Do you have an idea for a short film to report or inspire others on soils?

FAO is collaborating with TVE (Television for the Environment) on the tvebiomovies film competition. This year, the International Year of Soils will be a category in the Short Films Proposal competition.  Are you passionate about soils? Are you or your friends doing something to preserve soil? Do you have a story to tell?  Your film can be funny or serious, an animation, a drama or a documentary.

Submit your proposal and you could receive US$300 to help you make your film a reality!

The films will be uploaded to TVE's YouTube channel tveinspiringchange and the two films that receive the most views between 16 October and 18 December 2015 will each receive a US$1500 prize!

The International Year of Soils 2015 prize

Soil is irreplaceable! It can take up to 1 000 years to produce just 2-3 cm of soil, and yet up to 50 000 square kilometres of soil, an area around the size of Costa Rica, is lost every year due to deforestation, unsustainable land use and management practices, overgrazing and climate change. 11 hectares of soil are sealed under expanding cities every hour in Europe. 

We all depend on soils in one way or another: it is estimated that 95% of our food comes from soils, our soils are the foundation for vegetation which we use for feed, fibre, fuel and medicinal products. They support our planet's biodiversity and they host a quarter of the total; in fact, there are more organisms in one tablespoon of healthy soil than there are people on earth! Soils also do a lot of things that are not visible to the human eye. For example, they play a role in climate change mitigation by capturing carbon and reducing green house gas emissions. They also store and filter water, improving our resilience to floods and droughts.

Despite the vital role soil plays, we take it for granted. With a global population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, soils are under increasing pressure. Already one third of global soil is moderately to highly degraded and time is running out. If we go on neglecting the importance of soil, and of looking after it, we will not be able to meet the needs of future generations.

Submit your proposal, turn your ideas into a snappy one-minute video and start speaking out for soils! Some key questions and themes to think about are:

• Soil is a precious and irreplaceable resource
• How do soils sustain life?
• What can people/society/your friends do to preserve soil?
• Are you and your friends already doing something to preserve soil? Do you know someone who is? What are they doing?
• Soils are under increasing pressure to satisfy the demands of a growing population: how can we reverse the trend of soil degradation while ensuring current and future global food security?
• Soils in the city

How do I enter? 

Think about how you might make a one-minute film about soils.  Send a proposal about the film you would like to make using the TVE online form before 23.00 GMT 17 August 2015. Pitches will only be accepted in English, Arabic, French, Russian or Spanish.

A judging panel, including representatives from FAO, will select the best three proposals in each category and provide funding of US$300 to help you make your film. Funding will only be awarded on delivery of the film.

The deadline for the delivery of the final films is 14 October 2015.

The films will be uploaded to TVE's YouTube channel tveinspiringchange and the two films that receive the most views between 16 October and 18 December 2015 will each receive a US$1500 prize!

Remember, you have until 23.00 GMT on 17 August 2015 to submit your proposal online.