HK’s Jidou announces Independent Digital Entertainment Awards 2007

Young and budding talent can be an asset to any industry only if it�s nurtured and given the appropriate platform to showcase the potential that lies within. Doing just that by giving an opportunity to compete with contestants across Asia, Hong Kong based Jidou has organized the �Jidou INdependent Digital Entertainment Awards 2007�.

With the theme of �Beyond Imagination�, the official call for entries begins on 13th September and applications will be accepted till 20 th October while the last date for entries is 9th November. The awards ceremony will take place on 6th December �07. The Application Package for the Competition could be downloaded on the Competition Website http://www.jidou.com.hk/IN-DE.

Alexander Wong , CEO & Director of Jidou Limited, believes the next universal language for mankind after food, music and sports is Digital Entertainment. Wong explained to AnimationXpress.com , “According to The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman, creative individuals are now more than ever, closely connected no matter where they are on the globe. We strongly feel that this connection should be enhanced by nurturing an independent spirit within our Digital Entertainment Industry. On top, extra support is much needed towards reinforcing the creative spirit of independent productions with all Animators in Asia where India is certainly one of the key players in this booming industry.”

Those interested in taking part in the competition should fulfill the following requirements:

Entrants should be within the age group of 16-28 years.
Entrants should be legal residents or citizens of any country in Asia.
An individual or group of not more than three people can participate.
Entrant must be the sole and exclusive owner of the copyright of the Entry. Where there is more than one Entrant to an Entry, one or all of the Entrants must be exclusive owners of the copyright of the Entry.
Entry should be a digital animation or animation-reality crossover short clip.
Entry should address the theme of “Beyond Imagination”.
Only three entries (from each individual or group) can be submitted which should be of 2 minutes (plus or minus 10 seconds) in length.
Names of Entrants must not be divulged in their 2-min Entry clips.
Only original works that have never been broadcasted and shown in public will be taken into consideration.
Entry should not be of a commercial nature, and should not include any form of advertisement.

While such an exciting platform being at hand for creative minds is already good news, an even better news is that there is no registration fee for the same. Points to be kept in mind while filling out the application forms include signature of all members of the team on the form and submission of this form both in hard and soft copy to the Organizer is required. DVD containing the animation or animation-reality crossover short clip can be either in DVD+R or DVD-R format, but must be readable on a general DVD player.

The DVD must be clearly labeled with the name of the Entrant, video format and total running time. A creative statement is required for each piece of work and should not more than 100 words to be submitted together with the DVD.

Here comes the best part, the goodies and the rewards. The Winner will receive prize money of USD$4,000 and a Jidou IN-DE Award Winner Trophy while the First and Second Runners-up will receive USD$2,000 (plus Jidou IN-DE Award 1st Runners-Up Trophy) and USD$1,000 (plus Jidou IN-DE Award 2nd Runners-Up Trophy) respectively.

The followings are the parameters for judging the entries:

Originality – 30%
Technique – 15%
Story-Telling – 15%
Editing – 15%
Sound & Music – 15%
Overall Presentation – 10%

The judging panel is chaired by Alexander Wong (Director / CEO of Jidou Limited) with others members being Kelley Cheng (Editorial Director of Page One Publishing); Percy Fung (Production Director of Digital Magic); Anand Gurnani (CEO & Managing Editor of AnimationXpress.com ); Josie Ho (Artist); Bun Kwai (Founder & Director of ManyMany Creations); Winson Ma (Director & Creative Director of Winson Classic Creation) and William To (Project Director of Hong Kong Design Centre).

Sponsors and support partners for the event are Citizen K Films, colour.living, FifthWisdom Technology Limited, Synnex Technology International (HK) Limited and AnimationXpress.com.

The awards are additionally supported by Digital Magic Limited, Hong Kong Communication Art Centre, Hong Kong Comics & Animation Federation, Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association, iSh Magazine, ManyMany Creations, Page One Publishing Pte Ltd. and Winson Classic Creation.

Entries can be submitted to the following address:

JIDOU IN-DE AWARDS 2007 COMMITTEE
Suite 1201 , 12/F, The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street,
Central, Hong Kong.
Tel : (852) 25…
Fax : (852) 2526 -7126
Email : IN-DE@jidou.com.hk

Jidou Limited was established in 2001 as an innovative design and multi-disciplinary office conducting projects in The Post-Knowledge Economy including Digital Entertainment. In less than three years, it has gained tremendous success with its first TV Animation series jidougames in the market through powerful distribution channels including Mobile & Web, leading to numerous Licensing opportunities including Edutainment and Mall Events. In 2006, Jidou Limited received the HKICT (Hong Kong Information & Communications Technology) Award for “Jidougames” which will soon be aired in The Philippines and Japan next year.

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