The Third Coast Festival invites radio experimentation with ‘ShortDocs’ competition

The Third Coast Festival invites radio experimentation with ‘ShortDocs’ competition

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Since 2003, WBEZ’s artsy younger sibling, the Third Coast Festival, has been helping fledgling radio producers get their feet wet with their ShortDocs competitions. Here’s how they describe the contest: “In cahoots with a different artistic partner each year, we design a set of rules and invite everyone - producers and radio fans alike - to submit short audio works that follow these rules.”

For the 2012 competition they’ve teamed up with neighborhood news site EveryBlock. Third Coast’s Artistic Director Julie Shapiro joins Afternoon Shift to talk about ShortDocs on Friday.

Here are the rules for this year:

“Produce a short audio story (2 -3 minutes) that features at least two of your neighbors, includes a color in the title, and contains three consecutive seconds of narrative silence. Stories of all styles are welcome – from documentary to drama - and everything in between.”

There you have it. If a deeper identification and insight into what it’s like to be Jad Abumrad isn’t enough incentive, there are also prizes you could win:

- Four submissions will be selected by Third Coast and EveryBlock, as the 2012 ShortDocs Winners. Producers win a trip to Chicago (most expenses paid) to present their ShortDocs at the opening session of the Third Coast Conference in Evanston (right up the road from Chicago), October 5th - 7th.

- Winners get a free, one-year, SoundCloud Pro Plus account (worth ~$650)

- First 20 submitters receive a free, one-year, SoundCloud Solo account (worth ~$90) 

- All submissions will be posted at SoundCloud (where listeners can comment and share with their friends) and live permanently on this site.

- All producers will be added to the Third Coast Producer Index, and their stories will show up on our handsome interactive ShortDocs map.

- Many submissions will air on our weekly radio show Re:sound.

- Many will be featured at listening events around the world.