A short film competition with a potential £30,000 prize and was launched today in a nostalgic trip to the age of the silver screen with a cutting edge twist.

Organisers claim Virgin Media Shorts is the first short film competition to run across four screens - television, cinema, mobile and computer.

The competition will offer nationwide coverage for the short-listed film makers, with the final 12 films to be shown at 211 cinema screens across the UK for a year.

A Virgin Media spokeswoman said: "Since the nostalgic short film disappeared from the big screen in the late 1960s, film makers have struggled to find a place to show off their talent and the opportunities have melted away along with the ice cream usherettes."

The short-listed films will also be available to 3.5 million Virgin Media TV customers to watch for free through the FilmFlex service in the Movies on Demand section on their television or through the Virgin Central Channel.

Virgin Mobile customers can download clips of the films and all of the entries will be available to anyone to view and review online, giving any budding film critics the chance to rate each short film - www.virginmediashorts.co.uk.

The final grand prize winner will receive up to £30,000 towards the development of their next film. They will also have the chance to work with Virgin Media and the UK Film Council to make their next short film, as well as having their short film shown later this year on Virgin 1 - available to 22 million homes in the UK.

Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin Group said: "It's great to see home-grown British film making talent being recognised and given such an amazing chance to be seen by millions of people across the UK.

"British film making is now being honoured in award ceremonies all over the world - all of those film makers needed a first break - hopefully Virgin Media Shorts will give unknown film makers out there the break they deserve.

"My advice is simple - don't give up and believe in yourself."

The competition invites film makers of all ages and backgrounds from across the UK to submit their short films for a chance to win the grand prize later this year.

The short films, which must be a maximum of two and-a-half minutes long and suitable viewing for cinema goers, will then be reviewed and short-listed to 12 films by a panel.

The expert judging panel is yet to be announced. It will include personalities from the British film industry, with the final winner to be announced at an awards ceremony in September. The deadline for entries closes on June 30.

James Kydd, Virgin Media's managing director of brand and marketing said: "We are offering a life-changing opportunity for film makers who have historically struggled to get exposure for their work and putting them in the spotlight to an audience of millions through Virgin Media Shorts.

"The massive library of films on demand that we offer, coupled with our super-fast broadband, will provide movie makers and film fanatics with everything they need to get involved and be inspired."