exists in 16 cities across the US, with tens of thousands of active members who regularly engage in lively discussions and storytelling about where they live, from debates about local issues to notices about lost pets, parades, local businesses, and community concerns. Find out more and join the conversation in your neighborhood.
The 2012 ShortDocs Challenge is powered by:
