London-based filmproduction, sales and distribution company Swipe Films has launched a newscreenwriting competition for UK and Irish students.

Undergraduate andpostgraduate Students will submit an original screenplay of 80-120 pages fromany genre. The top winner will option and develop the winning script. Swipesaid that the prize will include a "five figure" cash award as well.

The committee judging theaward will include Swipe's head of development Francesca Harris, Swipe managingdirector Frank Mannion and David Caffrey, who directed Swipe's production ofGrand Theft Parsons.

"Since its inception, Swipe Films has had a policy ofencouraging students to work in the film business by offeringinternships," Mannion said. "This scholarship is the naturalextension of that policy. The aim is to encouragestudents to write screenplays (during their summer holidays).No other scheme, that I am aware of, covers this demographic. We are obviously hoping to discover anew generation of writing talent among the student population, which ispractically untapped at the moment."

Submissions tocomp@swipefilms.com must be submitted by September 30.