Who is eligible to submit an entry to the Aegis Awards?
Entries are received from producers, directors, writers, editors, cameramen, clients, news reporters, advertising agencies, students, freelancers and corporate video departments located throughout the United States and Canada. You do not have to be a member of any particular organization to enter.

Any video/film production, local TV commercial, or broadcast news story produced in the previous two years is eligible. Our specialized scoring system even allows you to indicate what role you played in the production so that judges can focus their attention especially on your work.

How do I enter?
Entry forms must be filled-out using the online entry form.

What are the categories?
The Aegis Awards has ten categories. In addition to selecting a category, this is the only competition that allows participants to indicate the primary role they played in producing the entry.

Categories: Promotional/Sales Training/Education Documentary Television News or Feature Story Drama/Entertainment Live Event (conventions, concerts, etc.) Sports Wedding TV Commercial Student

Your Primary Role: Production Company Client Producer Director Camera Person / Videographer Script Writer Editor Graphics Music News Reporter

Which category should I enter?
The categories are intentionally broad to accommodate the majority of video/film productions. There is overlap between categories and it is up to you to decide which is most appropriate for your entry. The Aegis Awards reserves the right to change entries that are clearly not appropriate for a particular category.

Can I enter in more than one category?
Where appropriate, an entry can be submitted in more than one category. In this instance, we require separate entry forms and the payment of separate entry fees.

How much is the entry fee?
The fee for each entry in the Aegis Awards Competition is $40.00, except for videos entered in the Student category, which is $30.

On what format do I submit entries?
Entries must be submitted on VHS, DVD-Video, Betacam, or Blu-Ray only. Entries are not accepted on CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, HD DVD, or web streaming. Tapes and disks will not be returned. Each entry must be on a separate tape or disk.

How many entries does the Aegis Awards receive?
Each year, we receive approximately 2300 entries. At the conclusion of the year's judging, all participants receive the Aegis Summary Letter that details how many entries were received for each category -- as well as the number of Winners and Finalists for each category. Special recognition is also given to the productions that received the highest scores.

What do I get if I win an Aegis Award?
Besides the respect, recognition and admiration of their peers, Aegis Award Winners and Finalists create a marketing opportunity for themselves and the company that created the entry. To help promote your win, the Aegis Awards provides a free certificate for display on a wall, press release and publicity assistance, graphics for your website or printed publications, and the option of ordering an Aegis Awards trophy for a nominal fee if they choose.

What do the trophies look like?
The 2008 Aegis Winner's trophy is unlike anything else in the video/film production industry and is a statement in achievement and prestige. The trophy has an elegant beveled design with the Aegis logo deep-etched in clear optical crystal so that it shines brightly under any light source.

The tapered ebony glass base comes with your personalized inscription etched in silver. The Winner's trophy stands 10" tall, 5" wide, and weighs nearly four pounds.

Each hand-crafted trophy comes carefully packaged in a beautiful, custom-fitted Presentation Box embossed with the Aegis Awards logo in silver foil.

An entry must score between 85 and 100 points to be a Winner. All Winners receive a certificate at no charge, and may also choose to order a trophy for the nominal fee of $145. Additional trophies and certificates can be ordered with different inscriptions.

Similar in design to the Winner's trophy, the Finalist's trophy stands 8" tall, 4.5" wide, and weighs three pounds. An entry must score between 80 and 84 points to be a Finalist. All Finalists receive a certificate at no charge, and may also choose to order a trophy for the nominal fee of $130. Additional trophies and certificates can be ordered with different inscriptions.

If I win, can I choose what my certificate and trophy engraving will say?
Yes. Both Winners and Finalists can specify the exact information to be inscribed on their certificates and trophies.

Are Winners & Finalists required to purchase a trophy?
No. Winners and Finalists receive a free certificate but are under no obligation to order a trophy or duplicate certificates.

How long does it take to receive the award?
Upon receipt of your inscription information and any applicable fees, your trophy will be engraved and shipped via FedEx within three weeks. Certificates are printed and shipped the first week of each month.

What are the judges looking for?
The judges consider whether the content of an entry is well structured, holds the viewer's interest, uses professional techniques, and has high production values. Each production is independently screened by four of the Aegis judges and rated on ten judging criteria:

1. Directing
2. Script writing
3. Videography and lighting
4. Editing
5. Sound (including, music, interviews, sound fx, etc.)
6. Visual design (graphics, titles, and animation)
7. On-camera and voice-over performances by talent (interviewers, hosts, narrators)
8. Content and structure
9. Overall experience
10. Effectiveness of presentation

How are entries judged?
Entries are judged against a high standard of excellence and do not compete directly with each other so Winners are decided on their own merits rather than by direct comparison to others. Our specialized competition allows you to indicate what role you played in producing the entry so that the judges can focus their attention especially on your work. Our unique scoring system automatically adjusts the importance of each of the ten criteria based on the selected category and what role you played in producing the entry.

If an entry receives a composite score of 85 or greater, they receive the Winner award. Entries that score between 80 and 84 receive the Finalist award. All scoring is automated, secure, and private to ensure fairness and accuracy. Both Winners and Finalists receive a free personalized certificate and are eligible to order a trophy.

Who are the judges?
The Aegis Awards is the only competition that offers each Winner the chance to become a future volunteer judge and help rate other people's work. Last year's group of judges included people from all professions in our industry including producers, directors, cameramen, writers, a music composer, video editors, a news director, and others. Judges include freelancers, production company staff, and in-house corporate video staff. The volunteer Aegis judges are selected from a list of previous Aegis Winners who have submitted an application. These video and film professionals actually work in the industry every day and have demonstrated extraordinary talent. They have experience and familiarity with the categories in which they review and have individually won an Aegis Award in a prior year. Winners in the Student category are not eligible to submit an application to become a judge.

What is the "Winners Area" of the website?
The "Winners Area" is a special section of our website that is dedicated to helping Aegis Winners and Finalists announce their achievement to the press and clients. After all, what good is winning an award if nobody knows about it? Inside the Winners Area is an automated "Press Release" template, downloadable award photographs to submit with your press release, downloadable Aegis web graphics for use on your website, trophy and certificate order forms, and an application to become an Aegis judge in future competitions.

When is the deadline?
The deadline for entering the Aegis Awards competition occurs quarterly. Please scroll to the top of this page to see the current entry deadline.

Does the deadline mean postmarked or received?
The posted deadline is when entries must be received, however we do allow a five day grace period after each deadline. No extensions beyond this grace period are possible.

When will I get the judging results?
All participants are notified of the judging results by postal mail (regardless of the outcome of the judging) approximately four weeks after the entry deadline.