Papaya Young Creators Now Calling For Submissions. New Challenges and Categories Ahead31.01.2022

This year, the wildly popular contest for aspiring filmmakers opens not only under a new name, but also featuring several innovations at the category level. The call for submissions for the 2022 Papaya Young Creators competition opened on January 31 and will run through February 28.

This year’s edition of the contest is more than just changes—it’s a major evolution. On the one hand, Papaya Young Creators will now offer opportunities beyond directing, highlighting our new, inclusive approach to the contributions brought by all the creatives involved with a project. On the other, the contest will expand with the addition of new categories for participants to compete in.

Some elements of the Papaya Young Creators initiative will remain unchanged, including the Branded Stories category, which produces advertising content for major brands. This year, we’ll be collaborating with the AGH University of Science and Technology, Amica, DPD, Onet, Philips OneBlade, Porsche, and Żabka. The Music Stories is another mainstay, and in 2022, contestants in this category will be producing music videos for artists associated with Def Jam, including Paulina Przybysz and DJ BRK, as well as for IGO of Iglo Records. This year also marks the first time the category will feature artists from abroad – Hellwana from Czechia and Jansky from Spain. Finalists in both categories will receive a production budget to the tune of 18,000 PLN and support from mentors.

The 2022 Papaya Young Creators competition will also present contestants with unique challenges. This year’s edition will be marked by the introduction of TikTok as a partner. Together with the wildly popular platform, which promotes unbound creativity and unique storytelling skills, is a great fit for the competition, we’ll be launching two new subcategories: TikTok Branded Stories and TikTok Unique Stories. Contestants in these subcategories will be tasked with interpreting themes and subjects outlined in respective creative starters. Submissions developed from the briefs can include anything from ideas for commercials taking advantage of TikTok’s media space (TikTok Branded Stories subcategory) to standalone films exploring the subject of diversity and inclusivity (TikTok Unique Stories).

The Audio Stories category, created by the joined forces of Papaya.Rocks and Audioteka, is shaping up to be an equally interesting proposition. A platform for the best ideas in audio storytelling, the category is open to everyone interested in showing off their concept for a unique story told through sound alone. The best submissions, outlined in the form of an audio story concept, will compete for a production deal with Audioteka and a distribution arrangement with Audioteka and Papaya.Rocks.

The Papaya Young Creators manifesto puts it clearly: in a world dominated by content, creativity can have many different forms and dimensions. 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 ninth edition of the Papaya Young Creators competition will conclude with a Grand Finale gala in June 2022.