The American Institute of CPAs has started accepting entries for its 2012-13 Project Innovation: Competition of Creative Excellence, which challenges high school students to develop a hit TV show about the accounting profession.

Sponsored by the AICPA’s Start Here, Go Places website, the competition will award $15,000 in scholarships for students and grant money to the schools to the top three teams.

The two to four members of each team are challenged to serve as TV writers and producers, developing a proposal for an overview of the show that includes a production budget and script they can pitch to the “network”—a panel of AICPA-appointed judges.

“Currently, there aren’t any shows on television that capture the wide range of possibilities which exist for a CPA,” said Heather L. Bunning, AICPA’s senior manager of high school and community college initiatives, in a statement. “Television and entertainment are top of mind for teenagers today, so we’ve challenged them to create a potential TV pilot, while offering a fun and exciting way to learn about accounting and the CPA profession.”

In their role as executive producers, the judges will narrow down entries to the top 10 teams, which will then receive a video camera to record a three-minute preview of their pilot.

“Building a fan base and following for their show are a must, so the competition will include an online public vote for the top ten teams, which will factor into the final decision,” Bunning stated.

The final round will be a live presentation to a judge who plays a key decision-maker at the network.

The winning team will take home $4,000 in scholarships and $3,000 for their school, second place will get $3,000 in scholarships and $2,000 for their school, and third place will win $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

Entries should include the title, central idea of the show and character descriptions, all highlighting a clear tie-in to the accounting profession. The two-page proposal, budget and preview script must be submitted by Dec. 21. More information is available here.