The Earth in Our Hands competition asks film makers to submit an original storyboard for a film aimed at the 11-18 age group which challenges the stereotypes surrounding horticulture.
The film should encourage young people to consider a career in the diverse industry and gets them to visit the Grow Careers website. The winning filmmaker will get a £10,000 production budget.
Entrants should upload storyboards to thesmalls.com/pitch-room/grow along with at least one example of previous work. The link also details the brief and terms and conditions.
Based on the submitted storyboards, a panel of horticultural experts will select a shortlist of filmmakers to pitch their ideas in person.
The winner will have the opportunity to work with his or her own crew, or to benefit from an expert production team and mentoring provided by the online community for filmmakers, The Smalls.
The film needs to be completed by July and will be launched in September and widely publicised. It will also be shown at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015.
GROW Careers chair Leigh Morris said: "This is an incredible opportunity for a young talent to show off their originality and technical skills while also supporting the horticulture industry and helping to safeguard the future of the UK's environment.
"Our ambition is to create a film that excites young people about horticulture and inspires them to look further."
Research detailed in the RHS report Horticulture Matters published last spring found that 70 per cent of 18-year-olds believe horticultural careers should only be considered by people who have ‘failed academically' and nearly 50 per cent of under-25s think horticulture is an unskilled career.
By commissioning the short film, the group intends to dispel such myths, reflecting instead the passion of those in the industry and the need for future generations of creative, talented, skilled people.
The GROW Careers website and initiative is supported by a range of organisations including The Horticultural Development Company (HDC), The Institute of Horticulture (IoH), LANTRA, The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), and professional gardener and TV presenter David Domoney's company Domoney Ltd.
