The Transport Accident Commission has brought back its annual Split Second Competition for its seventh year running, offering young Victorians the chance to make a life-saving difference through creative story-telling.
The initiative, designed to engage young creatives aged 18–30, calls for compelling short films that capture the devastating consequences of a split-second decision on the roads.
For this year’s competition, two winners will be selected to bring their ideas to life with mentorship from Truce Films and creative agency TABOO and a $45,000 production budget. Both winners will also receive a $5,000 cash prize.
One of the prizes on offer is the Multicultural Youth Prize, giving the chance for young people from multicultural backgrounds to join the conversation and help shape a safer Victoria for everyone. Indonesian international student Olivia Hartanto was its inaugural winner and says the competition opened doors for her in the early stages of her career in animation:
“It was eye-opening to learn all the steps in the creative process. Taboo and Truce Films taught me the inner workings of the industry before I stepped into it. I learned how the professionals work,” Olivia mentioned.
Throughout the creative process, gaining confidence was a big takeaway for Olivia.
“Entering the industry, I was intimidated! I was a newbie and I don’t know what was going on. But I learned everyone is friendly and they loved my work, so I gained so much confidence,” she shared.
Olivia’s winning film, Captain Buckle, has generated awareness around wearing seatbelts but it remains an important and critical road safety concern. TAC road trauma data shows around a quarter of young drivers and passengers killed on the roads in the past decade were not wearing a seatbelt.
To Olivia, the connection is personal.
“When I first arrived in Australia, I always forgot to wear my seatbelt. When I was in the backseat, the driver always told me off. So I think that’s where it started!” she said.
As an international student, the recognition also felt affirming to Olivia and a reminder of how cultural stories resonate.
“It felt really good to win! As an international student, I feel I can achieve as much as anyone else living in Australia!”
Looking ahead, Olivia’s advice to future entrants is to back yourself, get creative, and make the message memorable:
“If you are creative, you should do it. You will learn from the best in the business!”
Entrants for TAC’s Split Second Competition close on the 9th of November. Visit www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/split-second to enter.
