The 2025 competition deadline is December 31, 2024.

Entry Fees: 

Single $445 USD 
Series $745 USD 

Student $100 USD

A separate fee is applicable for each category selection. If you are submitting more than one entry, send only one payment for the total amount of all your entry fees.  We accept credit card payment using VISA, MasterCard, and AMEX. Credit Card Fees are 3% of total order for VISA and MasterCard.  Credit Card Fees are 3.2% of total order for AMEX. Currency must be in USA dollars made payable to INTERNATIONAL AWARDS GROUP, LLC.  

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS GROUP must receive payment information within 7 business days following the completion of your online entry submission in order to process entries, otherwise the entries may be withdrawn from the competition. 

Processing fees:
For wire (or bank) transfer payments, all bank charges must be prepaid by you and an additional $150 US dollars will be added to the total amount on your invoice to cover intermediary bank fees. You must include your invoice number on your bank transfer Instruction forms so we can match your payments to your order. You must send the financial contact information for all wire transfers and any purchase order requests or tax information requirements along with your invoice to accounting@newyorkfestivals.com.

Your invoice number and our bank transfer information will be available to you just prior to checkout. You will be able to print your invoice for your accounting department so they can execute the transfer. If you have any questions about your invoice forward it to accounting@newyorkfestivals.com. Do not reply to invoice@newyorkfestivals.com

We do not charge media handling fees, sales tax, or VAT taxes.

Late Entry Fee:  Any entry submitted after the official Final Deadline may be subject to a 10 % Late Entry Processing Fee.

Refund Policy:  Refunds of entry fees will only be granted if a written request is made within 14 days of submitting entries and then a $100 fee per entry will be charged to cover additional administrative costs.  After 14 days, because entries will have been processed and entered into the system, no refunds will be granted but we will be able to block the entries from the judging schedule.  No refunds will be made once the judging begins.
 

To be eligible for the 2025 competition, entries must have been produced, released, exhibited, screened, aired, published or streamed from September 1, 2023, until the deadline of December 31, 2024, and were not awarded a trophy in the same category in the 2024 TV & Film Awards.

SINGLE ENTRY:

An individual episode or "one-off"

2 File Maximum

1 Episode/piece and one supplmental case study file 

SERIES ENTRY:

A program series or campaign 

4 File Maximum 

3 Episodes/pieces and one supplemental case study file 

Select the category that most closely relates to your submission's type of program, primary purpose, content, or target audience. You may enter the same production or program in multiple categories, including program categories and craft categories. There is an entry fee for each category you enter. Categories have Single entry and Series entry options. Submissions may be either full episodes or excerpts. All entries may submit a file as a case study piece with supplemental information in the form of trailer or title sequence, url or jpeg. 

The categories for Television & Film are divided into fourteen category groups. They are News Program, News Reports/Feature, Sports Program, Documentary, Entertainment Program, Entertainment Special, Craft Program, Promotions/Open & ID, Craft Promotion/Open & ID, Streaming, Student, Films, Corporate Image, Craft Films/Productions. 

A performer/on-air personality may enter multiple achievements in a performance category if the achievements are for different programs constituting a body of work.

Craft category submissions may enter multiple achievements constituting a body of work.

See Categories listing for definitions and additional explanations.
 

Individual entries are evaluated for their intrinsic merits - without comparing them with others. There is no numerical limit for the number of finalists in any category. The number of entries in a category has no bearing on how each entry is scored by the jury. One, none, or more than one award may be given in any category. Each entry is, in effect, in competition with itself, and is measured by our international award-winning jury of experts using an industry-accepted standard of excellence. 

Broadcaster of the Year will be awarded to the network with the highest scores for entries and largest medal count across all categories whether submitted by the network or the producer. 

Production Company of the Year will be awarded to the production company with the highest scores for entries and largest medal count across all categories.

Program Promotion Team of the Year will be awarded to the creative team with the highest scores for entries and largest medal count across all promotion categories and all platforms regardless of who submitted the entry.
 

The Shortlist will be announced in advance of the gala. The Grand, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Finalist Diploma winners will be announced at the 2025 Storytellers Gala. Laurels will be sent to winning contacts the day before the awards ceremony. The Industry Awards of Broadcaster of the Year, Production Company of the Year, and Program Promotion Team of the Year will be announced at that time. Press releases will be sent to international wire service outlets, to the trades, across our social media platforms. New York Festivals winners may refer in advertising and publicity that they are a New York Festivals winner.

Free streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet WaterBear Network, has partnered with New York Festivals to create an exclusive new award. The WaterBear Award will be awarded the highest scoring documentary across the Climate Change & Sustainability, Environment & Ecology, and Nature & Wildlife categories. The winner will be announced during the 2025 Storytellers Gala.

The written background summary is required during the online entry process. There is a maximum of 800 words. Please include the purpose of your entry, the audience for your entry and any other pertinent information about content and context. This is your opportunity to address the grand jury members and explain what is special about your submission. You may submit a case study with a supplementary files for titles, trailers, JPEGs of performers, url, or press.

Innovation entries may add a non-broadcast support video separated with a slate with background material for evaluation by the jury. 

Technical Production Team entries may add a non-broadcast support video separated with a slate on the complexity of the production for evaluation by the jury.

Use of Technology entries may add a non-broadcast support video separated with a slate on the complexity of the production for evaluation by the jury.

Productions not produced in the English language must have either subtitles or overdubbing in English or include a translation in English of the first and last 10 minutes of the entry. That translation must be submitted digitally in the translation box provided in the online entry form.  Translations may only be edited after the entry process is complete by contacting NYF Processing.

When submitting your credits, be aware that if your entry is a trophy winner, your Tower trophy will list only the year of the competition, the name of the entering company, name of the network/brand (if any), the title of the entry, and name of the category. The Winners Gallery on our website can feature up to twenty names and corresponding job titles. Customized Diplomas with up to ten names and titles will be available for purchase through our store following the Storytellers Gala. 

Finalist Diploma winners will receive a Diploma listing the year of the competition, the name of the entering company, name of the network/brand (if any), the title of the entry, name of the category, and ten names with corresponding job titles. Student winners will receive a Diploma.

Shortlisted entries when notified will be given the opportunity to update and correct credits and shipping addresses. However, if no corrections are made, credits and shipping information listed during the entry process will be considered the credits of record. 

New York Festivals will send one award for each winning entry only once. Winning trophies will be shipped to the entering contact shipping address only. Any return and re-shipping costs will be paid for by the entrant. Following the gala, you may purchase personalized trophies for the individuals involved in the creation of the work. Any shipping costs and customs duties are paid by the winning entrant. 

All entries must use the following standards for text formatting. These standards allow us to better judge and showcase your work. 

Title of Entry Format:
Proper Case (all first letters capitalized) must be used in the title and brand name. Do not use all capital or all lower-case letters. Do not enclose the entry title in quotes or angle brackets.

Performance Categories:

Include the name of the performer followed by the title of the program. 

Example: Actor First and Last Name, Program Title

The character limit for Entry Titles is 40 characters including spaces.

Series entries must be named with a singles series title or with individual program titles separated by slashes.
Single Entry Example: Title Of Entry
Series Example: Title One / Title Two
Series Example with overall title: Series Title of Entry 

Translation & Background Summary:
Include text in Sentence Case (first letter of each sentence capitalized). Do not use all capital or all lowercase letters.
 

Please do not use quote marks or angle brackets or parenthetical marks of any kind within the translation or summary - this will give an error message and you will not be able to complete your submission.

Example: This entry is a children's program. It is targeted towards ages 8 to 14.

Brands and Co-productions:

The character limit for Brands and Co-Productions is 40 characters including spaces. Please separate partners with slashes. 

Credits:
Please list individual credits in order of importance with the highest credit first. Production and Talent names and job titles must be in Proper Case (all first letters capitalized). Do not use all capital or all lower-case letters. There is a separate field for each name and each title. The character limit for each line of Credits is 100 characters including spaces

DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS OVERVIEW:
New York Festivals displays your entries in an encoded format to our online Grand Jury to judge. Access is password protected. Judges have commented that Time Code or watermarks are distracting so we ask that you submit the on-air/final version of your entry. 

All entries can be uploaded through our online entry process. We no longer use FTP as a means of delivery. We no longer accept entries on tape-based media. We accept only QuickTime (.mov) files. We recommend that all entries be uploaded.  All uploaded videos must use H.264 compression and have a QuickTime (.mov) or (.mp4) wrapper. 

Once uploaded, no other entrants can view your uploaded submissions. Once uploaded, even you cannot see your entry unless you wait 72 hours and use your invoice link to preview your entry. 

If your entry is within a url, we suggest you send your video as a QuickTime (.mov) file. If you use vimeo, you must select the download option.

Remember, if you are submitting a series entry, each piece must be uploaded separately.

If you wish, you may request a dropbox link for your convenience.

If you have additional questions, please contact our Processing and IT departments at processing@newyorkfestivals.com

GLOSSARY OF TERMS:
In order to assist you in the upload process, we have compiled a glossary of formatting terms.

FTP (file transfer protocol): A standard for transferring files from one computer to another over the internet

Compression: Reduces the size of your file

Bit Rate: the amount of data used for each second of video. It controls visual quality and file size. Also known as data rate

Frame Rate: Most videos are shot between 24 – 60 frames per second.

Frame Size/Canvas/Resolution: the dimension in pixels of the compressed file

Codec/encoding: H.264 is the only codec we accept.

Wrapper: The file type/extension. For example: .mov; .mp4; .wmv. We accept QuickTime files (.mov) and (.mp4)

ENTRY TECHNICAL GUIDELINES:

Bars & Tone/Slates:
Do not use Bars & Tone. Do not use a countdown. Entries may not be divided into chapters. Entries may use a single title graphic (slate) to identify the entry, if desired. 
Please note on your slate whether your entry is 16x9 or 4x3. Use 16 x 9 full frame, not anamorphic. 

Technical Specifications:
Format: 1920x1080 (16:9) H.264 Progressive scan (23.98) preferred
Video Encode: VBR 1pass 10-12Mbps
Audio Encode: AAC 320 kbps, 48KHz
Aspect: Square Pixels (1.0)

For SD files:
Use the H.264 at Main Level compression profile.

For HD files:
Use the H.264 at High-Level compression profile 

How to Upload your entries:

After you receive your confirmation email for your closed cart, you will need to input the piece details including title, entry format, background summary, and translation (if not in English). Then you will be able to upload your entries by clicking the upload box next to each entry. Please make sure that you upload (attach) all pieces of your entries.

Series entries may consist of up to three pieces (complete episodes or segments) that best represent the entire series. If your series entry has three pieces, you will have three files to upload. Please upload them in the order you wish the judges to view them.

If you are submitting an entry in multiple categories within the same order and all information (title, background summary, translation, asset files) is the same, our system allows you to upload only one time for all categories. Otherwise, you will need to enter, input, and upload each submission separately.

All entries can upload a case study piece to their submission.

Please see our Entry Process Guide for Confirmation Number and Piece Details.  

If your entries are URL/links:
If you use this option, we recommend that you follow the file size and formats above.  You must keep the links active through the entire process and we will need .mov or .mp4 files for the ceremony and winners showcase. 

Entries submitted by post or by courier:
We no longer accept this form of delivery. It is costly for entrants. Entrants must upload their submissions. Uploading gives entrants maximum control over their submissions and ensures better quality for the jury’s evaluation. If you are unable to upload, please contact processing for additional assistance. 

Entries and materials submitted will not be returned and may be displayed, shown, duplicated, published, or reproduced for educational and/or promotional purposes as New York Festivals® deems appropriate. By entering, the entrant agrees to hold New York Festivals® and any of its affiliated companies exempt from any costs or expenses of any claim arising out of any such use.  

Entrants have the option to not have their entry shown in its entirety on our websites by exercising the option listed on the online entry form. Entrants who exercise that option may upload trailers once judging has concluded if they desire to showcase their winning entries.  
 
New York Festivals ® assumes no responsibility for the acts or omissions of those individuals or entities submitting entries pursuant to this notice. By entering, entrants guarantee they have obtained the permission of the rights-holder for any submission.
All submitting entities and/or individuals are advised to review submissions with respect to correct name credits and other information.