Ended June 2020

First prize. ‘Slaughterhouse Society’ by Jonathan Dinkin was a well-deserved first prize for our QuiBi format. This is a new platform of just 8-10 minutes per episodes. Of all entries, this was the most polished, and Jonathan really nailed the format, leaving each episode on a cliff-hanger. Slaughterhouse society is part of a wider series called ‘Withered’ – a horror anthology set in a green utopia. Once we’ve achieved a green society, what shady undersides might remain? Illegal meat farms, vulnerable people exploited for their carbon credit, and a data spy who’s being watched all along – these are the stories of the last crimes to be wiped out of utopia and the opportunists who commit them: horrors set against a sunny backdrop.

Second place was harder to decide, some were polished but few green solutions, some had strong green elements, but little drama. In the end we chose two whose basic premise both showed great potential for a series that could run and run.

Joint second. ‘One in Ten Billion’ by Karl Aldred is a crime procedural, but set in a world where carbon credits are the new currency, leading both to greener behaviours, but also to much greater equality. This abolishment of money and associated reductions in inequality naturally leads to much lower crime, so a murder when it happens is a real shock. More than most, this entry really met the criteria of showing us a positive vision of what a sustainable world might look like, while retaining the drama and interest of a detective story.

Joint second.  ‘The Field’ by Adrian Ellis. The premise is that at 5.32 am, a field of unknown source and technology envelopes the earth causing  anyone carrying out an environmentally damaging activity to feel intense nausea. It is written as a comedy with an ensemble cast, ranging from prime ministers, business tycoons, hapless youths and young couples, who all have to find ways to achieve their objectives within this  unexpected constraint. It is very funny, and naturally as part of its premise allows us to really explore what  we should and shouldn’t be doing to save our environment.

Third Prize. In third place was ‘Evergreen’ by Dalila Jovanovic which is a love story set in an eco-minded retirement community.

We would also like to give mention to two others that just missed making the top four: ‘Shadowthorne’ by Minoti Vaishnav, and ‘Steel and Natural Science’ by Ellie Taylor.

We sent the top three to Grand Scheme Media Television consultants, the Production Company, Planet Zero, Red Production Company and BBC Writer’s room, but have not heard back as yet.