Editor

Professionals and amateurs alike are today being urged to get their cameras ready as leading UK job board, reed.co.uk, launches its second annual short film competition.

The online competition, which is open to everyone regardless of their film making credentials, will challenge film makers to create a short film, centred on the theme, 'Mondays'.

An expert panel of judges, to be revealed later this year, will choose the winner of the 10,000 pound Grand Prix. In addition to the Grand Prix, prizes of 1,000 pounds will be awarded to additional category winners, including the 'People's Choice Award' and the 'Best Animation'.

Mark Rhodes, Head of Marketing at reed.co.uk, believes the competition exposes a rich seam of creative talent. Mark was quoted as saying, "The talent and effort that went into creating such a diverse and engaging selection of short films in last year's competition was absolutely inspiring and meant we had no hesitation in making this contest an annual event. Not only is it an excellent opportunity for reed.co.uk to engage with a wider audience searching for jobs through alternative media channels, including YouTube and Facebook, but it gives reed.co.uk a platform to support creativity and the arts."

The 2011 competition asks filmmakers to submit an original idea around the theme of 'Mondays'. Rhodes went onto explain, "Throughout the economic downturn, reed.co.uk has continued to promote positivity around the jobs market, especially in key areas, such as jobs in London. Our Love Mondays advertising campaign has been encouraging the nation to feel good about the start of a new week and now we want people to tell us what Mondays mean to them in a short film."

Winning reed.co.uk's first annual Short Film Competition has given Oscar Sharp's film, Sign Language, a springboard for success. As well as being screened at a number of UK and overseas festivals, including Hay, Edinburgh and Raindance, it also recently won the top prize in the Virgin Media Shorts competition.

Full details of this year's competition, including information on how to enter, can be found at reed.co.uk/film.