NEWS: MSC Malaysia content contest dangles RM1mil in grants

KUALA LUMPUR: A million ringgit worth of grants is being offered to the 26 Malaysian content creators that can ace the fifth MSC Malaysia Intellectual Property Challenge Competition (MSC Malaysia IPCC) this year.

Participants may compete in any of the four categories in this annual event — Animation, Casual Games, Digital Interactive Comic, and Mobile Games.

Each winner will receive an RM50,000 grant in all categories, except for the Digital Interactive Comic competition where it is an RM20,000 grant.

In total, there will be six grants up for grabs in the Animation competition, 10 in Digital Interactive Comic, five in Casual Games, and five in Mobile Games.

The winners of the MSC Malaysia IPCC 2010 will also receive mentorship from industry players and be given access to development facilities at the MSC Malaysia Animation and Creative Content Centre (Mac3).

Mac3 is the Multimedia Development Corporation’s (MDeC) incubation facility for content developers, located in Cyberjaya near here. MDeC is guardian of the country’s MSC Malaysia initiative.

Helping to push

Ng Wan Peng, MDeC chief operating officer, said those who wish to take part in the competition must submit a proposal outlining their entry, inclusive of concept art and storyline.

According to her, the entries could be content for the iPhone and Blackberry smartphones, or for popular social networking sites like Facebook.

MDeC will shortlist 50 entrants from the total number sent it. The shortlisted competitors will then have to make a pitch to a group of judges on why their entry deserves to win.

The judges will decide on the winners and the results will be announced at the end of July.

Ng said the winners will be given six months to create an animation clip, game or digital comic, depending on their entry.

“MDeC will then market those ideas at content fairs around the world, like the annual MIPTV and Mipcom events in France,” she said.

MDeC hopes the number of submissions this year will be double of last year’s 100-plus entries.

The closing date for the submission of entries is July 1.

For more information on the competition, go to www.mscmalaysia.my/ipcc.