1. The Promoter
The promoter is The Whicker’s World Foundation, 26 New St, St Helier, Jersey JE2 3RA, Jersey (Foundation Registration 267)
2. The competition
2.1 The title of the competition is The Whickers’ Film and TV Funding Award (the ‘Funding Award’).
2.2 The Funding Award is awarded to the entry which, in the opinion of the judges, best satisfies the spirit of Whicker Criteria.
3. How to enter
3.1 The competition will run from 11th November 2024 (the “Opening Date”) to the final deadline of 31st January 2025 (the “Closing Date”) inclusive.
3.2 All competition entries must be received by the Promoter by no later than 23:59 GMT on the Closing Date. All competition entries received after the Closing Date are automatically disqualified.
3.3 Only one entry is allowed per applicant.
3.4 The Promoter may in their absolute discretion extend the date of the Closing Date.
3.5 To enter the competition, the entrant must submit the online entry form by the Closing Date. Entries must be supported by the materials referred to in the entry form (including the Teaser Footage).
3.6 There is no entry fee but any form with uncompleted obligatory fields will be automatically disqualified.
3.7 Entries must be completed in the English language. If the Teaser Footage accompanying the entry includes interviews in another language, the interview must be accompanied by English subtitles.
3.8 In exceptional circumstances, the judges may consider applications by post received by the Closing Date. If you are unable to apply online, please contact us at in**@wh***********.com at least 14 days before the Closing Date to discuss this entry option.
3.9 The Promoter will not accept:
(a) responsibility for competition entries that are lost, mislaid, damaged or delayed in transit, regardless of cause, including, for example, as a result of any postal failure, equipment failure, technical malfunction, systems, satellite, network, server, computer hardware or software failure of any kind; or
(b) proof of posting or transmission as proof of receipt of entry to the competition.
3.10 By submitting a competition entry, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions. You also agree that, if you win the Funding Award, you will commit to working diligently and in good faith towards the development of your documentary film following an agreed timetable.
3.11 For general help with entries, please contact the Whickers at in**@wh***********.com.
3.12 The competition entries will be judged by a panel of judges selected by The Whickers. The decision of the panel of judges will be final.
4. Eligibility
4.1 The Funding Award is not open to:
(a) employees of the Promoter or its holding or subsidiary companies;
(b) employees of agents or suppliers of the Promoter or its holding or subsidiary companies, who are professionally connected with the competition or its administration; or
(c) members of the immediate families or households of (a) and (b) above.
4.2 In entering the competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim any award you may win.
4.3 The competition is not open to an applicant (or any intended director) who has previously been the director or co-director of a documentary of 50 minutes or more in duration which has been seen by the public (whether by broadcast, online, theatrical release or otherwise).
4.4 Should your application be shortlisted, we will require the name and contact details of a suitably qualified person (such as your producer or executive producer) with knowledge of your career history who will be able to confirm to the best of their knowledge and belief that your entry satisfies the criteria in clause 4.3. The Promoter’s decision as to whether you satisfy the criteria is final.
4.5 If you are shortlisted you will be required to provide a copy of your passport, a recent utility bill as proof of your residential address and to complete a short declaration that states in which country or countries you pay tax.
4.6 The Promoter reserves all rights to disqualify your funding application and/or to require the repayment of any award, if it is deemed to be fraudulent, promoting the commercial interest of an advertiser or sponsor, or is otherwise contrary to the spirit or intention of the Funding Award. The Promoter’s decision is final. If you are in doubt, please contact us at in**@wh***********.com.
4.7 Competition entries cannot be returned.
4.8 In the event of you winning this award, The Whickers will be a major fund holder. The purpose of this award is to bring a documentary to completion that otherwise is unlikely to be made. It is not the right fund for bigger budget documentaries, nor is it a finishing fund for documentaries that are near completion. Therefore, applicants who at the time of application have a total budget exceeding £400,000 or have other funding sources over the value of £300,000 are not eligible. Applicants who are shortlisted and subsequently find that they have accrued other funding in excess of £300,000 must inform The Whickers.
4.9 As a major fund holder The Whickers will insist on an end credit on all versions of the completed film to be agreed by the Director and The Whickers.
4.10 The onus is on the Director to ensure that The Whickers’ rights to an end credit are observed by other potential partners and broadcasters and to seek timely legal assistance from The Whickers should this present as an issue.
5. Intellectual property, publicity and data protection
5.1 You agree that the Promoter may, but is not required to, make an extract of your entry available on its website www.whickerawards.com. The extract will be no more than 5 minutes of the original. You agree that this extract may also appear on The Whickers’ Vimeo page and any other media, whether now known or invented in the future, and in connection with any publicity of the competition.
5.2 You agree to grant the Promoter a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable licence, for the full period of any intellectual property rights in the competition entry and any accompanying materials, to use, display, publish, transmit, copy, edit, alter, store, re-format and sub-licence the competition entry and any accompanying materials for such purposes.
5.3 If you are the Winner of the Funding Award, or have been shortlisted, you agree that the Promoter may use your name, image, extracts from your synopsis or proposal and your town or county of residence to announce the winner and/or shortlisted entrants of this competition and for any other reasonable and related promotional purposes.
5.4 You agree to participate in any reasonable publicity required by the Promoter.
5.5 By entering the competition, you agree that any personal information provided by you with the competition entry may be held and used only by the Promoter or its agents and suppliers to administer the competition.
5.6 If you are concerned that aspects of your entry should not be made public in advance of the announcement of the Funding Award (for example, because to do so might endanger the viability of your proposal or a contributor’s safety or wellbeing), please contact The Whickers in advance of making your entry to agree appropriate publicity restrictions.
6. The awards
6.1 The Winner of the Funding Award will receive £30,000 initially and then subsequent tranches of the award of £100,000 in total. The final tranche will be arranged upon completion of the production stages set out at Clause 8.3 below.
6.2 The Runner-Up will receive £20,000 as provided at Clause 9 below.
7. Winner announcement
7.1 After the Closing Date, the judges will select a shortlist of up to 5 entries for the Funding Award.
7.2 The shortlisted entrants will be invited to attend the Sheffield International Documentary Festival in June 2025 in person. Each shortlisted entrant will be expected to pitch their entry to the judges in front of the other entrants and an invited audience. The Promoter reserves the right to move the date or location of the Pitching Event in its absolute discretion.
7.3 The decision of the judges nominated by the Promoter as to the shortlisted entrants, the Winner and Runner-Up is final and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into.
7.4 The Promoter will send the name and country of residence of the Winner and Runner-Up to anyone who writes within one month after the announcement date of the competition requesting details of the Winner and Runner-Up.
7.5 The Promoter will provide all shortlisted entrants attending the Festival in June 2025 with their accommodation for the necessary duration in Sheffield, together with reasonable travel expenses from anywhere within the European Union. The Promoter will also consider in its absolute discretion reimbursement of travel expenses to the Festival from outside the European Union.
7.6 The Promoter will not reimburse shortlisted entrants for travel insurance, spending money, tax or personal expenses.
7.7 Shortlisted entrants will be responsible for ensuring that they and any person travelling with them are available to travel and hold valid passports, any necessary visas and travel documents for the journey to Sheffield.
7.8 The Promoter does not accept any responsibility if you are not able to take up a prize.
8. Timetable for development of the documentary film and disbursement of award to the winner
8.1 The Winner of the Funding Award will be announced at the Festival in June 2025.
8.2 Subject to the Promoter agreeing with the Winner and the Winner’s Executive Producer a series of milestones leading to the delivery of a film for exhibition in 2027, the Promoter will thereupon pay the first tranche of the award in the sum of £30,000.
8.3 Although not in any way binding upon the Promoter, it is expected that the timetable for development of the documentary film and allocation of funding to be agreed with the Winner and its Executive Producer will be along the following lines:
| Milestones | Activity |
| By 30 June 2025 | Milestones are agreed with the Winner and its Executive Producer and first tranche of £30,000 is paid. |
| By December 2025 | Principal filming undertaken |
| By late July 2026 | Meeting with Promoter and Winner’s Executive Producer to review rushes and progress to date; if successful, this will lead to payment of second tranche of £30,000 |
| By late February 2027 | If the Winner would like to submit the film for consideration at Sheffield Doc/Fest, the fine cut of the Film should be ready. If successful, this will lead to the transfer of the third tranche of £30,000. |
| By late April 2027 | If the film is accepted for premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest, the picture lock should be ready for grading and DCP transfer ahead of the festival. If successful, this will lead to the transfer of the final tranche of £10,000. |
| Mid-April 2027 to June 2027 | Working on any last-minute changes and publicity |
| June 2027 onwards | Finished documentary exhibited: we will liaise closely with the Winner in order to provide a suitable showcase premiere for their finished production. Time and venue to be agreed between Promoter and Winner. |
8.4 The Winner’s failure to agree to a timetable or to meet any of the agreed milestones will entitle the Promoter as its sole discretion to withhold any further payments and/or demand the return of any sums paid to the Winner and/or to appoint a new winner.
9. Runner up
9.1 The Runner-Up of the Funding Award will be announced at the Sheffield Documentary Festival in June 2025.
9.2 The Runner-Up will be presented with an award of £20,000 in two separate tranches.
9.3 The first £15,000 will be received on signing the Runners-Up agreement.
9.4 The final £5,000 will be received on submission of a fine cut of the proposed film.
10. General
10.1 If there is any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these terms and conditions, the Promoter may, at its sole discretion, reserve the right to exclude you from participating in the competition.
10.2 The Promoter reserves the right to, suspend, cancel, or amend the Funding Award where it becomes necessary to do so.
10.3 These terms and conditions shall be governed by English law, and the parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.