Below is a list of our award categories for 2023. Please read through the relevant categories and their judging criteria to ensure you are entering the correct category.
Only student-made work will be eligible in the student categories (College, Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Documentary, Music Video, Animation).
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This category is for productions transmitted via any broadcast channel in the UK or beyond. This includes all medium to large-scale productions, broadcast to any audience size. Films in this category should aim to educate either a general audience or those with a specific interest. Entries to this category must have been broadcast or have a scheduled broadcast after 14th January 2022.
Judges will be looking for films which:
- • Display professional production values - the use of camera angles, movement, lighting, music and sound effects to strengthen the overall film
- • Are creative and memorable
- • Are tailored to their target audience
- • Provide strong educational links
- • Show originality, perhaps of form, execution or subject matter
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This category is for any film intended to educate either a general audience or those with a specific interest. This category is open to content that has not been broadcast, but has been distributed to viewers or users via any other delivery platform (e.g. online). This can include content produced by museums, libraries, publishers, galleries, charities or any other organisation or individual creating educational productions. Educational films produced by universities or colleges should be submitted to the Educational Film (from a university of college) category.
Judges will be looking for films which:
- • Display outstanding production values- the use of camera angles, movement, lighting, music and sound effects to strengthen the overall film
- • Are creative and memorable
- • Are tailored to their target audience
- • Provide strong educational links
- • Show/illustrate some originality perhaps of form, execution or subject matter
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This category is for educational films produced by universities, colleges or school sixth forms. Entries to this category can have been produced to educate either a general audience or those with a specific interest. This category is open to content that has not been broadcast but has been distributed to viewers or users via any other delivery platform.
Judges will be looking for films which:
- • Display outstanding production values- the use of camera angles, movement, lighting, music and sound effects to strengthen the overall film
- • Are creative and memorable
- • Are tailored to their target audience
- • Provide strong educational links
- • Show originality, perhaps of form, execution or subject matter
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Films entered in this category must contain significant use of archive material such as film, sound and photographs. This category is open to any individual or organisation.
Judges will be looking for films which:
- • Include innovative and creative use of archive material
- • Feature employment of rare or unusual archive material
- • Demonstrate intelligent, sensitive and lawful use of archive material
- • Include archive material key to the success of the film
- • Display professional production values
- • Broaden or deepen understanding of the subject
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This category is open to any film that has been produced by an in-house team or individual at a university or college to promote their institution, department, facilities or specialist resources or services.
Judges will be looking for films which:
- • Display outstanding production values- the use of camera angles, movement, lighting, music and sound effects to strengthen the overall film
- • Can demonstrate wider impact
- • Are creative and memorable
- • Are tailored to their target audience
- • Provide strong links to their overall marketing strategy/campaign
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This category is open to any educational resource that is hosted online and contains a moving image element. This award can be entered by any organisation or individual. Types of delivery platform may include interactive websites, internet resources, games, apps or other handheld device resources that incorporate moving image.
Judges will be looking for resources which:
- • Are well-designed and user-friendly
- • Are easy to navigate – includes organised and structured content
- • Are creative and memorable
- • Contain moving image content which displays excellent technical film-making ability and makes considered and appropriate use of the medium of film to enhance the resource.
Student Categories:
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This category is for films produced by college or sixth form students during any stage of their course. Films must have been made whilst the filmmaker was a student of an educational institution. Documentaries are excluded from this category and must be entered in the dedicated Student Documentary category – see below.
Films will be judged on quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence. Judges will be looking for films that:
- • Display outstanding production values- the use of camera angles, movement, cinematography, lighting, music and sound to strengthen the narrative
- • Demonstrate creative, powerful storytelling
- • Are well-paced and structured
- • Show originality, perhaps of form, execution or subject matter
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This category is for films produced by Undergraduate students during any stage of their course (includes recent graduates). Films must have been made whilst the filmmaker was a student of an educational institution. Documentaries are excluded from this category and must be entered in the dedicated Student Documentary category – see below.
Films will be judged on quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence. Judges will be looking for films that:
- • Display outstanding production values- the use of camera angles, movement, cinematography, lighting, music and sound to strengthen the narrative
- • Demonstrate creative, powerful storytelling
- • Are well-paced and structured
- • Show originality, perhaps of form, execution or subject matter
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This category is for films produced by Postgraduate students during any stage of their course (including recent graduates). Films must have been made whilst the filmmaker was a student of an educational institution. Documentaries are excluded from this category and must be entered in the dedicated Student Documentary category – see below.
Films will be judged on quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence. Judges will be looking for films that:
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• Display outstanding production values- the use of camera angles, movement, cinematography, lighting, music and sound to strengthen the narrative
- • Demonstrate creative, powerful storytelling
- • Are well-paced and structured
- • Show originality, perhaps of form, execution or subject matter
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This category is for documentary films on any theme produced by students during any stage of their course (includes recent graduates). Films must have been made whilst the filmmaker was a member of an educational institution.
Judges will be looking for films that:
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• Display outstanding production values- the use of camera angles, movement, lighting, music and sound effects to strengthen the overall film
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• Demonstrate a balanced/impartial approach to the topic
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• Demonstrate a creative or imaginative approach to the topic
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• Demonstrate detailed research, analysis and interpretation of the topic
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• Display excellent technical film-making ability and make considered and appropriate use of the medium of film to ‘tell or enhance their story’
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This category is for music videos produced by any student/s during any stage of their course (including recent graduates). Films must have been made whilst the filmmaker was a student of an educational institution. Films will be judged on quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence.
Judges will be looking for films that:
- • Display outstanding production values- the use of camera angles, movement, cinematography, lighting and sound to enhance the music.
- • Demonstrate creative, powerful storytelling
- • Are well-paced and structured
- • Show originality, perhaps of form, execution or subject matter
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This category is open to all kinds of animated films produced by any student/s during any stage of their course (including recent graduates). Films must have been made whilst the filmmaker was a student of an educational institution. Films must include original animation for at least 70% of the film’s duration. Films will be judged on quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence.
Judges will be looking for films that:
- • Display outstanding production values- the use of camera angles, movement, cinematography, lighting, music and sound to strengthen the narrative
- • Demonstrate creative, powerful storytelling
- • Are well-paced and structured
- • Use animation in a creative and original way
- • Show originality, perhaps of form, execution or subject matter