As an initiative to increase its comedic talent pool and expand its development slate, Nickelodeon is currently accepting entries to its 2013 animated shorts program. The program, first announced last March, will produce 10 one-minute shorts that could be turned into longer animated comedy series to air on the US kidsnet or Nick.com.

Nickelodeon is accepting submissions in all styles (2D, digital 2D, stop motion, CG or mixed media) from animation talent including artists, designers, writers and directors from inside and outside its network.

Artists selected to produce a short will be given artistic and production support by Nickelodeon and the shorts will be produced at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, California, the home of such hit series as The Fairly OddParents, T.U.F.F. Puppy and SpongeBob SquarePants.

Read the official guidelines, below:

Animated shorts must be: comedic, character driven, and have kid appeal.

We look for ideas that feature an original, funny lead character – with about 2 or 3 characters in total. Be prepared to show either through designs, thumbnail storyboards or script, how funny and unique your characters are.

Characters must be relatable to kids ages 6 to 11 and appeal to both boys and girls.

If the characters are human, we recommend that they be a kid around our audience’s age. If non-human their mindset should be like a kid and they should encounter situations that are relatable and comprehendible to our kid-audience.

All submissions must be kid-appropriate in content.

Shorts are limited to 2 minutes in length and should primarily take place in 1 setting.

We are open to all animation styles including 2D, digital 2D, CG, Stop Motion, Flash, and Mixed Media.

Your pitch materials must include:

• Concept Treatment
• Character Descriptions: designs with written descriptions preferred
• 2 minute rough thumbnail storyboards or 2 minute script/outline
• Resume and credits
• Link to online portfolio and/or work samples (if available)
• Must submit a signed copy of the submission release form

Your submission can include:

• Character designs – rough sketches are acceptable
• Character layouts
• Link to more pitch content

The deadline for submissions is March 29, 2013. No submissions will be accepted after this time.

Visit www.nickshortspitches.com for online submission instructions.

Source: Nickelodeon