You have 2,000 hours to make a narrative series...

January 4 - March 31, 2019
MESSAGE: TBA
PROP: TBA
ACTION: TBA

GET STARTED

Rules

Awards

Q&A

Submit

Rules

1. No Sex or Nudity
2. No Taking the Lord's Name in Vain
3. You must have the "first part" of three part series complete (i.e. pilot episode, first book, etc.) and full outline of the remaining 2 parts.
4. If your series involves video it must be mastered in 4K even if upscaled.
5. Series outlines and completed "first parts" must be in by 11:59 PM (EST) on March 31st
6. Tell a story!

Outline

We are challenging thousands of creators around the world to create a series in 2,000 hours, using a surprise message, prop and action that we will provided at the beginning of the challenge. In return, we are awarding the winning series for distribution and completion.

Finalists will be "Premiered" in January 2020 at "The Storytellers Awards" event.

So...What exactly is this?

The 2,000 Hour Series Challenge is an international competition that challenges Creators to create an outline for a three part series (in any medium) and to produce the first part of it (yes the whole first part, like a pilot) from start to finish with in only 2,000 hours time. But, there is more. Creators must use the surprise Message (for example: "Hope"), Prop (ex. a needle) and action (ex. hitting a ball) that we provided them at the beginning of the challenge. They must plot, layout, edit and submit their entire series outline and completed first part in only 2,000 hours.

Aside from those three "surprise" elements, you have free rein over your series. So, yeah...be creative! You are free ...within the rules of the competition that is.

So, here is the challenge, create something more...something intelligent...something inspiring...something that makes the world "think", and above all, tell a story, a crazy good one at that.

Side Note: Yes, you are free to choose any genre you wish for the series, as long as you use all the required elements.

Awards

• The top 7 series will be show at the "The Storytellers's Awards" event in January.
• The 1 place winners will be given a $30,000 Storytellers distribution and Marketing deal.
  
• The 2 and 3 place winners will be given a $5,000 Storytellers distribution and Marketing deal.

Q&A

Can I participate if I don't live in in the United States?

YES, storytellers can participate from anywhere in the world. Keep in mind thought, that the competition begins at 12AM in the Eastern Time Zone. If you live in Los Angeles, CA or Vancouver, Canada for example, you will receive the message assignment at 9AM local time. Make sure to check what time zone you are located in and how many hours off from the Eastern Time Zone to see when you will receive the Special elements.

​I would like to participate but I don't have a team. How can I join a team?

Teams are always looking to fill positions. Post your information on the Storytellers Challenges Creators Page to find teams looking for members.

Storytellers Challenges Creators Page

​Do I have to finalize my list of team members when I register or can I submit that later?

To register, you only need the name of the "team contact". You do not need to have a complete "members" list before you register. However, you will need to submit a full list of everyone involved by the end of the competition when you submit your completed story.

Register a Team

Submit a Story

​How do we receive the Message, Action, and Prop Assignment?

The surprise elements are emailed to the team contact at the beginning of the competition. All teams that register for the competition will receive a message at the beginning of the competition containing the assigned Message, Action, and Prop. In addition, the assignments will be posted on storytellers.sctreehouse.com/challenge and in the Storytellers Challenges Group on Creators. This allows you to get started on your story immediately.

Creators Group

​Does everyone receive a Message, Action, and Prop?

Every team is assigned the same message, action, and prop which must be included in their story to qualify.

​How closely do we have to follow the Message assignment in our film?

The plot of your story must revolve around the Message, but we allow you creative license. The message needs to be central to the plot of your story in order to be eligible but we want you to have fun with it. As long as the judges can determine that you've used the message in some form as your central plot, you're following the rules.

​How do we incorporate the Action and Prop?

The Prop and Action must be incorporated into your story but do not have to be central to the plot of your film.

​What is the maximum length of the story?

There are no time restrictions for this challenge - no minimum or maximum length for your story.

​How are the stories judged?

Stories are scored in 7 categories (Originality, Creativity, Plot, Pacing, Characters, Direction, and Story Value) with each category being worth 15 points for a total of 105 points.

​Do the stories have to be in English? What about subtitles?

No, but we highly recommend including subtitles since English speaking judges will be viewing the stoires. We allow teams to submit separate caption or transcript files for their stories up to 24 hours after the submission deadline. Teams will not be allowed to resubmit their stories with subtitles after the deadline, ONLY caption or transcript files.

Submit

Submissions do not open until 1st day of the Challenge.