2026 Awards Entry

Thank you for your interest in entering the 2026 Australian Production Design Guild Awards. Entries will be open between April 1, 2026 and April 27, 2026. If you’d like to be part of the APDG Awards ceremony you can buy tickets when they go on sale in June.

The information below is intended to assist entrants in answering questions and ensuring their entry application is successful.

Please note: You may enter with a “Joint Entry” if you and another APDG member/s had the same role on the same work.

1. Ensure you have read the Terms & Conditions
2. Ensure your membership is valid or you can join HERE.
3. Ensure your work is eligible: Check that the work was first screened, broadcast, shown or performed between February 2, 2025 and March 1 2026.

You can save and close your application at anytime.

To be eligible for the early-bird discount you need to submit prior to April 14, however you can still update your entry until April 27, 2026.

The APDG held an awards information session to share entry tips and answer questions about your APDG awards entries. You can view the information session HERE.

1. Your contact details (name, address, email, contact number), your role on the production and production title.
2. A PDF Process document:
   – For Designers please outline your design process with the director, co-designers and other artists through concept and design development and realisation.
   – For Costume Supervisors your document should include an overview, a costume supervisor statement, evidence of practice and letter of support from the costume designer. Please read the COSTUME SUPERVISOR GUIDE for further details.
   – For Art Directors your document should include an overview, an art directors statement, evidence of practice and letter of support from the production designer. Please read the ART DIRECTOR GUIDE for further details.
   – For VFX Supervisors please outline your creative and technical process, alternatively you may upload a statement with an accompanying breakdown video.
3. Design Process Images: 6-12 photos and/or illustrations that demonstrate the design or the design process in creating the work. Please submit as labelled JPGs or PNGs. You may also add labelled images, formatted into the design process document, however this is optional. Art Directors and Costume Supervisors, please provide images that support your work on the production.
4. Video or Images of the Work: 1- 3 video files of the work to support your entry. The video files may be the full work, edited highlights or a promotional clip. You may upload an additional 12 photographs. For live performance entrants, you may upload an archive recording of your work.
   OR
   If you are unable to submit a video, 15 – 20 high-resolution production stills made into a slideshow of the work.
5. Promotional Clip of the work*: A landscape clip of the work that demonstrates its design quality.  The clip is not judged but will be screened at the awards ceremony if the work is shortlisted by the judges. The clip can be either video or a slide show of images. Please ensure there is no text on this clip. Ideal length is 20 seconds and should be no shorter than 15 seconds and no longer than 25 seconds. Please aim for a file size of between 20MB and 100MB.
6. Promotional Image: 1 image that demonstrates the quality of the work. This image will represent the work at the awards ceremony, on the website and in media coverage. This image will be less that 2000 pixels wide and submitted as a JPEG or PNG. A landscape formatted image is required, with no logos or text.
7. Design Team contact details: You may nominate up to 5 additional members of your design team. Please ensure you have their details and their approval. The Trophy will only have the entrant’s name, unless it is a joint entry. All those entering as joint entrants must be APDG members.  Please note – there is only 1 trophy per category including for Joint Entries, additional trophies can be purchased by the entrant.
8. Authority to use supporting documentation and promotional materials: Please ensure that you have the relevant permissions to use images and videos submitted.

Design Process Document Assistance

Unsure where to start? You can see some great examples of Design Process documents on the following websites:

• ART DIRECTORS GUILD
• BRITISH FILM DESIGNERS GUILD
• APDG COSTUME SUPERVISORS GUIDE
• APDG ART DIRECTORS GUIDE

Promotional Clip Assistance

If you are unsure how to create an APDG awards ceremony promotion clip, please refer to the following short videos that demonstrate how to create a clip using stills or how to trim/edit exisiting footage.

• How to create a clips using stills in iMovie
• How to trim or edit video footage to create a clip in iMovie

If you would like to be connected to a volunteer to assist with clip or have any further questions, please contact admin@apdg.org.au

STEP 1: LOGIN TO YOUR APDG MEMBER ACCOUNT

Visit the APDG website and sign-in to your member account. If you don’t have a member account, you can join HERE.

STEP 2: ENTER THE AWARDS PORTAL

Once you have logged-in, you will need to go to the ENTER section of the website.

STEP 3: COMPLETE THE ENTRY FORM

The new easy to use form guides you step-by-step through the entry process. If you need assistance, please email admin@apdg.org.au. You do not need to complete your entry in one session. You can save and close your entry at any time and return to complete it prior to the closing date.

STEP 4: PAY THE ENTRY FEE

Payment of the entry fee/s can be made via secure online credit card payment embedded in the application form. If you don’t have a credit card, please contact admin@apdg.org.au for further payment options.

*Please note there is only one trophy per entry, with entrants name/joint entrants names on the trophy. Replica trophies can be ordered and purchased ($350 + delivery) up to 3 months after the awards ceremony.