On the heels of launching a new studio in Toronto with former Nelvana exec Patricia Burns installed as head of production, Animax Entertainment is casting its net wide for animation concepts via a Canadian script-writing contest.

Running until November 31, The Animax Canucks Cartoon Script Contest is after seven-minute scripts from Canadian citizens living in-country or abroad – particular interest will be paid to submissions targeting preschool, tweens and adults. Judging the contest will be McKenzie Brothers creator and Animax co-founder Dave Thomas, members of his team and several well-known North American agents, producers, writers and artists. The ‘Top Banana’ prize is US$2,500 in development funding and a beer (take off, eh?), with US$1,500 and US$1,000 going to the second- and third-place winners.