What is The Place?
The Place is an international centre for dance. It is the home of London Contemporary Dance School, and the Richard Alston Dance Company. The Robin Howard Dance Theatre is Britain's busiest dance venue, offering a year-round programme from both young and established choreographers. The Place also provides information services and development opportunities for dance practitioners. It runs open classes in the evenings and at weekends, and pioneering education projects take dance to the local community and beyond. The Place is London's National Dance Agency. See www.theplace.org.uk

What do you mean by contemporary British dance?
We don't mean contemporary dance as a description of a style. We mean any dance which is a fresh reaction to the way the world is now. Artists must be resident in the UK.

What do you mean by professional?
We mean artists who earn a living at least in part through making dance. But really, in the end, it's not money that matters - it's attitude. The entrant may not be a full or part-time undergraduate or foundation course student between the time of their commission and the performance of the work. Dancers and other collaborators may not be full or part-time undergraduate or foundation course students during the period of rehearsals and performances. Postgraduate students are eligible.

What is the Aerowaves network?
Aerowaves conducts an annual Europe-wide search for the most promising short dance works by younger artists. 30 experts, each in a different European country, assess over 250 applications. These experts will join the commissioners and offer their opinions after watching the video entries to The Place Prize.

When will you announce the judges? Will they be dance specialists?
We will announce the judges soon after the entry deadline. We don't want any artist to think that it's not worth them entering because they believe the judges might not like their work. Most of the judges will be distinguished in fields over than dance. We want to take The Place Prize out of the usual courts of judgement.

How will the entries be judged? What are the criteria for judging?
This is a competition to find the best choreography, not a funding application that must address specific requirements. The commissioners will assess the quality of the proposed idea - vision, imagination and creativity of approach as demonstrated in the video and at presentations by short listed artists. The subsequent deliberations by the judges following performances are private.

Won't choreographers feel compelled to make crowd-pleasing work?
Since the public has its own prizes to offer, the judges will reward the best choreography. Anyway, there's no harm in reminding contemporary choreographers that they are making work for a public.

Can you make a serious dance work lasting only 15 minutes?
Yes. A good artist can. The quality of the works created for previous editions of The Place Prize and the continuing demand for performances illustrates the demand for 15 minute dance works.

Am I allowed to show my Place Prize commissioned piece in a different venue prior to the Place Prize previews?
No, but you may show a private informal sharing.

What do I do if I’m unsure whether I’m eligible to enter, or I think that the entry criteria are unfair?
Contact us – we’ll be happy to discuss your specific issues and decide if we can accept your entry.