Submissions are now being accepted and entrants are asked to send in either a 60 or 90 minute script for an original television, theatre, film or radio drama in the form of a single drama or the first episode of a two-parter, serial or series. The chosen finalists will then participate in a residential seminar where they will undergo concentrated script sessions with members of BBC Northern Ireland Drama’s development team and various script writers and producers.

Previous winners of the Tony Doyle Bursary for New Writing include Bill Murphy, Brian Dungan, Dominque Maloney (Doctors), Danny Stack (Roy on the Run), Abbie Spallen (Love is the Drug, Pumpgirl), Martin McSweeney and Martin McNamara.

The judging panel for entries will include John Yorke (executive producer, Land Girls), producer Kate Rowland (Enchantment); IFTA winning actor Liam Cunnigham (Hunger) and actor Lorcan Cranitch (Summer of the Flying Saucer, Dancing at Lughnasa); IFTA winning producer Peter Norris (Whistleblower), Tony Doyle’s widow, Sally Doyle; Emma Norton, Development Executive for Element Pictures (The Guard): script editor Sarah Stack (Innocent) and IFTA winning actress Tina Kellegher (The Snapper).

The Bursary was established eight years ago in memory of Tony Doyle, one of Ireland’s most celebrated television actors who starred in many BBC, ITV and RTÉ series and dramas including ‘Ballykissangel’, ‘Taggert’, ‘I Went Down’ and ‘Amongst Women’ for which he won the 1998 IFTA award for Best Leading Performance. The Roscommon born actor died in January, 2000.

The winner of the bursary competition will receive a cash prize of £2,000. It is expected that the winner and finalists will be announced in January 2010. The deadline of submissions is December 4th 2009.

For rules of entry and further details visit www.bbc.co.uk