MISSION STATEMENT
The goal of Southern Shorts Awards (SSA) is to recognize filmmakers whose short films demonstrate their ability to produce well crafted motion pictures.
THE SOUTHERN SHORTS AWARDS COMPETITION / FESTIVAL
Southern Shorts Awards is a seasonal competition for short films (under 30 minutes) in which each entry is judged on its’ own merits. Every film will be screened by three judges using a 10 point scale and you will receive the scores of all three judges whether you win an award or not.
At the end of each season, we screen the top three films of each genre scoring 75 or higher. These are one-day festivals held at the Aurora Cineplex in Roswell, Georgia.
Films are shown in genre blocks with a Q&A at the end of each film (whose filmmakers attend) and the evening ends with a spectacular Awards Presentation.
There are no limits on when or where a film was produced, we accept films from all over the world no matter how old.
SCORING
Your composite score will show where you excelled, as well as the areas in which you could do better. This is vitally important information because how can you improve if you don't know what needs improving? SSA offers a level playing ground for filmmakers to have their work judged by a panel of industry professionals.
Most festivals only offer two categories for short films, narrative or documentary. SSA has 15 categories, so your film can be judged within its' specific genre.
Southern Shorts Awards may also serve as a first-entry test for filmmakers who intend to enter their film into multiple festivals. Receiving an award from SSA does not guarantee that a another festival will accept your entry, but those films which do not receive any award from us may be less likely to find success in the festival circuit.
• All films are scored and may receive an award for the film, and/or individual awards for the cast and/or crew. Receiving an individual award does NOT mean we will screen your film. Only the TOP 3 award-winning films of each genre are nominated for the festival and awards competition, so we only screen those films, however we may show other films which have scored 80 or higher at our discretion.
• As a one-day festival, we have limited time to screen our award-winning films. The minimum score for screening eligibility is 70 although all films are shown at our discretion based on available time.
• Laurels are only awarded to those films which are shown at the festival.
Awards of Merit are given to shorts which show basic filmmaking competence, Awards of Excellence are given to films which exhibit higher levels of creativity and ability, Awards of Distinction are given to films of professional quality, and the Orson Award is given to those rare films which show true genius.
Southern Shorts Awards is also unique in that we score individual achievements at no additional cost. All major cast and crew members are graded on the same 10 point scale by each judge, and it is possible for an individual to receive an award even if the film doesn’t.
All award winners will receive a PDF of their Award Certificate. Optionally, they may order a printed Award Certificate for $20, a wall plaque for $50, or a trophy for $100. Every entry will be judged and receive a copy of their composite judges scoring sheet and judges comments whether they win an award or not.
There are two levels of awards:
1. Scoring Awards are PDF Certificates which are included with the filmmaker's scoresheet and judges comments on the scoring notification day. These are non-competitive and are based on the scores of three judges who screen and score each film, as well as cast and crew individual achievements. Films must receive a minimum averaged score of 70 to receive an award and individuals must receive a minimum averaged score of 7.
PLEASE NOTE: You will not receive laurels with these awards and are not authorized to use our laurels unless we have sent them to you and these individual achievement awards are not eligible for IMDb listing unless your film screens at the festival.
2. Festival Awards are competitive and are based on the judges scores. The top 3 award-winning films of each genre are then nominated as the best of that genre. This means your film must score at least 70 out of 100 points to be nominated. For example, in the Drama genre, the highest scoring film wins Best Drama of that season, the second highest wins Best Drama Award of Excellence, and the third the Best Drama Award of Merit. Every film screened at the festival will receive and is authorized to use our laurels as provided, without modification.
3. Laurels will ONLY be granted to those films which are actually screened at each festival. Even then, you must use the laurels as supplied without making your own modifications. You may only use laurels if we have supplied them to you, however, you may post your scoring award certificates freely.
All festival awards are given out at the Awards Presentation at the end of the screenings. This is a black-tie optional event with a host who will show shorts clips from each nominee, then open the envelope and announce the winners. The entire event is recorded and available on our website the following week and each filmmaker present is provided with the specific clip of their acceptance speech.
We also give Best Of Show trophies for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematographer, Best Editor, Best Sound Design and Best Soundtrack.
COVID 19 UPDATE
In 2020, we moved to an online model using Zoom for our Awards Presentation. This will continue until the pandemic is over, which is not likely until Fall of 2021 at the earliest. Beginning with the Winter 2021 Season, we can no longer afford to give out free trophies and plaques to award winners. All award winners will be sent certificates free of charge, but trophies and plaques must be purchased from our store. We will provide a discount code to all filmmakers who participate in the live Awards Presentation.