A daily newspaper is repeating its competition to find the best short film shot on its patch following a successful pilot project last year.

The Northampton Chronicle & Echo’s “Film Northants 2009″ contest is open to any individuals and groups – so long as their films are less than five minutes long and shot on location in Northamptonshire.

This year’s contest will feature three catgories – fiction film, non-fiction film and schools film – with entries placed on the paper’s website www.northamptonchron.co.uk for the public to view.

A panel of judges will draw up a short list for each category and the public will then vote for their favourite.

Competition co-ordinator and features editor Lily Canter said: “Building on the success of last year we have introduced bigger prizes, more categories and a range of film industry partners.

“There is still no other multimedia competition like this out there and it continues to be an exciting venture for the newspaper and its growing website. It is great to inspire filmmakers of all ages and give them the opportunity to showcase their talent.”

The finalists will be screened at Vue Cinema in Northampton on 22 September at a red carpet awards ceremony night and trophies will be awarded for each category.

Other prizes include film workshops and career advice from industry experts, exclusive film merchandise packs, cinema passes and a free school screening.