Top 10 tips for a winning Farmers Apprentice entry
There’s only 12 days left to complete your entry to the Farmers Apprentice and be in the running to win the £10,000 prize.
If you’re aged between 18-25 and want a place at our once-in-a-lifetime farming bootcamp in October, now’s the time to film your 60-second entry video.
Just 10 candidates will be selected to make it to bootcamp, so your entry video is your chance to stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impression.
Here are our top 10 tips to making a winning entry video – good luck!
See more information about the Farmers Apprentice.
1. Quick ‘n’ dirty
We won’t be giving out any Oscars for your entry videos, so don’t worry about producing a Spielberg-style epic. If you don’t have a video camera just get your mate to film it on your mobile phone. Job done.
2. Sprint, don’t jog
Your entry video must be a maximum of 60 seconds, so any rambling is a waste of valuable time. Every word counts, so make it short, sharp and full of impact.
3. Get outside the box
You’re passionate, hardworking, you love the outdoors, blah blah blah. Yes, these are all the kinds of qualities we’re looking for but our judges want to be wowed. Instead why not tell us a joke, tell us about your hero, tell us anything that’ll make our ears prick up or hair stand on end.
4. Lights, camera, ACTION
The judges want more than words. Don’t just tell us what makes you stand out from the crowd, SHOW us. This could mean getting creative with your setting, delivering your video in the middle of some action. Just keep it safe kids.
5. It’s all about the money
Being the fastest combiner in the West or a fully qualified pig whisperer is all very well, but don’t forget that at heart farming is a business. We’re going to need some seriously sharp business minds to nail some of our bootcamp tasks, so get down to the nitty gritty and tell us about the money. How would you spend the £10,000 prize? Show us how hot you are on profit, loss, inputs, outputs and balance sheets. You know, all the sexy stuff.
6. Tick tock tick tock
The competition closes for entries on the 14 September with no exceptions. Put the date in your diary, programme a reminder on your mobile phone, write it on your mirror in lipstick or tattoo it on your forehead – whatever works for you. Just don’t be late.
7. Love thyself
Ultimately the thing that will win you a spot at bootcamp is YOU. Don’t be afraid of talking yourself up. We want to know about your strengths, your skills, your achievements and what sets you apart from all those other people.
8. Phone a friend
If you’re not a natural self-publicist, why not talk to your friends, family, teachers or colleagues and ask them why they think you’d be an awesome candidate – it might give you some cracking ideas (and a nice warm fuzzy feeling inside).
9. Duracell Bunny
We’re going to be asking a lot of you and we want to know you can rise to the occasion, so show us you’ve got bags of energy. If you struggle to get out of bed in the morning and need a siesta in the afternoon, this competition’s not for you.
10. Talkie talkie
If you pursue a career in agriculture you’re going to be dealing with people day in, day out. Prove you’re a people person – communicate clearly, vary your tone and don’t read from a tightly written script. We’re looking for humans, not robots.
11. Smile
OK, we know this is meant to be a top-10 list, but number 11 is really important. Any body language expert worth their salt will tell you that first impressions count, and smiling is one of the most powerful signals you can make. Our judges will have a lot of videos to watch, so crack a smile and leave a lasting impression.
Visit our Farmers Apprentice page for more competition details