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YouTube wants you to make a music video for Elton John

The competition will have movie luminaries judging your ideas.

Reuters/Mike Segar

Like many legendary musicians, Elton John didn't get music videos for some of his best-known songs -- they simply came too soon for the likes of MTV. Thanks to the internet, however, he's getting a second chance. YouTube is backing a competition, Elton John: The Cut, that challenges you to brainstorm an official music video treatment for "Bennie and the Jets," "Rocket Man," or "Tiny Dancer." There will definitely be some tall hurdles to clear. A trio of YouTube creators will screen the initial entries, and the resulting finalists will face scrutiny by John as well as long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin, DreamWorks' Jeffrey Katzenberg, music video director Melina Matsoukas and Moonlight director Barry Jenkins.

The rewards should be worth the effort, and we're not just talking about the prestige that comes with visualizing a classic tune. The winners get the support they need from YouTube and Pulse Films to make their video, and $10,000 on top of that to help with any subsequent projects. You will have to hustle if you want to claim any glory, though, as the competition stops taking entries on January 23rd.