AACTA Reg Grundy Award

THINK YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR THE NEXT HARD QUIZ, THE BLOCK OR THE MASKED SINGER? PITCH IT TO WIN $50,000 AND CREATE AUSTRALIA’S NEXT BIG SHOW!

Obsessed with BIG BROTHER, think you have a better idea than SURVIVOR? The AACTA Reg Grundy Award will provide $50,000 - comprised of a $20,000 cash prize and $30,000 development fund - to the person with the best new idea for an original unscripted television entertainment program. In honour of the founding father of entertainment formats, and the man that put Aussie TV on the map, Reg Grundy, the award is open to any Australian with a great idea and is the largest prize of its kind in the world!

Reg Grundy was peerless in the adaptation of entertainment formats for local audiences in Australia and across the world. Often Reg’s format adaptations became more popular than the originals and were sold around the world with added Grundy magic, including SALE OF THE CENTURY and BLANKETY BLANKS. His towering success in creating and adapting entertainment formats spans decades, and also includes WHEEL OF FORTUNE, FAMILY FEUD, THE PRICE IS RIGHT, PERFECT MATCH and dramas including SONS & DAUGHTERS, PRISONER and NEIGHBOURS, which has become the longest-running drama series in Australian television and a launching pad for many careers.

There isn’t a current Australian producer who hasn’t been inspired by Reg Grundy’s prolific legacy. In partnership with Reg Grundy’s wife, Chairman of RG Capital, author and businesswoman Mrs Joy Chambers Grundy, the Award was inspired by Reg’s hard work, achievements and entrepreneurial spirit whilst finding a home to foster the next generation’s brilliant and creative ideas.

The AACTA Reg Grundy Award aims to grow output in unscripted entertainment and help fund compelling and original unscripted Australian entertainment formats. It is open to Australians from all walks of life and across all experience levels who can demonstrate an idea that is original, viable and has the all-important entertainment factor.

Simply get your idea down on one page and enter it.

		CHRIS CULVENOR Chris Culvenor is among the world’s most successful and prolific TV program creators and producers responsible for a long list of hit TV franchises both in the US and Australia. Shows that Culvenor has created include HOLY MOLEY (ABC), DATING AROUND (Netflix), FAKE OFF (TruTV), THE BIG DEAL (TNT), BILLION DOLLAR BUYER (CNBC), RESTAURANT STARTUP (CNBC), GOING WILD (NatGeo), THE CHEFS’ LINE (SBS), THE REAL DIRTY DANCING (Seven), BEHAVE YOURSELF (Seven), THE SINGLE WIVES (Seven), THE SHIRE (TEN) and WAG NATION (Arena).
		MARION FARRELLY Marion ‘Maz’ Farrelly, The CEO Whisperer, Speaker, Consultant, TV and Film Producer. If you’ve watched it, Maz probably made it and won an international award for it – the biggest brands in the world with the biggest teams, budgets and stars. She’s produced shows in London, LA and Australia – shows like BIG BROTHER, DANCING WITH THE STARS, THE X FACTOR, THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE, and she co-created Q&A for the ABC. Maz has spent decades at the pointy end of the media and is a regular guest on podcasts and TV shows which are then picked up by the international press. Maz started her career as a magazine journalist and stylist in London, has been executive editor of Format Entertainment at the BBC UK London, Director of Television Content, Fremantle Media Australia & Creative Strategist for BBCWorld-Wide. Maz now runs Maz Speaks, a company which does one thing – makes sure you get attention for all the right reasons. Maz believes all business is show business, and to cut through in this listening-deficient society, you have to nail your first minute – nail that and you’re in business – literally.
		IAN HOGG Ian Hogg is an awarded Media Industry Leader, entrepreneur and philanthropist with a Global Career spanning four continents across 25 years. Most recently, he led Fremantle as the Regional CEO for Australia and Asia Pacific and sat on the Global Operating Board. He is a passionate believer in idea generation and execution, storytelling, creatives, creativity, disruption and the power of media to deliver a narrative that can make a real difference in an industry that cannot, and will never, stand still.
		SHARON WHEELER Sharon Wheeler is an Award-winning Senior Entertainment Executive, who has created more than 30 original series and Executive Produced over 2,000 hours of unscripted programming. Her shows have been licensed and produced in dozens of territories. As founder and President of Wheeler/Sussman Productions based in Los Angeles, her hit original formats include: MTV’s SINGLED OUT, Fox’s EXTREME-DATING, THE LAST RESORT, TRIVIAL PURSUIT: AMERICA PLAYS, JUDGE ALEX and REUNION TOUR. As part of Reg Grundy’s U.S. production operations, she helped develop and adapt Grundy International Series for American audiences, including PRISONER: CELL BLOCK H, IT’S A KNOCKOUT, SCRABBLE, MANN O’ MANN and QUESTIONS POUR UN CHAMPION.

Monday 7 September – Entries open! Round one starts.
Let us know your show’s title, a logline (1 – 2 sentence description), and include a synopsis that’s up to 1 page long. See this video for some advice from Australia’s leading television entertainment professionals!

Sunday 4 October – Round 1 entries close

Sunday 13 October – Top 10 first round finalists announced – Round 2 starts

We received a staggeringly high number of great pitches this year, so much so that we’ve increased the number of Round One finalists to 15!
Congratulations to each of our Round One finalists, who have all been contacted and who now progress into the critical Round Two phase.

In the second round, we’ll be asking our top ten entrants to send us a video of them pitching their idea (up to 3 minutes in length), a pitch deck - which is a presentation of up to 4 pages/slides in length that expands upon the idea and provides more detail and reference, and a one minute video describing themselves. A video of Australia’s leading television entertainment professionals providing advice on creating a pitch deck will be added here soon!

Thursday 5 November – Round 2 ends

Monday 16 November – Top 5 finalists announced!

Week commencing Monday 16 November – Individual Pitch meetings
Our top 5 finalists will have a chance to pitch their idea directly to each of our judges privately and receive constructive feedback and advice. A video of Australia’s leading television entertainment professionals providing advice on how to pitch will be added here soon!

Tuesday 24 November – The AACTA Reg Grundy Award Final will be held
Our top 5 finalists will have another chance to pitch – this time to the entire judging panel – and the person who has pitched the best idea will walk away with the $50,000 prize and a chance to see their idea become a reality.

AACTA Awards ScreenFest (date to be announced) 
AACTA Reg Grundy Award recipient is announced to the world!