competition

Anyone can be anyone in The Circle, but when the aim of the game is to gain popularity, some are not who they seem. 

The reality series looks at the highs and lows of social media, as eight contestants try to win over their fellow competitors and convince them they are who they say there are for a chance to win the prize of £100,000.

The Circle sees contestants live in separate flats in the same building, but their only way to communicate with each other is through a social media platform called The Circle.

This year’s group of baking fanatics include a veterinary surgeon, fashion designer and HGV driver.

Communications charity Media Trust has teamed up with ITV News to launch Breaking into News, a nationwide competition to search for ITV’s next up and coming broadcast journalist.

The initiative was founded eight years ago and aims to promote diversity in broadcast journalism.

Fronted by journalists Charlene White and Ria Chatterjee, Breaking Into News is now open to everyone of all ages and backgrounds and welcomes individuals with little or no media experience.

The RIFA awards recognise the best short films, of up to 30 minutes in length, which will be judged by a panel of experts from academia and the film industry. The the winners will receive a trophy and £2,000 in prize money for future filmmaking projects.  

This year's panel includes Richard Davidson-Houston, Head of All 4, Channel 4 Television and Matthew Reisz from Times Higher Education.

Now in its sixth year, this year the panel of judges features acclaimed writer and director Richard Curtis (Love Actually, About time, Four Weddings and a Funeral); Nadine Marsh Edwards, Company Director at Greenacre Films and philanthropist Professor Stefan Allesch-Taylor CBE; with further judges to be announced.

Phil Edgar Jones, Sky’s Head of Entertainment, promised that the shows would “make Sky 1 even bigger, bolder and better by bringing… three epic entertainment shows to the channel. There’s something to get everyone either on the edge of their seats or dancing around the living room.”

The TriForce Short Film Festival aims to promote, support and showcase the range of talent within contemporary film-making.

The festival focuses on diverse talent, enabling filmmakers to break into the mainstream. Showcasing the best in short film, alongside a programme of career-focused seminars throughout the day and an industry expo, the TriForce Short Film Festival is designed to help people further their careers in film.

The seven winners were hosted by MP Nigel Evans, who praised A+E’s efforts to tackle the “top heavy dominance of men” in the media industry.

The Lifetime Shorts Competition was open to any UK-based women film-makers, and received over 200 entries which were judged by a panel of experts including actress and producer Michelle Collins, Women in Film & TV UK CEO Kate Kinninmont and General Manager UK of A+E Networks Heather Jones.

The Screenwriting Goldmine Awards help talented British writers develop the right skills and contacts needed to break into the industry. The screenplays can be in film, TV drama or pilot in any genre.

The competition allows talented writers to have their screenplays read by over 33 leading industry professionals from the likes of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and HBO. 

Entries should be submitted via the website at www.awards.screenwritinggoldmine.com.