The West of England produces some of the best TV, film and animation content in the world and our annual awards are the opportunity to recognise and celebrate our extraordinary talents. Our judges will be looking for the very best, of the best content production across all genres from news and scripted to documentary, children’s and digital.
I am delighted to announce that submissions for the 2019 Royal Television Society Awards for the West of England are now open (as of 1st November) and we are inviting submissions from content broadcast on all platforms.
There are some important changes this year, so please read the entry requirements carefully and check with us if you are not sure which category to enter. The 2019 awards will also be bigger and better as we are welcoming the work of our friends in Devon and Cornwall.
Some key dates to remember. The closing deadline is Friday 7th December and the awards night itself is at the newly refurbished Bristol Old Vic on Sunday 24th March 2019. We look forward to seeing the best of what you have been making - we know our judges will enjoy it.
Good luck!
Lynn Barlow, Chair, RTS West of England
Please contact suzy.lambert@rts.org.uk with any award queries. PLEASE SEE FULL LIST OF CATEGORIES BELOW (PDF DOCUMENT AT BOTTOM OF PAGE)
All submitted content should have a connection with the West of England - either it is made in the region and/or made by people based in the region.
Categories range from scripted to factual to natural history and children’s, plus we welcome on screen talent to enter the awards. Amongst the craft categories, we include cinematography, sound and director once more, along with composer. We will also highlight the excellence of news in the region.
We are particularly keen to encourage entries from individuals as well as those sponsored by companies. This is a chance for you to take your well deserved place in the spotlight.
The independent judging panels will be drawn from the UK’s leading production professionals and broadcasters and we will publish the list of judges once the nominations are announced.
What are the judges looking for?
An award will be given to the programme/production/team/individual that demonstrates the exceptional in terms of high quality.
So the judges will be looking for:
§ Quality
§ Creativity
§ Originality and innovation
§ Professionalism
All entries must have been broadcast or published between 1st December 2017 and 1st December 2018. Please read the terms and conditions carefully as well as the brief criteria in each category.
Entries are welcome from creators offering content on non-broadcast platforms provided the submitted content is from a production company/individual based in the region or co-production. All entries by any delivery system must either be produced in the region or in the case of international co-productions, the company in the region must have had significant editorial (50% or more) as well as financial input (30% or more)
The all-important and final CLOSING DATE for entries is Friday 7th December at midnight
AS WELL AS SUBMITTING CONTENT FOR VIEWING BY THE JUDGES, YOU MUST ALSO INCLUDE A 30 SECOND CLIP WHICH MAY BE USED AT THE AWARDS CEREMONY IF YOUR PROJECT IS NOMINATED
To enter go to:
https://awardsentry.rts.org.uk/entrant/
ENTRY ADVICE
It is recommended you read the RTS Awards entry support guides before creating your account. These are available at https://rts.org.uk/rts-awards-admin-support-page
ENTRY FEE
The cost of each entry is £50 including VAT.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
For the purposes of these conditions of entry, ‘region’ shall be taken to mean broadly the editorial broadcast areas of ITV News West Country and BBC West and the Devon and Cornwall Centre's ITV and BBC editorial broadcast areas. Productions need not be about the region but must have content originated by individuals or production units based in the region.
Programmes and content submitted for the West of England Centre Awards will still be eligible for relevant award schemes run on a national basis by the RTS. Productions by independent companies based in the region may be entered either by the production company or by the broadcaster.
No single programme/content should be submitted in more than one programme category. Secondary submissions of material to craft categories are permitted. Co-productions are eligible provided that the regionally based production criteria are satisfied. Craft Awards: Individuals should be based and/or employed within the region. Where entries are submitted by individuals, written permission and acknowledgment must be given by the copyright holder.
The correct and full payment must be made with each entry and if payment is not made by 3rd December, the entry will not be eligible for judging.
The Judges reserve the right to move an entry from one category to another if in their opinion it has been entered in the wrong category. The RTS reserves the right to cancel any category should the numbers of entrants make it unviable. In this event, fees will be refunded.
There is no limit to the number of entries made by an individual or organisation. Each separate entry must be accompanied by an entry fee.
RIGHTS AND PUBLICITY
By entering, all entrants must have ensured that all rights have been cleared for extracts to be shown during the Awards presentation and as part of the promotion and marketing of the Awards and on the RTS website: rts.org.uk. In the event of a winning production being either a co-production or an independent production commissioned by a broadcaster, the award and any press/publicity should be granted to both parties and written/spoken credit shall be given to both parties.
The awards MUST be described as "RTS West of England Awards". Broadcasters must NOT refer to winners as simply ‘RTS Award winning’ or similar phrase in any published or transmitted context as this confuses the regional awards with the national awards in the public’s mind.
The Judges' decision is final.
