More Than Just a New Name. What Changes Can Contestants Expect from This Year’s Papaya Young Creators?18.01.2022

Every year, the unique competition and talent development program produces a roster of promising creatives and offers them the opportunity to produce exceptional projects. The competition is also a great chance for creatives to reach a wide audience and promote both their projects and themselves. 

The celebrated competition returns this year as Papaya Young Creators. Since its inception, the contest has been helping aspiring filmmakers get a good start in the industry. The name change seeks to highlight the competition’s multidisciplinary character—as each project relies on the joint efforts of the entire crew. Whether it’s shooting films or producing commercials, collaboration often underpins much of our creative work.

Papaya Young Creators is more than just a new name—changes were also made to the competition’s category system. Aside from mainstays like the Branded Stories (for more information, see HERE) and Music Stories (details HERE) sections—whose finalists will receive funding to the tune of 18,000 PLN and extensive support from mentors—the competition will feature four wholly new categories, bringing the total to six. These new and unique forms, which have never before been a part of the contest, will bring their own specific challenges. Additional details about the categories will be released on January 20. 

How can you be a part of Papaya Young Creators? Aside from meeting eligibility criteria—which stipulate that the contest is open to persons between the ages of 20 and 35—you will have to create an account in the Contestant Panel, which is expected to launch on January 31, 2022. Another change introduced this year involves opening the contest to laureates of past editions of Papaya Young Creators. 

Then, take a look at the categories and spend some time reading through the attached creative starters, which feature assignments from our sponsors, that is brands and artists who have decided to partner with Papaya Young Creators. The creative starters will serve as basis for the explication you will write to outline your winning idea for a film or a music video (or something else, but more on that soon). The best way to have your explication stand out from the competition is to make it as original and interesting as possible. 

Submit your work using the Contestant Panel through February 27, 2022 (the deadline doesn’t apply to the one category we will be revealing more about soon). The process is anonymous and free. The submitted explications will then be examined by our jury. Should your submission qualify for the next stage of the competition, you will then be invited to take part in our mentoring program where you will continue working on your competition projects. The Papaya Young Creators competition will conclude with a Grand Finale gala in June 2022. 

The only initiative of its kind in Europe, Papaya Young Creators will seek out the finest emerging filmmaking talent and honor the selectees at the Grand Finale gala. The Papaya Young Creators manifesto puts it clearly: in a world dominated by content, creativity can have many different forms and dimensions. Hence, the decision to change the competition’s name was only natural—we wanted our appreciation to extend to not only directors, but also DPs, editors, set designers, costume designers, and production designers. All of them are creative professionals and content consumers, with a fierce love of film, music, culture, and the arts. If you believe yourself someone like that, it’s time to unleash your potential with Papaya Young Creators.