UKTV and Female Pilot Club Female Writers Initiative 2022 - Terms and Conditions
The Female Writers Initiative (the 'FWI') is offered to you by:
UKTV Media Limited ('UKTV'), with a registered office at 10 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 7AP and company registration number of 04266373; and
Female Pilot Club Ltd (the 'FPC'), with a registered office at 92 Norbiton Ave, Kingston Upon Thames, England, KT1 3QP and a company registration number of 14248110.
By submitting an entry for the FWI you are submitting your details to the FPC and UKTV (the "Promoters") and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
1. Prizes: The twenty (20) writers with the best twenty (20) scripts (the 'Semi-Finalists') shall be recognised by having their names and script titles published on the FPC's website and social media channels.
The four (4) writers with the best four (4) scripts (the 'Finalists') shall be recognised by having their names and script titles published on the FPC's website social media channels.
The Finalists shall:
a) have their scripts developed by the Promoters; and
b) have their scripts read live by comedy actors in front of an exclusive industry audience ('Showcase Event'), as selected by the Promoters.
2. Finalists Selection:
After 11th September 2022 (the 'Closing Date'), a judging panel that includes at least one (1) independent judge with sufficient qualifications/experience, will select the Finalists based on:
a) quality of writing;
b) strength of comedic writing;
c) strength of story and structure;
d) ability to write believable dialogue;
e) skill in inhabiting characters and developing convincing relationships between them;
f) pace; and
g) how well the script fits the brief;
between 10 October 2022 and 24 October 2022. The decision by the judging panel is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The Finalists will be selected at the judging panel's discretion and no Prizes will be awarded as a result of improper actions by or on behalf of an entrant. No alternative prize will be given and the Prizes are non-transferable & non-exchangeable. However, the Promoters reserve the right to change the Prizes due to circumstances beyond its control or to offer an alternative of similar value.
Each Finalist agrees to absolve the Promoters from any liability that may result from or is claimed to have resulted from participating in the FWI and/or from the acceptance or use of the Prizes. Nothing in these terms and conditions in any way limits the Promoters' liability for fraud, or death or personal injury caused by negligence.
Finalists will be notified via email, the message will inform each Finalist of the next steps in the process (the "Prize Message").
The Finalists should respond by 11:59pm on 4th November 2022 to the Prize Message. Failure to respond to the Prize Message within the timeline stipulated may result in the Prizes being forfeited and an alternate Finalist being selected. The Promoters shall not be liable if any of the Finalists cannot receive it for reasons beyond its control.
3. The Promoters shall use its reasonable endeavours to notify the Semi-Finalists by the week commencing 10th October 2022. The Promoters' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
4. The Promoters shall use its reasonable endeavours to notify the Finalists by the week commencing 24th October 2022. The Promoters' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
5. Eligibility Criteria:
To be eligible to enter the FWI you must meet the following criteria:
a) You must be at least 18 years of age at the date of your submission.
b) You must identify as a woman, non-binary or gender non-conforming.
c) You must be resident in, but do not need to have been born in, the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Republic of Ireland. If selected you must remain resident for the full duration of the competition process, which is approximately five (5) months from the closing date for applications. If you are currently living overseas, only consider submitting your script when you have returned.
d) You must not be employed as part of UKTV, the FPC or a person connected to the FWI.
e) Writers currently serving a term of imprisonment in the UK and/or with unspent convictions must disclose details of such convictions with any entry. Proof of age, identity, residency and eligibility may be requested. The Promoters' decision as to the eligibility of individual entrants will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
6. Entrants must submit the following, via email to femalepilotclub@gmail.com and with a subject line of 'FPC/UKTV SCRIPT CALLOUT', no later than 11:59pm GMT on the Closing Date:
a) One pilot episode TV script:
i. that is original and belongs to you;
ii. that is unpublished;
iii. is in screenplay format;
iv. is converted to PDF;
v. is a maximum of 35 pages long;
vi. has a leading character or characters that are women over the age of 45;
vii. has a title page including: full name, contact details, series title and episode title; viii. which is named as follows: '[LAST NAME OF WRITER], [ FIRST NAME OF WRITER], [TITLE OF SERIES]';
ix. is complete (ie no extracts); and
b) a pitch for your series that is no longer than one paragraph and includes the name(s) of your 45+ year old woman/women main character(s).
c) Your application must be legibly typed and formatted. Entries must be written in English. If you submit any part of a script in another language you must also include your own translation of this into English.
d) You may submit either individually or as part of a writing team of up to a maximum of two (2) people. If entering as a pair, both entrants must meet the entry requirements.
e) Only one (1) entry may be submitted by each writer, either as a solo writer or as part of a writing partnership.
7. By submitting your script you agree that if you become one of the selected Finalists, you shall grant UKTV the following exclusive rights, starting from when you are selected as a Finalist and ending 90 days after the Showcase Event:
a) the option to commit funding to you to deliver further development work on your script; and/or
b) the option to commission a first series of the script, such option to be exercisable. You shall receive £1,000 in connection with this clause 7.
Should entrants not want to grant these rights they should not submit materials. In the event an agreement cannot be reached, as regards the contract, within fifteen (15) days of the discussions commencing, the winning entry will be returned to the entrant and an alternative Finalist will be selected.
8. The Promoters as data controllers, are responsible for handling personal data in accordance with data protection law. The Promoters have a legitimate interest in using the personal data for the performance of this agreement, in the administration of the FWI.
9. All entries must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe the rights of any other party. The Promoters do not accept liability if entrants ignore these rules and entrants agree to fully indemnify the Promoters against any claims by any third party arising from any breach of these rules.
10. The Promoters may receive a high number of submissions, and similarities of subject matter often occur. The Promoters do not undertake to compensate you if material similar to yours, received coincidentally from another source, is subsequently commissioned or produced.
11. The following are ineligible and will not be considered:
a) multiple submissions from an entrant;
b) extracts. Each script submitted must be complete;
c) DVDs, videos, CDs, audio tapes, or any video/audio material (whether it accompanies a script or otherwise);
d) new scripts written for existing or previously produced shows and/or characters;
e) short stories, novels, unpublished prose manuscripts, poetry or work you wish to have adapted into a script;
f) entries submitted after the Closing Date;
g) adaptations for broadcast of another writer's idea (including adaptations of other writers' novels); and
h) comedy sketch shows.
12. Entries will be judged and selected using the following process:
Stage One
All eligible entries will be reviewed by an industry reader.
Stage Two
The Semi-Finalists shall be selected and notified via email and their name shall be announced on the FPC's website and social media channels, on the week commencing 10th October 2022.
Stage Three
The Finalists shall be selected and notified via email week commencing 24th October 2022. The Finalists shall have their name announced on the FPC's website and social media channels after confirmation by the Promoters.
Stage Four
The Promoters shall write notes on the Finalists' scripts which shall be provided to each of the Finalists by the FPC.
Stage Five
Each of the Finalists shall provide re-writes following receipt of the notes referred to in Stage Four. The intention is for this to happen 21st November 2022.
Stage Six
The Promoters shall provide a second round of notes to each of the Finalists, after receiving the first re-writes. The FPC shall provide the second round of notes to each of the Finalists.
Stage Seven
Each of the Finalists shall provide re-writes following receipt of the second round notes referred to in Stage Six. This stage should be completed by 6th January 2023.
Stage Eight
UKTV will provide further notes if required, at UKTV's sole discretion.
Stage Nine
A readthrough of each of the Finalist's scripts shall take place at the Showcase Event. This stage is expected to take place 1st February 2023.
13. Publicity and Data Protection:
Entry to the FWI gives the Promoters the right, without separate consent or compensation, to publicise any Semi-Finalist names, any Finalist names and the winner's name and to make further use of these in printed publications and on the internet, solely for administering the FWI in accordance with applicable law.
The Finalists will be required to provide their contact details to the Promoters so that they can receive their Prizes. The Finalists' personal details will only be used by the Promoters for the purpose of administration of the FWI and in accordance with the terms of UKTV's Privacy Policy.
14. Entrants must agree to take part in any post-scheme publicity if required.
15. The Promoters reserves the right to disqualify any entry which breaches any of these terms and conditions, is inconsistent with the BBC Editorial Policy Guidelines or which may bring either/both the Promoters into disrepute, including any entries which profit from criminal activity.
16. By applying for the scheme, entrants warrant that they have legal capacity to enter the scheme and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
17. These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
18. Contact Details: For all queries or issues with this competition please use the following contact details:
Email: femalepilotclub@gmail.com
Twitter: @femalepilotclub
Last updated: 12 August 2022.