Help Southeastern Guide Dogs spread the word about their extraordinary superhero dogs who save the day, every day, for people with vision loss and veterans with disabilities with a script for a 4-minute 3D animated short film.

Southeastern Guide Dogs breeds, raises, and trains future superheroes. This school creates elite guide dogs and service dogs and matches them with the humans who need them. The school began as a small, two-bedroom farmhouse in a cow pasture. Over the past 35 years, it has evolved into a state-of-the-art, 33-acre campus with the most comprehensive and advanced training facilities of any service dog organization in the world.

View a 3-D video of the future of the campus: https://youtu.be/vee5-2-yqYw 

Imagine Hogwarts for dogs, and you’re getting close to how awesome (pawsome?) the Southeastern Guide Dogs campus is. With a stellar reputation and expertise in animal behavior, they’ve thought of everything: a Puppy Academy comprised of a Whelping and Neonatal Care Center, a Preschool, a Kindergarten, and a Gymnasium; beautifully landscaped outdoor training routes; a Canine University which includes Canine Residence Halls (aka “Dorms”) for the older dogs-in-training; a state-of-the-art veterinary center encompassing the best of eastern and western medicine, canine-style, as well as a comprehensive canine conditioning wing featuring an indoor gymnasium, hydrotherapy tanks, and even a hyberbaric chamber.

It’s everything future furry superheroes need to grow smarter, stronger, and more skilled as they progress from the early basics all the way to the most advanced training, culminating in a formal graduation as elite, Olympic-quality guide dogs and service dogs. These remarkable dogs give confidence, independence, and freedom to people with vision loss and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other disabilities.

In short, it’s where puppies are lovingly taught to become superheroes. No big deal. 

Now, channel your excitement into a script for a 3D animated short film that will spread the word about Southeastern Guide Dogs superheroes who save the day, every day.

Put yourself in the paws of a young puppy just starting her path to becoming a superhero. 

This puppy is excited to reach the next level of her training and to earn her superhero-in-training cape. She’s got goals. Sure, she’s only a kindergarten pup, but she’s set her sights on the big dogs.

Channel the giddy awe she’d feel stepping foot (…paw) into Canine University. Feel her urge to belong. Sense her yearning as she watches older puppies-in-training, and the determination she’d feel watching them earn their diplomas and don their superhero capes after passing their strenuous exams. 

Maybe that feeling isn’t excitement – it’s hope. And guts. And spunky determination to succeed. And then more hope. That’s what we want you to capture in your script, which will ultimately become a 4-minute 3D animated film.

You can learn more about the real Puppy Academy here: https://www.guidedogs.org/blog/grant-shirle-puppy-academy/

And let these Pixar rules inspire you: http://pixar-animation.weebly.com/pixars-rules.html 

Read below for some creative direction you can consider for your script. 

The goal is to create a strong emotional response of rooting for the underdog who must overcome obstacles and move from failure to success. The goal is to share the message of hope that surrounds the Southeastern Guide Dogs story.

We’ve got a rough script outline that you can approach one of two ways: either flesh it out or come up with something new that captures these same feelings. 

Your script must work without dialogue; we’re not looking for talking dogs. The story will be told strictly through the animated visuals, sound effects, and original music.

Outline:

Our story begins with a young puppy named Hope who is training at Canine Superhero University. She is still in the young group where she enjoys her day with her puppy class: taking lessons, eating with friends in the cafeteria, studying in the library, participating in gym and sports, etc. Hope is smaller than her peers, but despite her stature, her confidence is growing.

Hope and her classmates are anxious to be admitted into the Superhero training program. If they pass a rigorous test, they will receive their training capes and become official Superheroes-in-training. If they do not pass, they must leave Superhero University for good. The stakes are high.

As Hope and her classmates walk across campus on their way to take their exams, she notices the big, smart “senior” dogs taking their final exams. These dogs are well ahead of Hope’s class; they’ve been through training already and now if they pass their final test, they become Superheroes and are awarded their coveted Superhero capes. The exams are very serious and challenging. Hope watches these older dogs complete their tests flawlessly. She dreams of becoming just like them. But first, she must pass the rigorous test to be inducted into the training program.

Hope and friends reach their testing destination. They line up, and Hope watches as several of her peers go before her. They pass. It’s her turn. 

But no. The instructor insists she is too short. He thinks she’s not ready to test. He wants her to stay behind.

But Hope won’t give up easily. Although young and small, she is determined to pass her training test that very day. She is sure that she’s ready to begin her next level of training. 

Finally, the professor relents – she can try the exam. Hope takes the test, but because of her own over-confidence (or other shortcomings) and because of a disaster (a cat runs through everything, for example), it’s a spectacular disaster. No training cape for Hope. 

Hope walks away dejectedly. Dark clouds overhead, sad music, Hope cries real tears. Her career is over before it has begun.

As she walks away, she encounters a visually-impaired young man or woman with a white cane, in distress and in danger. Hope’s quick thinking and fast action save the person at the last minute. She proves to herself and the human-in-danger that she has what it takes; an innate ability to save and protect. She failed the exam but passed the ultimate test. But nobody knows it. It doesn’t matter.

Hope returns to her dorm at Superhero University. When she enters, it’s dark; then the lights come on, and all the other puppies and older dogs clap and whistle. There’s even confetti! The instructor presents Hope with her training cape and all is well. She’s in!

Note that the dogs at Southeastern Guide Dogs progress through three phases or levels: 1: basic (preschool and kindergarten); 2: dogs in training with training capes; and 3: final big dogs getting big capes, symbolizing becoming working guide dogs and service dogs. Hope is finishing level 1 and trying to advance to level 2. 

--Inspiration:

This short film made by students at Ringling College of Art & Design is a major source of inspiration for this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2REkk9SCRn0

--Key Marketing Messages: 

Your script must include this copy at the end: 

Our dogs save the day—every day—for people with vision loss and veterans with disabilities.

--Target Audience:

Potential donors nationwide; typically affluent women ages 55 – 75 who love dogs. 

--Executional Mandatories:

• You may use the outline above to guide your script or come up with a new creative direction
• Your script must only feature Labradors, golden retrievers, and golden-Lab mixes (a.k.a. goldadors) 

--Tone:

Uplifting, inspiring, exciting, hopeful, dramatic 

--Exposure:

Southeastern Guide Dogs website, YouTube, and Facebook page; local and national broadcast, movie theaters.

This Project will be worth a total of $750 and consists of two Phases: a Script Phase and a Revisions Phase. Be sure to read the following information carefully as well as the Official Rules.

PHASE 1: SCRIPT – Submit your Script (.txt, .doc, or .pdf preferred).  The winning Script writer will receive $750. 

The most compelling Script will be selected and, upon submitting the Winner’s Affidavit and the IP Assignment, will receive $750 for their winning Script and one round of Revisions that satisfies any completing Sponsor notes and providing the necessary release forms.

PHASE 2: REVISIONS – Once the Script winner has been selected, the winning submitter will enter the Revisions Phase (What is a Revisions Phase?). During this phase, the Script winner will perform reasonable edits on their Script according to the Sponsor’s feedback.

1. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.

2. BY SUBMITTING AN ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE SOLE PROPERTY OF TONGAL OR ITS ASSIGNEES – SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR VIDEO HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.

3. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.

4. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.

5. By submitting to this project, you acknowledge that your work may become subject to public voting on the Tongal site. Public voting may be used to help the project sponsor determine the final rank order.

6. Limit 5 submissions per member.

7. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or old.

8. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest at their discretion.

9. Winners must submit the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment.

10. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.