Everyone is eligible to enter the FilmLight Colour Awards.
COLOURISTS USING ANY TYPE OF COLOUR GRADING SYSTEMS ARE WELCOME.
The application must be submitted by a colourist (or someone competent from the post facility on his/her behalf) who performed the grade of the project.
Entrants can participate in the FilmLight Colour Awards if they have reached the age of majority.
To be eligible to the TV Series/Episodic category, the colourist must have GRADED AT LEAST TWO EPISODES of the series season.
We’ve put together an Entry Guide to walk you through the process of submitting your work for the FilmLight Colour Awards. You can find it on the website here:
Call for Entries opens: 1 May 2024
Entry Deadline: 31 July 7 August, 11:59pm Greenwich time (GMT)
Note: Projects do not have to be released by the deadline – as long as a project is released between 1 September 2023 and 30 September 2024, it is eligible for submission.
Only with the express, written permission of FilmLight Colour Awards. Please email [email protected].
There is no entry fee. The FilmLight Colour Awards is FREE to enter.
When you enter a project for the FilmLight Colour Awards, you should ideally have the rights to submit your work. Note, however, that there are no public screenings of submitted segments – your project will only be viewed by FilmLight staff and jury members in order to assess its eligibility and merit to proceed to the next stage of judging.
In the eventuality that your work is nominated, the FilmLight Colour Awards team might contact you in order to obtain permission to show your clip for promotion purposes.
No. You may enter ONE eligible work into each category – Theatrical Feature, TV Series / Episodic, Commercial, Music Video, or Spotlight.
Projects entered into the Spotlight category may also be entered into the Theatrical Feature category. Projects submitted to the Emerging Talent category can also be entered into the Commercial or Music Video category.
It depends.
An entry can cover an entire TV series OR an episode. If the colourists have each graded at least two episodes of the series season (the minimum requirement for entry), they can all enter as long as they nominate a different episode within their entry.
If the series has a supervising colourist alongside colourists who grade most of the episodes, then the supervising colourist is the primary one to consider. If the supervising colourist wishes to enter for the entire series, then the other colourists cannot also enter for this series. (Also note that this means the supervising colourist won’t be able to submit another project in the same category.) If the project is nominated or wins, we are happy to credit the supervising colourist along with any other colourists.
Do note that a colourist can submit one project per category; any colourists in this situation are invited to enter other projects in this or another category.
Work must first have been aired/released for television, theatre, the Internet, mobile phone, or any other medium/screen able to deliver motion picture imagery or premiered in a film festival between: 1 September 2023 – 30 September 2024.
Note that projects released between the final submission date for entries (31 July 2024 7 August 2024) and the final eligibility date of projects (30 September 2024) will be kept private.
All projects will be watched solely by FilmLight staff and jury members. No announcements will be made about any project without the prior agreement of the applicant.
If you have any concerns about your project and its eligibility, please contact us: [email protected].
This award seeks to find the unsung talents in the industry. It showcases the craft that contributes to the image of an entire feature film, where the film has a total budget of less than $3 million USD.
As for the Theatrical Feature category, Spotlight projects must comprise a single, original programme, exhibited or broadcast in one part.
Duration must be more than 70 minutes long.
Note: Projects submitted to the ‘Spotlight’ category can also be entered into the ‘Theatrical Feature’ category if desired.
This award seeks to recognise and celebrate the next generation of colourists. New looks and new ideas are essential to the evolution of colour grading, but to emerge as a rising star also takes an eye for detail and a dedication to the craft.
The Emerging Talent award is open to colourists aged 18-35 (at time of submission) and is solely for commercial and music video projects aired between 1 September 2023 and 30 September 2024. Features and episodic projects are excluded.
The project must have been aired to be eligible for submission; projects that have been produced by students as part of an academic course at a college or university will not be eligible.
Note: Projects submitted to the Emerging Talent category can also be entered into the Commercial or Music Video category, if desired.
You can submit theatrical features with a total budget of less than $3 million USD. Projects must also conform to the guidelines for the Theatrical Feature category; for example, they must be longer than 70 minutes.
Yes. There are specified time limits. The submitted segment of the project must have a duration of 5 minutes maximum for the Theatrical Feature, TV Series/Episodic and the Spotlight categories, and 10 minutes maximum for all other categories . If the entry’s running time does not meet the requirement it will be disqualified.
Yes. For all categories, at least one piece of supporting material is strongly recommended to facilitate the judging process: Before/After or Case Study videos (ProRes or H264) and/or supporting material (PDF) can be uploaded by clicking the links in the ‘action’ column for each entry.
Please provide a written explanation to go along with it. Not to exceed 500 words. Submit your written explanation on the entry page.
The criteria for judging entries is a combination of aesthetics, the colourist’s creativity and technical skills.
It is important that you enter your work in the correct category.
In all categories the jury will nominate four colourists in October 2024 and award one winner, which will be announced in November 2024.
Submissions are reviewed under the following criteria:
The aesthetic quality of the image.
The continuity of the grade across the entire project in order to create a general mood.
The originality of the grade.
The collaborative effort between the DP and the colourist.
The technicality of the project and grade.
Projects will be evaluated by recognised industry experts.
Note: FilmLight is not responsible for incomplete or incorrect entries.
The jury will be announced in full by the end of July 2024.
Entries will close on 31 July 2024 7 August 2024 with nominees announced in October. Nominees will receive an email prior to the public announcement.
Participation in the FilmLight Colour Awards 2024 is remote, and the selection of works will take place remotely.
The winners will be announced and awards presented at EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2024 in Poland.