Newsweek & The Daily Beast Announce New IMAX Award For Exploration Themed Films

It can be tough to get a movie made if you don’t have a major studio backing you with gobs of cash. But soon, aspiring filmmakers will have another avenue to pursue their dreams.

Newsweek & The Daily Beast announced last week that the company is creating the IMAX Award, a new honor for filmmakers interested in creating movies around the theme of exploration. What’s in it for the winner? A $25,000 prize that will be awarded either as a scholarship or given as a lump sum for production expenses.

The contest was designed to commemorate Newsweek’s Explorer issue, which will go on sale Jan. 6. It will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of IMAX, which revolutionized film production by providing a method to shoot larger images with greater resolution.

To enter the contest, go to Vimeo to complete a registration form and upload a one- to two-minute video trailer shot as a documentary with the theme of exploration that transports viewers to places they’ve heretofore only dreamed about. The deadline for submission is Nov. 30, 2012.

A panel of judges will select 10 finalists, which will then be voted on by the public. The winner’s film will premier at Newsweek and The Daily Beast’s Explorer event set to take place in January 2013.