Submissions have opened for the 2014 Limelight Film Awards being staged in east London next summer.

They were opened at Bethnal Green’s Rich Mix arts centre inviting amateurs and start-up movie-makers to put their short films forward for next year’s shortlist.

The seventh annual competition leads up to a glitzy ceremony attended by 500 film-makers, celebrities and TV and Film personalities next June.

It has 12 categories including animation, comedy, documentary, horror, science fiction, drama and ‘freefall’ for films that can’t be labelled.

The overall Film of the Night gets a £10,000 production award, with facilities for the winner towards their next project.

Organisers received 230 submissions last year, but expect more for 2014. Submissions are free for the first month up until November 20.

The Limelight awards were founded by Munsur Ali, 36, to help youngsters follow his own path and get into the glitzy world of film production.

“I felt there wasn’t enough being done to help up-and-coming film-makers,” he said.

Mansur trained in broadcasting and film-making at Whitechapel’s London Met University and now runs a small, successful film studio in Limehouse with a string of short films under his belt.