Best Broadcaster
A showreel demonstrating the range, quality and skills of the station and its programming, to be accompanied by a written report, with details of the operation of the station and contributions made which may not necessarily appear on screen.
Video Submission - 10mins
Written Submission - 500 Words
Jisc Award for Special Recognition
This category looks for a station worthy of special recognition for outstanding achievement, especially with respect to the station’s commitment to overcoming challenging circumstances and achievement through innovation in the past year.
Written Submission - 750 Words
Skype call with Jisc representatives
Best Dramatic Performance
A showreel demonstrating the on-screen acting skills, styles and techniques of a particular Individual in any form of fictional production. This showreel may be made up of content from multiple productions or episodes.
Video Submission - 5mins
Best On-Screen Talent
A showreel demonstrating the on-screen skills, styles and techniques of a particular individual in any production excluding fictional content. This showreel may be made up of content from multiple productions.
Video Submission - 5 Mins
Station Marketing
A video submission demonstrating the achievements of your station’s marketing recognising how your station recruited members and built audiences across your campus. The submission must be accompanied by a written document detailing marketing strategies.
Video Submission - 10mins
Written Submission - 500 Words
Technical Achievement
A report which gives an account of any technical achievement(s) and/or developed to support your station’s output. Entries will demonstrate both the technical challenges faced and overcome, and the benefits this brought to the production(s).
Written Submission - 500 Words
Freshers’ Coverage
This category recognises the quality and diversity of a station’s covering of their campus’ Freshers’ week(s) activities. This category also includes all including all freshers’ themed content.
Video Submission - 10mins
Animation
A single animation programme (or a shortened edit from an episode or series), or an original piece of animation of any type, which has been produced by the station. This can include but is not limited to: Cartoons, Computer generated images, Title sequences.
Video Submission - 10mins
News and Current Affairs
A single programme (or a shortened edit from an episode or series) that demonstrates coverage of university, local community, national or international news. It demonstrates an understanding of television journalism and utilises, where appropriate, the skills of video journalism.
Video Submission - 10mins
The Mars El-Brogy Award for Multimedia Content
A showreel demonstrating effective, innovative and strong use of multimedia content with an accompanying document.
Video Submission - 10mins
Written Submission - 500 Words
Writing
A script in any genre or format, for any kind of show produced by the station. This can include, but is not limited to, fictional teleplays, factual links and features, documentary scripts, live scripts, news piece, etc. Writing may be from a single programme or shortened from an episode or series.
Video Submission - 5mins
Written Submission - 30 Pages @ Size 12pt
Live Broadcast
A programme (or a shortened from an episode or series) that was broadcast live or shot as-live by your station. Entries must not have had any audio or video processing applied after transmission. Entries may be edited in post to produce a showreel, but not to fix problems that were present during broadcast.
Video Submission - 10mins
Cinematography
An opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their best work, demonstrating a knowledge of appropriate lighting, camera moves and other associated techniques of the craft, and how well these things are implemented in film or television. This showreel should be made up of content from a single programme (or a shortened edit from an episode or series).
Video Submission - 10mins
Light Entertainment
A single programme (or a shortened edit from an episode or series) intended as light entertainment.
Video Submission - 10mins
Title Sequence
The introductory sequence to one of your station’s programmes. The very beginning of an exemplar programme may be included. This entry must be a complete videonot a cut down video or an edited highlights reel.
Video Submission - 90sec
Comedy
A single programme or series episode that aims to make the viewer laugh, including, but not limited to: Sitcoms, Comedy Dramas, Stand-up, Sketch Shows.
Video Submission - 10mins
Drama
A single programme (or a shortened edit from an episode or series) of original scripted dramatic production. Note: Sitcoms or dramatic productions which are primarily comedic should be entered for the Comedy category.
Video Submission - 10min
Documentary & Factual
A single programme (or a shortened edit from an episode or series) featuring factual material, presented in any format.
Video Submission - 10mins
Sport
Coverage of a sporting event or a single programme (or a shortened edit from an episode or series) which features live or recorded sport, and/or comments on sport or sports facilities.
Video Submission - 10min
Post-Production Award
A single programme (or a shortened edit from an episode or series) showreel demonstrating excellent post production and editing skills
Video Submission - 10mins
Entry Rules
- Stations affiliated to NaSTA may enter each category only once. Stations may choose not to enter any category of their choosing.
- All entries must have been comprised from content produced (i.e. finalised and completed for viewing) since last year’s awards submissions deadline.
- The use of visual archive content will be permitted where that content does not comprise more than 10% of the programme, or where the Host Station or Executive Committee rules that the submitted awards entry would not work without the use of that archive content. In regard to any decisions made regarding ‘fair use’ of archive content, then the National Executive Committee’s decision will be the final arbiter.
- The use of video content that your station is not entitled to, including, but not limited to, video footage from other stations or broadcasters, is strictly forbidden.
- Audio content including music and sounds effects are not subject to the archive content rules. Entries may contain audio content produced outside of your station.
- It is expected that stations should not submit the same entry to more than one year’s awards. This will be assessed on a case by case basis by the Host Station or National Executive Committee, and the judge may be informed, or depending on severity, the entry may be disqualified.
- Stations may repeat clips, but each entry must contain 90% unique footage that cannot then be repeated in any other category. However, this excludes:
- A Title Sequence entry, which may be taken from a programme that is then submitted for another category.
- A Best Writing entry, which may be taken from a programme that is then submitted for another category.
- Entries for Best Dramatic Performance and On-Screen Talent, Best Broadcaster, Best Cinematography, and Station Marketing, which may make use of clips from entries in other categories.
- A Best Live entry, which may contain content from a programme that is then submitted for another category. These entries should be fundamentally different and not the same edit submitted twice for two categories, however they may share the same content.
- The Mars El Brogy Award for Multimedia Content, which may be taken from a programme that is then submitted for another category.
- A Post Production entry, which may be taken from a programme that is then submitted for another category.
- All entries must be original works produced for your student television station, by members of your student television station. This excludes entries to the Mars El Brogy Award for Multimedia content where entries are allowed to be collaborations between a NaSTA affiliated station and another media department within their Students’ Union.
- When submitting a programme that has been co-produced by two or more stations, the entry is subjected to the following rules:
- A programme jointly produced by two, or more, stations can only be entered into ONE category, which all stations involved must agree on. All stations involved must independently submit identical entries to this category, clearly stating that they wish the entry to be considered as a joint submission. No station may enter the co-produced programme into any category individually with the following exceptions:
- The use of footage from the programme is permitted by any of the stations involved in any of the following categories: Best Dramatic Performance and On-Screen Talent, Best Broadcaster, Best Cinematography, and Station Marketing.
- A single station may only individually submit the programme if the programme has not been co-produced, but another station’s members has been involved in the production (for example provided crew members or equipment) or if the other station is not an affiliated member of NaSTA. This must be agreed by all stations involved.
- A programme jointly produced by two, or more, stations can only be entered into ONE category, which all stations involved must agree on. All stations involved must independently submit identical entries to this category, clearly stating that they wish the entry to be considered as a joint submission. No station may enter the co-produced programme into any category individually with the following exceptions:
- No entries may contain content that has been written or produced as a part of any piece of assessed coursework, exam or other academic work submitted and assessed for a qualification.
- The time and word limits for each category are the absolute maximums (excluding title slides and cover pages). If your entry exceeds the given time or word limit, the entry will be cut (working back from the end of the video or document) to fit the allowed limit, and no appeal will be permitted. Cut material will not be judged. Stations may submit an entry of less than the specified time or length.
- All video entries must meet one of the NaSTA Technical Specifications.
- Permission to enter despite breaking any entry rules, due to mitigating circumstances, may be granted at the discretion of the NaSTA Executive Committee, as set out in the rule-break procedure.
Definitions
NaSTA Awards: The annual awards given out at the NaSTA Conference. The Entry Rules, Rule-Break Procedure and Technical Standards may also be used for other NaSTA Awards including The Peoples’ Choice Awards.
Twelve (12) months: The period since the first deadline for the previous year’s NaSTA award entries.
Completed for viewing: Has been broadcast, either as a live programme, or as a piece of content delivered either through Video on Demand services or pre-recorded content broadcast being broadcast live. The intention behind this is that all entries should be comprised from content delivered to viewers in some fashion within the last year.
Visual archive content: Any video or graphics content that is either produced by your station prior to the last 12 months or produced by any other content creator.
Rule Break Procedure
- All entries will be assessed for rule-breaks by the NaSTA Host Team.
- Details of any entries found to be in breach of any entry rules will be sent to the NaSTA Executive Committee with a recommendation by the host team on a suitable course of action.
- The NaSTA Executive Committee will decide whether or not to follow this recommendation or follow another course of action. The options available are:
- Allow the entry to stand
- Withdraw the entry
- Allow the video entry to stand but withdraw supporting documents (where applicable)
- Allow part of the video entry to stand (and state the timecode of the allowed entry). In this case only the allowed part of the entry will be viewed by the adjudicators.
- Allow the entry to stand with the removal and resubmission of any sections or aspects of the content which breaches either the entry rules or NaSTA’s equal opportunities policy or constitution.
- Allow the entry on condition that the entrant re-encodes the entry to meet the NaSTA Technical Standards and resubmits within a set timeframe.
Technical Specifications
All NaSTA awards entries requiring a video submission must conform to one of three NaSTA approved technical standards. The station submitting an entry may choose which standard to use for each entry and may use a different choice for each entry if desired / required.
Any entry which does not conform to one of these standards may face sanctions or be disqualified as a result of failing to comply with entry requirements.
All video entries are required to be in a 16:9 (widescreen) format, regardless of the original source’s aspect ratio. If your source footage in a old aspect ratio (4:3, 14:9) please use the N-SD export standard otherwise if your edit / render is in a different aspect for stylistic reasons (4:3, 14:9, 2.35:1) then please use either N-FHD or N-HD and export to 16:9 with appropriate boxing (Letter box or Pillar box).
Notes:
A host station may wish to use alternative target and / or maximum settings depending on playout systems, storage allocations, etc. However the host station must seek approval from the NaSTA Technical Officer before any temporary exceptions to these standards are granted.
Note for N-SD users: The PAL standard has been through many versions in the UK. Due to the fact all NaSTA submitted content will be viewed and played out via computer systems we have opted for a square pixel aspect over the PAL D1/DV Widescreen aspect of 1.4587. You should check that your output looks correct when exported to the N-SD format of 1024×576.