Awards Terms and Conditions

If you are planning on entering the APDG Awards, please read the following terms and conditions prior to starting your entry to ensure that your entry is eligible. The APDG reserves the right to disqualify any entry that does not meet these terms and conditions. By submitting an entry, the entrant agrees to these terms and conditions and any refund requests will only be assessed if these terms and conditions have been met.

Eligibility

  • The work submitted to the 2024 APDG Awards must have been broadcast, screened or performed for the first time between February 2, 2023 and February 1, 2024.
  • Entrants must have current APDG membership to enter and must maintain current membership until the awards ceremony in August 2024.
  • As long as the entrant is a full member and Australian/New Zealand resident or citizen, they may enter a work that was produced overseas.
  • You may enter with a “Joint Entry” if you and another APDG member/s had the same role on the same work. You may still enter as an individual and acknowledge your team for those that had different roles on the same work.
  • Emerging members can only enter Emerging Categories. If an emerging member wishes to enter another category, they must upgrade to full membership.
  • Affiliate members may submit an entry on behalf of a full member, but must submit a letter of authority from the full member.  They can purchase a business name on trophy option if they are the producers or owners of copyright in a work.
  • If the affiliate (business representative) is the member/designer, you must enter through the affiliate membership account. Both affiliate membership and full membership must be current and remain current until the awards ceremony in August 2024.
  • Entrants may enter more than one work in the Awards. A separate entry form must be submitted for each entry. (Use the copy feature to duplicate basic information).
  • The same entrant cannot enter the same Work to more than one category. The only exception in which the Work may be entered a second time, is into the “Concept Art” Category, if the entrant’s concept art materials are not entered into another category.
  • Entrants may enter as many categories as they like, as long as is a different work.
  • The most senior head of a department should act as the entrant where there is a design team involved.
  • Serving on APDG boards, panels or committees does not restrict entry.

Trophy

Entrants receive and own the APDG trophy if they win unless the Business name on trophy is purchased by the production company or owners of copyright in the work. The Business name on trophy can only be purchased by Affiliate members of the APDG.

  • There is only one trophy per category.
  • For joint entries, both/all entrants will be acknowledge on the one trophy. For full and emerging entries, only the entrant will be acknowledged on the trophy.
  • Design Teams will be acknowledged on the APDG website and in the program.
  • Any additional trophies for the design team members, can be purchased by the entrant for up to 6 months after the awards ceremony.

Promotional Materials

Entrants will need to be able to authorise, or attach a letter of authorisation from the relevant authority, to permit the APDG to:

  • Air the supplied promotional clip and promotional image at the APDG awards ceremony.
  • Publish the supplied promotional clip and promotional image at a possible streamed awards event.
  • Choose music to accompany the supplied clip if no soundtrack is attached.
  • Publish the supplied clip and still on all APDG Awards related materials and websites.
  • Distribute the supplied still to media reporting on the APDG Awards.

Categories and Entries

  • The APDG Management Committee reserves the right not to present an award in any category.
  • Decisions made by the APDG Management Committee regarding the Awards are final.
  • The APDG Management Committee reserves the right to not run a category if that category receives 3 or less entries, in which case entrant/s  will be refunded the full amount of their entry fee.

Definitions

The APDG Awards entry form, eligibility criteria, entering, judging, and announcing processes use the following definitions:

ENTRANT: The name of a FULL member who is the individual who is the lead designer or the leader of the DESIGN TEAM responsible for the WORK. The individual responsible for compiling the entry, signing the entry form and seeking permission from the production company or owner of copyright in the WORK to enter the awards.  The name on the trophy will be that of the ENTRANT unless it is a JOINT entry or the BUSINESS NAME ON TROPHY OPTION is purchased by the owner of copyright in the WORK, in which case the ENTRANT’S name on the trophy is optional.

Exceptions to ENTRANT’S being a FULL MEMBER:

  • ENTRANTS in the Emerging categories members must be EMERGING members.
  • Design Team members that are not Australian or New Zealand residents or citizens may be affiliate members.

The WORK: The project to be judged.

The DESIGN PROCESS document: Used to judge the WORK.

The CLIP: Not judged. A maximum 20 second movie or compilation of stills. It will be screened at the APDG Awards ceremony and on APDG Awards related websites if the ENTRANT is shortlisted.

The STILL: Not judged. A JPEG image (2000 pixels wide). That will be used to represent the WORK at the Awards ceremony, on APDG Awards related websites and in media coverage.

DESIGN TEAM: A maximum of 5 names and their roles as defined by the ENTRANT. The lead designer (or ENTRANT) must be a Full or Emerging APDG member and for general entries at least 50% of the nominated design team must be an APDG member and/or an Australian designer or design associate. For Joint Entries, 100% of the entrants must be APDG members. The names and roles of the design team will be listed in the APDG Awards program and on the APDG website.

BUSINESS NAME ON TROPHY OPTION: Available to AFFILIATE members of the APDG. The right to have the name of a business or name of the owner of copyright in the WORK above or in the place of the name of the ENTRANT. Also the right to own, keep and accept the trophy at the Awards ceremony. In a best case scenario the ENTRANT and THE DESIGN TEAM should be onstage during any acceptance when BUSINESS NAME ON TROPHY OPTIONS have been purchased.

The Judging Process

A new judging panel is formed each year and judges are invited to the panel by the directors of the APDG. The panel comprises industry professionals from relevant industries and where possible judges will be APDG accredited.

  • Each entry will receive up to 7 appraisals.
  • Judges will record their appraisals in the Judging platform using the following standardised criteria:
    • Integrity – the contribution of the design to the excellence and cohesion of the whole production.
    • Quality – the design exhibits depth, subtlety, sophistication, inventiveness and intelligence.
    • Skill – the design supports the project with a high level of creativity, originality and technical-mastery.
  • There is no limit to the number of award categories each judge may judge.
  • There is no limit to the number of consecutive years a judge may judge.
  • Judges will remain anonymous until the announcement of a shortlist of finalists.
  • Judging assessment forms will be reviewed by the APDG Directors.

The Announcement Process

  • Award recipients will be announced at the APDG awards ceremony in August.
  • There shall only be one winning entry in each category.
  • The shortlisted design team will have their name and role listed on the APDG website.
  • The winning design team will have their name mentioned at the awards event as well as being listed on the awards program and APDG website.