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The International Format Awards 2021 Full Entry Criteria

 

Entries for The 2021 Format Awards are now open

Before entering please be sure to review the full entry criteria, which gives tips on how to submit your entry in each category.

Format Awards

If you are unsure about anything, please email us at: [email protected].

Click here to download the entry criteria

Timeline
January 11 – Format Awards open for entries
February 22 – Format Awards entries close
March 8 – Entries sent to the judging panel
March 25 – Finalists announced on C21Media.net
April 13 – The International Format Awards winners will be announced in a digital ceremony

General Entry Criteria
• The Awards are open to any show that first went to air during 2020 and is being marketed to the international community as a format.
• Best scripted format category: Please note the first episode of the remake should have aired in the new territory during 2020.
• Entries will be accepted from the producers or distributors of a show. It is the entrant’s responsibility for submitting the correct listings for each show.
• Ineligible entries can be disqualified at any stage of the competition without refund. Please check the criteria thoroughly before entering.
• Any trailers and show images obtained by C21 as supporting materials may be used on C21Screenings, should the show become a finalist.
• The judges will review submissions remotely via password protected AwardsForce accounts.

*All trailers must be in English or with English subtitles/dubbing.

Entry fees
• The fee to enter is £95 per entry. If you enter a second show the fee for this will be £75, entry for the third onwards will be priced at £50.
• Payment of the entry fee will be requested as part of the online entry process. We ask that payment is made by card
• Entry fees must be received by February 22; entries left without payment will be discarded.
• We cannot offer refunds for incorrect submissions. Please read the entry criteria thoroughly before submitting.

Supporting materials
To complete your entry, we require the following supporting materials:
• Production/Distribution/Channel/TX date detail
• A short show pitch
• Show synopsis
• One show trailer (up to 3 minutes long) – 16:9, landscape, mov or mp4, 5 GB max file size (If entering ‘Best Host’, please assure you send in a clip that focuses on the nominee.)
• One full length episode – 16:9, landscape, mov or mp4, 1.5GB max file size
• Show logo (landscape) – any size, png or jpg, 5MB max file size
• Key art image (optional)

*All content is judged via C21’s AwardForce platform. C21 will not publish this content online without your permission.

Full entry criteria by category

Format Innovation in a Time of COVID

This one-off award in 2021 will go to an existing or new format that was launched or adapted in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. It could be a new show that used technology to provide an effective programming solution to broadcasters, or a clever way a format was adapted to provide a new model that helped the show survive and prosper. Judges will be looking for creativity and authenticity.
Entries in this category must have aired episode one of the newest season (in any territory) between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 December 2020.

Best Brand-Driven Format
More than just a bit of product placement or brand integration, this category is about formats that owe their existence to a brand or advertiser that has played a crucial part in the format’s creation. The format could be a studio-based gameshow or factual entertainment chat show, but it was brought to television with the key input of a brand.
Entries in this category must have aired episode one of season one for the very first time (in any territory) between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 December 2020.

Best Competition Reality Format

Competition reality can encompass everything from survival format Bear Grylls – Mission Survive to talent searches The X Factor and So You Think You Can Dance. At its core, there is a winner. Participants (celebrities or public) are playing to win – be that a job (The Apprentice), money or even a relationship (The Bachelorette). Even though some of the competition takes place in a studio, nowadays, nearly all have out-of-studio elements not least of which is public voting.
Entries in this category must have aired episode one of season one for the very first time (in any territory) between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 December 2020.

Best Comedy Format

This category is for unscripted comedies, not sitcoms. These are comedy formats in studio or the field that might involve comedy sketches, improv, panels or hidden cameras. These are often confused with quiz shows except in comedies the answers aren’t important; the laughs are the thing.
Entries in this category must have aired episode one of season one for the very first time (in any territory) between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 December 2020.

Best Factual Entertainment Format
In our awards, factual entertainment has a broader definition than used in Britain where factual and factual entertainment mean different things. For these awards, factual entertainment formats are formats, shot in the field or in studios where there is not competition but rather the exploration of a slice of life either for elucidation or for entertainment. The topics could be life or death (Deadliest Catch) or lifestyle (cooking).
Entries in this category must have aired episode one of season one for the very first time (in any territory) between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 December 2020.

Best Multi-platform Format
These are formats that at their core have some platform aside from television integral to the show’s narrative. A website or social network page that is merely a promotional vehicle for the show would not qualify. The other non-TV platforms have to interact with the casting, narrative or outcome of the show to make it a significant multi-platform format.
Entries in this category must have aired episode one of season one for the very first time (in any territory) between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 December 2020.

Best Scripted Format

These are scripted shows (either comedy or drama) that have been formatted for territories outside their country of origin. The first episode of the remake should have aired in the new territory during 2020.
The first episode of the remake should have aired in the new territory during 2020. The show should be entered by those responsible for it’s remake, not the originators.

Best Studio-Based Gameshow Format
Studio-based gameshows can cover everything from serious quizzes to physical studio games, from cooking to dating games. At their core, they must take place in a closed studio environment and some games must be played, almost always with competition and winners.
Entries in this category must have aired episode one of season one for the very first time (in any territory) between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 December 2020.

Best Returning Format
This category awards an existing format that aired a season (domestic or international) during 2020.
On the occasion that more than one iteration of the show is eligible, entrants should either choose to enter one specific 2020 season, or the show franchise as a whole. For example, The Amazing Race could enter this category using either, The Amazing Race Canada (2020) or The Amazing Race (2001-present).
Entries in this category must have aired episode one of the relavent season for the very first time (in any territory) between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 December 2020.

Best Reality Format
Unlike competition reality formats, reality doesn’t require any element of competition. Shows entered in this category may be documentary-style, following central characters in their assumed ‘real’ lives, such as, The Only Way Is Essex. It also includes structured reality, where the circumstances surrounding the show are manipulated for the purpose of the show, like Wife Swap. This category may include self-improvement/makeover shows, hidden camera shows, survival or social experiments.
Entries in this category must have aired episode one of season one for the very first time (in any territory) between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 December 2020.

Best Host of a Television Format
This award is designed to recognise talent in front of the camera and will be given to the person the judges feel has played a key role in enhancing a format by the sheer strength of personality, flair and unique approach to fronting a television format.
Hosts entered in this category must have presented the nominated format for the very first time (in any territory) between 1 Jan 2020 and 31 December 2020.

The International Formats Business Gold Award 2021

This award will be chosen by the C21, EMC, FRAPA and MipFormats boards for outstanding contribution to the formats business.

For more information please contact C21:
Email: [email protected]