HeadsUp movie awards for young people
HeadsUp and RTÉ’s Two Tube want young people in Meath to create their own 60-second movie to promote positive mental health stories around the theme ‘Talk to Me’. The third annual HeadsUp Movie Awards, which encourage creative and proactive expression about youth mental health issues, were launched today, by RTÉ Two Tube presenters Stephen Byrne and Bláthnaid Treacy and students from Trinity College Dublin. The ‘Talk to Me’ theme aims to inspire entrants to create positive mental health films and animations which will encourage young people to discuss their feelings and troubles before they reach crisis point. The awards are organised by HeadsUp in association with RTÉ’s Two Tube.
The competition is open to 15-24 year olds with a fantastic €1,000 prize on offer for the winning entry, and two runner up prizes of €500 each. A shortlist of entries will be drawn up by the judging panel which will be made up of industry experts. The public will have the final say on the eventual winners by voting for their favourite film or animation from the shortlist.
Speaking at the launch Collette Ryan, Project Manager, HeadsUp, said: “The HeadsUp Movie Awards are all about giving young people a chance to look at mental health in a positive way and promoting that image. The ‘Talk to Me’ theme is based on encouraging people to let their feelings, thoughts and emotions out. We are looking for videos and animations that connect with young people, have originality and illustrate the positive mental health promotion message of ‘Talk to Me’. They should encourage young people to be resilient and to seek support if they need it.”
Stephen Byrne, Presenter, RTÉ’s Two Tube said: “We are delighted to be involved with the HeadsUp Movie Awards again this year as they are a fantastic opportunity for young people to raise awareness about an issue that they and their peers face every day. Film and animation are fantastic ways of communicating emotions and feelings that people find difficult to communicate through words. We’ll be highlighting the winning entries on TwoTube so it’s a brilliant opportunity for someone to show their work to a national audience and to give mental health the attention it deserves.”
Entries for the awards can be made using any video recording device, including HD cameras and mobile phones. The closing date for entries is Friday 28th March at 5pm with the winners announced in April. Entry forms, competition terms and conditions and release forms are available on www.headsup.ie.