David Farnor | On 30, Aug 2014

Raindance Web Fest is inviting online TV creators to send in a pilot for a show and win £2,500 towards its budget.

The festival, which is the first in the UK dedicated to web TV, runs from Saturday 27th to Sunday 28th September at London’s Vue Piccadilly. While the weekend includes panels and screenings of existing web series, the competition is a chance for new filmmakers to get the backing needed to develop their own show, with pilots accepted from any country around the world.

The deadline for entries is 6pm Friday 12th September, after which the pilots will placed online on the festival’s partner, Dailymotion. Members of the public will be asked to vote on the pilots, while a panel of judges will also weigh on in which is the best.

The contest arrives just as Amazon is screening its own set of new TV pilots for public voting – which it will then use to determine which to green light. Indeed, in an era of crowdfunding, the idea of crowd-commissioning appears to be increasingly popular. While Amazon’s line-up of talent includes people such as Ron Perlman and producer Steven Soderbergh, though, Raindance’s aim is to support indie talent without a platform.

The winner will be announced on the final night of the Web Fest weekend and screened to the festival’s audience.

For terms of conditions of the contest, visit the Raindance site here – or for more information on the festival line-up, see our guide here.

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