h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Traveller in Time full of imagination
"And then halfway down the rules and regulations it states:
UK residents only. Can we not just open the competition for the world? With the limitation of the first prize (or transportation to and from the Studios at your own cost)?"

indeed! *sobs into her *

Sadly, BBC rules state that competitions need to be directed towards license-fee payers - ie, people in the UK. However, although we can't offer competitions to our oversees members, we are close to announcing a different project along the same lines that will be open to all.

But in the meantime, sorry guys.

Traveller in Time on his wallet
"One day I am going to find out how we (Overseals) can pay this fee. . .

I already ran into a denial several times after 'invitations' to see broadband content. They even offer tests to check my connection, finally resulting in the statement: 'Only for UK residents' <?> "

It might be worth feeding this back to the broadband people, suggesting they either move the 'only in the UK' warning to the first page, or if there is one already, make it clearer.

UK residents only:

... and the modern term is 'Supporting Actor' as we know - having 'worked' in 'Sunburn', with brief appearances in 'South at Six', 'This is your Life' (no - it wasn't mine!), 'Blood Royal' and I'm sure I appeared with a Dalek sometime in my youth.



P.S. Due to the vaguaries of my broadband connection (whether it is the computer, the O.S. or the rural telephone line blowing in the wind) this took an hour to post.

UK residents only !
I receive BBC prime over cable TV which costs A LOT of money… does that count?

Only UK folks allowed, and I had a nice photo to include as well...

Woodpigeon

Hold onto that photo, Woodpigeon. And stay tuned.

Ah... I see that the American contingent has already made their displeasure clear. Good. I am also perturbed by the stipulation... but this other option intrigues me, so I will postpone my whining and puling.

Of course, if we were to send a license fee to the BBC, then that would make us eligible for the contest. Right?

Does this photograph (even though I'm not eligible, I'm curious!) have to be of a particularly nice place? How 'bout someplace very prosaic, maybe even a little disgusting, like the bathroom of Grand Central Station in New Yawk?

I used to live the UK, and am still a citizen....but I guess that doesn't count, eh?

Oh dang! The 'write a reply to this question' still glows as if I had already hit it - but my reply seems to have drifted off into the ether...

Anyway, let me point out that I'm *not* an Amurrican!

But, just out of curiousity - exactly how much is this license fee?

And would paying it be a way to make oneself eligible for the contest?

It's £121. http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/licencefee/

I doubt you'd be able to pay it though!

I was about to cry as well, but if another announcement is forthcoming, that just gives me extra time to find (or take) the *perfect* shot!

:: to buy batteries for digital camera ::

I'm an American, and I'm under eighteen! Not fair.

Dang. And I have some really good pictures of Death Valley, too!

Lentilla, if you'd like to pay my license fee for me, then I'll submit your photo!

RF

Um, Jimster, I think I can understand why there would be a non-UK-resident ban, but still I think that it works against having a decent result.

For instance, you're likely to get a lot of pictures of Westminster Abbey and Stonehenge, but none of the Galapagos islands or even the Grand Canyon. There simply won't be time enough for UK residents to book air fare to Arizona or the Galapagos, take their pictures, and come back in time to enter the pics. So, you're not likely to get a real distribution of global sites, unless somebody happened to have photos of these places on hand already. Your demographics work against it, too. You probably have a lot more 18-year-olds than 50-year-olds. Which age group is more likely to have had the time and the inclination to travel outside their native country?

Just playing the 's advocate.

Have to say, some of the entries we've received so far have been marvellous shots from all over the globe.

One of the other reasons why the winner would have to be in the UK at the moment - from a purely practical perspective - is that the Producers of the movie are stumping up the travel expenses for the winner, and it wouldn't really be the done thing to expect them to pay someone to come over from abroad *twice* in one month.

However, as I mentioned earlier, if non-UK Researchers have photos that they might have contributed, hang on to them. Can't say any more, but we're hoping to be able to make good use of them soon...

And what about the under-18s? Not fair! Understand why, but not fair!