2022 Award Categories

Open to students 13 years of age or under and enrolled in a primary school or a part of a community-based film school or club at the time of production, animation entries must be at least 90 per cent animation. All forms of animation are eligible for submission under this category. For instance, claymation, hand-drawn, cell, and digital 2D & 3D. While productions entered into this category usually average about 2 minutes, all must be under 15 minutes.

Open to students 13 years of age or under and enrolled in a primary school or a part of a community-based film school or club at the time of production, this category covers live-action productions that deal with fictional and non-fictional subject matter. ‘Mockumentaries’, documentaries, dramas, music videos, news productions, television-style shows and experimental productions would be suitable for submission under this category. While a majority of productions entered into this category will be around the 5-minute mark, all must be under 30 minutes.

Open to students 11–17 years of age and enrolled in a secondary school or a part of a community-based film school or club at the time of production, animation entries must be at least 90 per cent animation. All forms of animation are eligible for submission under this category. For instance, claymation, hand-drawn, cell, and digital 2D & 3D. While productions entered into this category usually average about 2 minutes, all must be under 15 minutes.

Open to students 11–17 years of age and enrolled in a secondary school or a part of a community-based film school or club at the time of production, this category covers live-action productions that deal with fictional and non-fictional subject matter. ‘Mockumentaries’, documentaries, dramas, music videos, news productions, television style shows and experimental productions would be suitable for submission under this category. While a majority of productions entered into this category will be around the 5-minute mark, all must be under 30 minutes.

Open to students 19 years of age or under and enrolled in a secondary school or a part of a community-based film school or club at the time of production, animation entries must be at least 90 per cent animation. All forms of animation are eligible for submission under this category. For instance, claymation, hand-drawn, cell, and digital 2D & 3D. While productions entered into this category usually average about 3 minutes, all must be under 20 minutes.

Open to students 19 years of age or under and enrolled in a secondary school or a part of a community-based film school or club at the time of production, Senior Secondary Fiction covers live-action productions that deal with fictional subject matter. ‘Mockumentaries’ and experimental productions are suitable for submission under this category. While productions entered into this category usually average about 6 minutes, all must be under 40 minutes.

This category is open to students 19 years of age or under and enrolled in a secondary school or a part of a community-based film school or club at the time of production. Music videos should display a creative synergy between the designated music track / piece and the supportive video footage accompanying the track. The submission must be accompanied by written authorisation from the copyright holder of the recording of the music. Should copyright authorisation not be provided with the submission, the production will automatically be ineligible for judging and payment will not be refunded. Musicals are not eligible for this category and should be submitted under the Senior Secondary Fiction category. While productions entered into this category usually average about 3 or 4 minutes, all must be under 15 minutes.

Open to students enrolled in a tertiary education institution at the time of the production, this category is for non-live-action productions with the intention of entertaining. The dominant visual material must be graphic.

Open to students enrolled in a tertiary education institution at the time of the production, this category is for work that directly addresses characters, situations and conditions that exist or have existed. The primary purpose of these works is to create understanding and knowledge about their subject(s) or to promote action. Documentary entries must be non-fictional – fictional documentaries or ‘mockumentaries’ should be submitted to the Tertiary Short Fiction category.

Open to any students enrolled in a tertiary education institution at the time of the production who consider that they have made a film that distinguishes itself via its experimental nature. Any film submitted to this category should include a one-paragraph explanation of how it distinguishes itself as an experimental film. A film can be deemed experimental at any level of the filmmaking process – development, production and/or post-production – as long as the explanation is a realistic and acceptable version of what is evident in the submitted film. It is up to the filmmaker to decide if their film is ‘experimental’ enough to enter this category. It is open to all genres and types of filmmaking (fiction, documentary, music video, animation, mixed media) but generally speaking, at some level of the filmmaking process there could be certain rules or conventions being broken, an innovative blending of techniques or genres or the implementation of new technologies that deem the film ‘experimental’.

Open to students enrolled in a tertiary education institution at the time of the production, this category is for live-action works no longer than 50 minutes (commonly around 10 to 15 minutes). These productions are concerned with plots and characters that are fictionalised and with a primary intention to entertain. This category includes ‘mockumentary’.

This category is for ebooks that have been specifically produced for educational use by students, or to address a training or information need outside the technical requirements of educational institutions. If aimed at the primary, secondary or tertiary level, submissions must include information about the curriculum into which the ebook fits and related assessment tasks, as well as the pedagogical strategy of which the ebook is a part. Judges will be assessing best teaching/training practice, methodology, suitability to the intended audience, accessibility, and appropriateness of the pedagogical strategy. Alternatively, the ebook may be aimed at employees of a specific organisation or groups of people in specific industries or cohorts that require new knowledge. These submissions must include information about the context in which the ebook will be used, its aims and the outcomes to which it contributes. Judges will be assessing best training practice, methodology, suitability to the listed audience, accessibility, and appropriateness of delivery and content. Entries into this category must be available for our judges to download through Google Play or the iOS App Store.

This category is for resources that have been specifically produced for educational use by primary and/or secondary–aged students. Submissions must include information about the curriculum into which the production fits and related assessment tasks, as well as the pedagogical strategy of which the production is a part. Judges will be assessing best teaching/training practice, methodology, suitability to a primary and/or secondary-aged audience, accessibility, and appropriateness of the pedagogical strategy. These entries may be television programs, films, websites or a convergence of the above.

This category is for resources that have been specifically produced for educational use at the tertiary level, or to address a training or information need outside the requirements of educational institutions. If aimed at the tertiary level, submissions must include information about the curriculum into which the production fits and related assessment tasks, as well as the pedagogical strategy of which the production is a part. Judges will be assessing best teaching/training practice, methodology, suitability to a tertiary-level audience, accessibility, and appropriateness of the pedagogical strategy. Alternatively, the production may be aimed at employees of a specific organisation or groups of people in specific industries or cohorts that require new knowledge. These submissions must include information about the context in which the production will be used, its aims and the outcomes to which it contributes. Judges will be assessing best training practice, methodology, suitability to the listed audience, accessibility, and appropriateness of delivery and content. These entries may be television programs, films, websites or a convergence of the above.

This category is for resources that have a specific educational use and have been made either by or for members of the Australian and/or New Zealand Indigenous communities. These resources may be aimed at students, employees of a specific organisation or groups of people in specific industries or cohorts that require new knowledge. Judges will be assessing best teaching/training practice, methodology, suitability to the listed audience, accessibility, and appropriateness of delivery and content. These entries may be television programs, films, websites or a convergence of the above.

Open to any academic or researcher, including post-graduate research students, this category is for moving image works of any duration that will be accompanied by a 500-word research statement entered on Step 3 of the entry system using the ‘Information for Judges’ field. The statement must clearly explain how the project is an example of screen production research (screen work as an outcome of research, a research method or a form of research process documentation/communication that goes beyond ‘illustration’). New interpretations, insights or experiences should be articulated convincingly in this statement. A clear exploration of a research question, problem or proposition should be evident within the submitted materials. The work should be clearly situated within relevant theoretical or industrial contexts (social, political, artistic, technical, etc.) A contribution to knowledge and/or practice should be clearly located within the screen work, the research statement or a combination of the two. There should be evidence of innovation (e.g. in form, process or content).

This category is an open category that covers all strands and disciplines of animation, claymation, digital animation, line animation, etc. These productions can cover all genres (fiction, documentary) but should be at least 90 per cent animated and should not be longer than 50 minutes. Entries with a significant amount of live action content should be submitted to another appropriate category. Series may not be entered into this category, but individual episodes may be submitted as standalone animations.

Open to any filmmaker who considers that they have made a film that distinguishes itself via its experimental nature. Any film submitted to this category should include a one-paragraph explanation of how it distinguishes itself as an experimental film. A film can be deemed experimental at any level of the filmmaking process – development, production and/or post-production – as long as the explanation is a realistic and acceptable version of what is evident in the submitted film. It is up to the filmmaker to decide if their film is ‘experimental’ enough to enter this category. It is open to all genres and types of filmmaking (fiction, documentary, music video, animation, mixed media) but generally speaking, at some level of the filmmaking process there could be certain rules or conventions being broken, an innovative blending of techniques or genres or the implementation of new technologies that deem the film ‘experimental’.

Best Music Video is an open category which should display a creative synergy between the designated music track / piece and the supportive video footage accompanying the track. The submission must be accompanied by written authorisation from the copyright holder of the recording of the music. Should copyright authorisation not be provided with the submission, the production will automatically be ineligible for judging and payment will not be refunded.

Best Screen Commercial is an open category for short, screen-based productions created with the purpose of advertising. The best entries are also likely to educate and/or entertain. While many productions entered into this category will be 30 seconds in duration, all must be between 15 seconds and 3 minutes.

This category is for factual or fictional screen-based series that are primarily distributed online. If the series has been made available for viewing on television (whether free-to-air or a subscription-based channel) or an equivalent streaming video-on-demand service (e.g. Netflix, Stan), it should not be entered into this category. The entrant should select and upload two (2) key episodes for the judges to view.

This category is for factual or fictional television programs targeted at children (under 18) for the purposes of education, entertainment or a combination of the two. These programs may be series or standalone productions. The program MUST have been created for viewing on television (whether free-to-air or a subscription-based channel) or an equivalent streaming video-on-demand service (e.g. Netflix, Stan). If the program is also viewable in an alternate environment (for instance, on the web or via a mobile app), it does not preclude it from entry to this category. Where a series is entered, the entrant should select and upload two (2) key episodes for the judges to view.

This is an open category for television programs whose primary genre is ‘Comedy’ or ‘Drama’. The program MUST have been created for viewing on television (whether free-to-air or a subscription-based channel) or an equivalent streaming video-on-demand service (e.g. Netflix, Stan). If the program is also viewable in an alternate environment (for instance, on the web or via a mobile app), it does not preclude it from entry to this category. Where a series is entered, the entrant should select and upload two (2) key episodes for the judges to view.

This is an open category for factual television series of all types. The program MUST have been created for viewing on television (whether free-to-air or a subscription-based channel) or an equivalent streaming video-on-demand service (e.g. Netflix, Stan). If the program is also viewable in an alternate environment (for instance, on the web or via a mobile app), it does not preclude it from entry to this category. The entrant should select and upload two (2) key episodes for the judges to view.

This is an open category that encompasses live-action productions (of all fictional genres) and may also include animations. These films should be considered accomplished productions in terms of the resonance of the story, explorations of themes and technical expertise. ‘Mockumentaries’ and experimental productions would be suitable for submission under this category. While many productions entered into this category will be around the 10-minute mark, all must be no more than 50 minutes in duration.

This is an open category that encompasses live action and/or animated productions of all fictional genres including ‘mockumentary’. Feature films must have a running time of more than 50 minutes and should be considered accomplished productions in terms of the resonance of the story, explorations of themes and technical expertise.

This category is open to all entrants, and there are no restrictions on running time. Documentaries in this category must deal with the making of artwork including visual arts, performing arts, film, architecture, literature or new media. Examples of entries that fall under this category include biographies of artists, histories of art or documentaries following the creation of a work by an artist or group of artists. Documentary television series are eligible for entry into this category – if a series is entered, the entrant should select and upload two (2) key episodes for the judges to view.

This category is open to all entrants, and there are no restrictions on running time. A biographical documentary is usually an account of the life of one person. The subject matter does not have to be local. Documentary television series are eligible for entry into this category – if a series is entered, the entrant should select and upload two (2) key episodes for the judges to view.

This category is open to all entrants, and there are no restrictions on running time. Documentaries in this category must deal with historical characters, events or issues. The subject matter does not have to be local. Documentary television series are eligible for entry into this category – if a series is entered, the entrant should select and upload two (2) key episodes for the judges to view.

This category is open to all entrants, and there are no restrictions on running time. Documentaries in this category must deal with science, technology and/or the environment. Examples of entries that fall under this category are the impact one person or group has had in this area or research findings, etc. The subject matter does not have to be local. Documentary television series are eligible for entry into this category – if a series is entered, the entrant should select and upload two (2) key episodes for the judges to view.

This category is open to all entrants, and there are no restrictions on running time. Documentaries in this category must deal with current social and/or political issues. The subject matter does not have to be local. Documentary television series are eligible for entry into this category – if a series is entered, the entrant should select and upload two (2) key episodes for the judges to view.

Open to all entrants, this category includes all types of documentaries, including experimental, as long as they are no more than 30 minutes in duration. Documentary series are not eligible, and should instead be entered into the Best Factual Television Series or Best Web Series category, where they will be judged as a unified product.

This category is open to all entrants. Documentaries in this category may fall under any description, and there are no restrictions on running time. Experimental and other types of documentaries that don’t fit into the specific documentary categories on offer are eligible for entry into this category. Documentary television series are also eligible – if a series is entered, the entrant should select and upload two (2) key episodes for the judges to view.