Get your students to sharpen those pencils and get out the paintbrushes! The BBFC’s Create The Card Competition is back, and this year we’ve teamed up with Paramount Pictures UK to invite children across the UK to design the official BBFC Black Card for Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

How to enter

The BBFC Black Card is iconic. Once you see it, you know you’re in the cinema, and your film is about to begin! This year, we are calling on you to produce the official Black Card artwork for Sonic The Hedgehog 3.  

As long as it’s inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog (and his pals) we want to see it!  Any art medium can be used, but the more creative, the better. 

The artwork must be the participant's own, and we can’t accept any entries that use images taken from films, online or AI. To enter, send the artwork on a landscape A4 piece of paper. We encourage entries from individuals, as well as school groups. To enter, send the artwork on a landscape A4 piece of paper.

Entrants should include all their details on the back (see below for more details). Alternatively, download the template here.

The original entry should be posted to the BBFC London offices (Create The Card Competition, BBFC, 3 Soho Square, London, W1D 3HD). Entries can also be scanned and emailed to competition@bbfc.co.uk.

Teacher Guidance

Get your whole school or year group excited about the competition with our free downloadable assembly PowerPoint presentation. The presentation introduces children to the BBFC, our age ratings and our Create The Card competition. To help you deliver the presentation, we’ve put together a handy set of teacher notes. The teacher notes include suggested extension activities, including our brand new game, Trailer Tag, our Rate a Trailer resource, and a range of fun Sonic the Hedgehog activity sheets.

The competition perfectly complements our free Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 PSHE resources which include teacher guidance, lesson plans and activities that help your pupils as they learn to navigate the fast-changing world of online content.

Design top tips

As the design will become the official Black Card for the film, please ensure children leave a space for the age rating symbol, film title and BBFC content advice. We will add other important information (the signatures of our CEO and President,in the other important information (the signatures of our CEO and President who approve each decision, the film's unique code, and our BBFC logo).

• Bright, colourful designs that fill the box will produce the best results
• Any medium can be used: felt tip, crayon, paint inks etc. Colouring pencils can be used, but they don’t tend to show up the best on the big screen, so we recommend using pens instead 
• No glitter 
• If creating a collage, please do not make the sheet thicker than two pieces of paper.
• Please don't fold the artwork, use staples or sellotape
• Avoid metallic finishes over large areas
• Most importantly,make sure the design is inspired by the Sonic the Hedgehog universe

See the previous winning designs for Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, Jurassic World: Dominion and Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil for inspiration.

The original entry should be posted to the BBFC London offices (Create The Card Competition, BBFC, 3 Soho Square, London, W1D 3HD). Entries can also be scanned and emailed to competition@bbfc.co.uk.

As the design will become the official Black Card for the film, please ensure children leave a space for the age rating symbol, film title and BBFC content advice. We will add other important information (the signatures of our CEO and President,in the other important information (the signatures of our CEO and President who approve each decision, the film's unique code, and our BBFC logo).

Who will decide on the winner?

The BBFC Education Team will select the long list, but the final shortlist will be decided by BBFC staff and Paramount Pictures UK staff. Our CEO, David Austin, and our President, Natasha Kaplinsky, will choose the winning design. We’re also delighted to have some special guests from Paramount Pictures UK co-judging the competition and sitting on the panel.

The entries will be judged on creativity, originality, and innovation so make sure designs channel Sonic the Hedgehog's energy and reflect the world of the Sonic the Hedgehog Universe.

Not only will the winner see their Black Card on the big screen in front of every UK cinema screening of the film. They will also receive a BBFC goody bag, along with some film merchandise. They will also need to be available on Tuesday 10 December to come to London and be part of a special winner’s day experience (all expenses covered).  

Ten runners up will also receive a BBFC goody bag.

Rules

The competition is open to all residents of the UK, including the Channel Islands, aged 4-11. Entries should be posted to ‘Create The Card Competition, BBFC, 3 Soho Square, London, WD1 3HD,’ or emailed to us at competition@bbfc.co.uk.

Each entry must include the following on the back:

• Child’s name
• Child’s age
• Child’s school (if applicable)
• A parent/guardian/teacher name
• A parent/guardian/teacher phone number
• A parent/guardian/teacher email address

Don’t forget to check out the terms and conditions.

The competition closes at 23:59 on Friday 22 November and the winner will be announced week commencing 16 December, ahead of the film’s release in UK cinemas from Friday 20 December.

The hunt is on. Best of luck!