YouTube’s down under division and Screen Australia are looking to fund at least one new project that will launch on YouTube Kids as part of the ninth edition of their Skip Ahead incubator. 

This is the first time since the program launched in 2014 that it’s actively supporting Australian YouTube creators to develop content for children. This year’s Skip Ahead has allocated US$78,000 each for up to four YouTube projects, and the goal is to help local talent improve their storytelling skills and amp things up on the production value front. 

YouTube and Screen Australia are already accepting submissions for scripted and documentary-style content, and any Aussie content creator who has a YouTube channel with at least 25,000 subscribers or a YouTube video that has been viewed more than a million times can apply online by May 24. Once this window closes, submissions will be assessed by the partners based on creativity, audience potential, viability and team/industry skills development.

Over the past decade, Skip Ahead has provided more than US$3.3 million in funding to 39 projects, among them a sitcom short series called 1999 from Aunty Donna (569,000 subscribers) and the documentary Bad River by Beau Miles (707,000 subscribers). Program beneficiaries have also included the sibling creators of comedy channel RackaRacka (6.83 million subscribers) Danny and Micahel Philippou, who released their first feature-length horror film Talk to Me in 2022. Co-produced by Australia’s Causeway Films, Bankside Films and Talk to Me Holdings, the pic grossed more than US$93.3 million at the global box office against its US$4.5-million budget.  

Photo of Skip Ahead 8 series Uncovering Street Dance: Australia courtesy of Screen Australia.