Nat Geo Wild And Sun Valley Film Festival Celebrate The 50th Anniversary Of Earth Day

In partnership with the Sun Valley Film Festival and Submittable, Nat Geo WILD announces the seventh annual Wild to Inspire short-film contest.

This year, the contest is seeking short films inspired by the milestone 50th anniversary of Earth Day. National Geographic has a storied history of inspiring people to care about the planet and is now looking for films to help with this mission. Films should celebrate the natural world, inspire viewers to work toward a planet in balance in the 21st century and draw a connection to the Earth Day anniversary.     

The grand-prize winner will receive a once-in-a-lifetime, all-expenses-paid excursion to one of the far corners of the globe to find out firsthand what it's like to be a National Geographic filmmaker. Past winners have traveled to Africa and Peru.

U.S. residents are invited to submit a short film of three minutes or less using the submission platform Submittable. Up to three finalists, announced in early March 2020, will receive an invitation to attend SVFF, which unites filmmakers and industry insiders from around the world, in Sun Valley, Idaho, March 18-22. At SVFF, the finalists will screen their films for festival attendees and before a panel of judges that includes Nat Geo WILD executives. The grand-prize winner will be announced at the festival's closing ceremony. 

"National Geographic has always been at the forefront of storytelling excellence, having redefined the natural history genre throughout the decades," says Chris Albert, EVP of global communications at National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD. "Which is why it's so relevant to inspire the next generation of filmmakers who are eager to put our planet in the spotlight and encourage guardianship and sustainability through heightened awareness of our living, breathing and dynamic planet."

"Sun Valley is committed to bringing together the best and brightest in filmmaking while also celebrating the aspiring creators whose work deserves our attention," says Teddy Grennan, executive director of the Sun Valley Film Festival. "Screening Wild to Inspire finalists during our annual festival is just one way this contest helps foster new talent."

"Wild to Inspire is an incredible opportunity for the wider filmmaking community," says Michael FitzGerlad, CEO and co-founder of Submittable. "We're proud our application management software can support National Geographic in its mission to grow our understanding of the natural world while also celebrating the legacy and future of Earth Day."

Previous winner Filipe DeAndrade has gone on to host his own show, Untamed with Filipe DeAndrade, on Nat Geo WILD.

The submission period is active now through Feb. 2, 2020. The contest is open to U.S. residents, and all entries must be three minutes or less (multiple entries are allowed). To view all Wild to Inspire contest rules, regulations and prizing, visit wildtoinspire.submittable.com.

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between Disney and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education.

Since 2012 the Sun Valley Film Festival has invited fans and filmmakers to America's first ski resort to celebrate the magic of storytelling. The year-round Sun Valley Film Initiative develops professionals and illuminates the process of filmmaking, propelling emerging voices with grants and education. Each March, SVFF celebrates with a slate of cutting-edge films and TV premieres, industry panels, engaging Coffee Talks with entertainment luminaries, a Screenwriters Lab led by award-winning writers and a series of parties culminating with the spectacular SVFF Awards Bash. The 2020 SVFF will be held March 18-22. SVFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Submittable is a cloud-based submission management platform that makes it easy to accept, review and select any kind of content, no matter where you are. Organizations of all sizes save money and time collecting and reviewing everything from book proposals to poetry, from grants, scholarships and fellowships to job applications, and from videos to photos. Submittable also has 2.5 million submitters in its network, creating a powerful marketplace for users to connect directly with organizations. The company is located in Missoula, Montana, and is backed by Next Coast Ventures True Ventures, Next Frontier Capital, The Knight Foundation, StartFund, 77Ventures, Y Combinator and a few other amazing investors. Submittable™ has collected over 10 million submissions for thousands of customers.