Categories

Direction

Up to and including 60-seconds

This category recognises commercials that demonstrate exceptional direction in commercial production - with each element involved in its construction brought together to create a perfectly formed nugget of advertising gold. The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted. Charity/PSA campaigns are not eligible for this category.

Direction

From 61-seconds to three-minutes inc

This category recognises commercials that demonstrate exceptional direction in commercial production - with each element involved in its construction brought together to create a perfectly formed nugget of advertising gold. The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted. Charity/PSA campaigns are not eligible for this category.

Direction

Above three minutes

This category recognises commercials that demonstrate exceptional direction in commercial production - with each element involved in its construction brought together to create a perfectly formed nugget of advertising gold. The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online - we’re not screen-sizest.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted. Charity/PSA campaigns are not eligible for this category.

Cinematography

Up to and including two minutes

This category recognises commercials that showcase exceptional cinematography whatever the scene. The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Cinematography

Above two minutes

This category recognises commercials that showcase exceptional cinematography whatever the scene. The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online (although we bet the DOP wanted cinema).

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached. For longer-form pieces, if there are certain sections you feel the judges should pay closer attention to, these can be included as an additional clip.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Concept

Up to and including two minutes

This category recognises commercials and campaigns that have a truly brilliant idea at their core. The campaign can involve disparate elements (digital, OOH, print, experiential, etc), but there must be a filmic element. The lead commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Concept

Above two minutes

This category recognises commercials and campaigns that have a truly brilliant idea at their core. The campaign can involve disparate elements (digital, OOH, print, experiential, etc), but there must be a filmic element. The lead commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached. Case study films can be entered if they are accompanied by the full-length filmic elements.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Editing

Up to and including two minutes

This category recognises commercials that showcase the magic of editing. The commercials can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Editing

Above two minutes

This category recognises commercials that showcase the magic of editing. The commercials can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached. For longer-form pieces, if there are certain sections you feel the judges should pay closer attention to, these can be included as an additional clip.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Casting

This category recognises the importance of finding the right performer or performers for the job. The actors that can’t be ignored. The cast that completes the picture.

The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached. For longer-form pieces, if there are certain sections you feel the judges should pay closer attention to, these can be included as an additional clip.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted. When we refer to cast, we mean specifically human actors, not animal performers. We love dogs as much as the next people, but they give appalling acceptance speeches and tend not to retweet us.

Production and Styling

This category celebrates the talented art departments, production designers, costume designers, and stylists; aka the incredible artists whose skills and ingenuity make productions look amazing.

The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached. For longer-form pieces, if there are certain sections you feel the judges should pay closer attention to, these can be included as an additional clip.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Sound Design

This category celebrates the incredible audio engineers and sound designers that add the extra element to a successful campaign.

The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached. For longer-form pieces, if there are certain sections you feel the judges should pay closer attention to, these can be included as an additional clip.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Use of Music

This category recognises the use of music to bring together a commercial. The submitted spot can use licensed or custom-composed music as the category is focussed on how the music enhances the campaign as a whole. The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached. For longer-form pieces, if there are certain sections you feel the judges should pay closer attention to, these can be included as an additional clip.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Animation

2D

This category looks at 2D animation in all of its forms, from fun flip-books to intricate watercolour passion projects. The work can be entirely animated or use animation to augment filmed footage. The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached. For longer-form pieces, if there are certain sections you feel the judges should pay closer attention to, these can be included as an additional clip.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Animation

3D

This category looks at 3D animation in all of its forms, from stop-motion madness to computer-aided worlds. The work can be entirely animated or use animation to augment filmed footage. The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached. For longer-form pieces, if there are certain sections you feel the judges should pay closer attention to, these can be included as an additional clip.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

VFX

This category recognises the use of visual effects to bring the creative visions of commercials to life.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached. For longer-form pieces, if there are certain sections you feel the judges should pay closer attention to, these can be included as an additional clip. VFX breakdowns would also be useful if you feel some ‘hidden’ artistry might be missed.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Copywriting

This category recognises exceptional writing at the core of a campaign. Funny, empathetic, bold or concise, work entered here should show the power of good copy. The campaign can involve disparate elements (digital, OOH, print, experiential, etc), but there must be a filmic element. The lead commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

Charity

This category specifically focuses on commercials that demonstrate exceptional craft for the benefit of charitable organizations. The commercial can have aired on TV, cinema or online.

There is no duration-cap for this category and long-form ‘branded entertainment’ pieces are eligible as, let’s face it, they’re ads too. There just has to be a brand attached.

All entries must be the final, aired/brand-hosted version of the spots; director cut versions are not permitted.

shots New Director of the Year

This category is to find the best up-and-coming directorial talent from The Americas. 

The individual should be based in The Americas region and cannot have been working professionally as a director (i.e. creating branded work or music videos through a production company) before 1st January 2022. Please don’t fib - we do our research and lies make kittens cry. 

Entries can include up to three pieces of relevant work and can include aired commercials, test spots, music videos and short films of no more than 10 minutes. For aired work, all entries must be the final, aired version of the spots [director cut versions are not permitted] and the work must have originated in The Americas region. Work for this category includes anything aired between the dates of 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022. Entries to this category can be English or non-English language, but any non-English language entries must include English subtitles for judging purposes.

shots Music Video of the Year

This category looks at everyone’s favourite adverts - ones for bands. Often regarded as the director’s playground, we’re looking for music videos that break the mold, rewrite the rulebook and/or [insert cliche here].

There is no duration-cap for this category, but if you enter Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker you’ve got it wrong in several ways.