´óÏó´«Ã½

They say there's a book inside every one of us...

This autumn, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ will be inviting the whole country to share their untold real life stories [1] with the hope of finding that book.

In September the My Story website is launching at bbc.co.uk/mystory, asking the public to submit their true untold real life stories in 300 to 1,500 words.

Up to 15 of the most compelling storytellers will get the chance to appear in a major TV series on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One in 2010.

There will also be the chance for five of the storytellers to have their book published, which could see the story of their lives available to buy in shops alongside their favourite authors, after the programmes transmit.

Mark Bell, Arts Commissioner, ´óÏó´«Ã½, commented: "My Story aims to get the whole nation reading, writing and telling their most remarkable stories.

"The ´óÏó´«Ã½ believes that the arts should be accessible to all and we're proud as a publicly-funded broadcaster to be at the heart of the nation's storytelling."

The My Story website will be packed full of videos and interactive tools to help people plan and structure their stories, as well as tips on writing styles and skills.

In addition, short videos presented by Nina Wadia (EastEnders) and Lenny Henry (returning to the part of Deacus) will show audiences how easy it is to get started and explore simple ideas to get the creative juices flowing.

There are also cameo appearances from Peter Duncan, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, Stephen K Amos and Rowland Rivron.

Wannabe storytellers will also be invited to come to one of six My Story roadshows [2] across the country, aiming to inspire a harder-to-reach audience to tell their stories.

My Story is a part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s commitment to the arts and culture in association with Princess Productions.

Notes to Editors

• Full terms and conditions are available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/mystory/terms-and-conditions/.
• [1] Your story must be your own original, unpublished and untold work. Untold means that you cannot have told your story before in a book, magazine, newspaper, broadcast or any online versions of the same (however it may have been reported by someone else). Please note these rules do not apply to brief references within reported news stories, which will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Anyone with a current publishing contract (in the UK or anywhere else) or whose story/writing is subject to any third party rights or restrictions is not allowed to enter this competition.
• Entrants to the competition must be aged 18 years or over and be UK residents. They must not presently have a publishing deal and their story must have really happened – this will be verified before being featured on screen.
• The competition is free for submission via a specially-designed website. Normal internet service provider costs apply.
• The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is working in conjunction with independent production company, Princess Productions.
• [2] In the Autumn, My Story takes to the road, visiting six cities across the UK targeting harder-to-reach audiences to support them to tell their stories: 26 September – All Saints Square, Rotherham; 3 October - Centre Square, Middlesbrough; 17 October – The Riverfront Theatre, Newport, South Wales; 24 October – The Winter Gardens, Blackpool; 31 October – The Mitchell Library, Glasgow.
• Stories should be between 300 and 1,500 words and must be accompanied by a summary of between 50 and 300 words and a short description.
• Stories should be sent online via the My Story website or by post using the entry form in the free My Story magazine, and must be received by 16 December 2009. Stories entered by post cannot be published online.
• Each entry will be read by the production team. There will be two panels in the latter stages of the competition which will be made up of professional storytellers and the TV production company. The third and final panel – which decides the five winners – will be made up of storytelling experts only.
• My Story is part of a deeper commitment to arts and music on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ over the coming year, with a wide range of initiatives aimed at supporting cultural Britain and better serving the public. These include: big, bold content ideas like the recent pan-´óÏó´«Ã½ Poetry season and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3's year-long celebration of Purcell, Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn; the creation of a new Arts Editor role for ´óÏó´«Ã½ News; and a new commitment to partnerships, including a project in development with the Public Catalogue Foundation which could enable the public to view every one of the UK's 200,000 publicly-owned oil paintings online.

AH