This year, we’re combining the original SFTV Awards with the now-former Film Outside the Frame festival to engage the entire SFTV community, with submissions and voting happening online!

And because we know that many of our hardworking SFTV students haven’t been able to finish their films this semester as we’ve all adjusted to the reality of life in the time of coronavirus, we’ve also opened up submissions for most categories to include films made in the Fall 2019 semester, and work made by SFTV students on their own time during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Please read the Rules & Terms section below carefully. Materials and accompanying information must adhere to the specific submission guidelines for each category to which you submit in order to be considered.

Submissions will be open May 14-June 5.

Rules & Terms

2020 SFTV AWARDS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions will be open May 14 – June 5

Submission deadline for all awards: 11:59pm on June 5

See individual awards for specific eligibility requirements and selection processes. Winners will be announced early in the Fall 2020 semester.

Submitting to the SFTV Awards gives SFTV and LMU permission to use your work in promotional materials, including advertisements, social media, email, and on LMU / SFTV websites.

FILM & WEBISODE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES & ELIGIBILITY

All current SFTV graduate and undergraduate students are eligible for most awards; see specific eligibility requirements for individual awards for more information. Students must submit their film online via FilmFreeway to be considered. Films must be submitted by the posted deadline. All films completed during the Fall 2019 – Spring 2020 academic year are eligible.

CREW
Only above and below the line positions (including but not limited to: director, writer, producer, director of photography, production design, sound, editor) filled by SFTV students (students at time of production) will be eligible for individual awards. e.g., if your cinematographer is not an SFTV student, your film is not eligible for a cinematography award.

Detailed Submission Requirements
- Completed submission form on FilmFreeway
- For the Digital Press Kit, you do not need to include a trailer, poster, or writer/director biography and headshots
- Hi-res production stills in .jpeg format are required
- Submit films without color bars or the SFTV Countdown
- Foreign language films must be made available with original language soundtrack and English subtitles
- Entry materials will not be returned
- Incomplete entries will not be considered

PLEASE NOTE: Only one webisode may be submitted per series; webisode submissions are not eligible for individual awards.

EVALUATION PROCESS
For most awards, panels of alumni judges will evaluate all submitted films and select nominees. Once nominees are selected, all members of the SFTV community will vote online for the winners. For the Faculty Award for the Promotion of Social Justice and Faculty Award for Global Perspective and Intercultural Experiences, faculty will select the winners from the pool of online submissions. For the SFTV Dean’s Award for Best Director, the Dean will work together with a panel of judges to select a winner from the online submissions.


SCRIPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES & ELIGIBILITY

Only SFTV graduate and undergraduate screenwriting and WPTV students are eligible for writing awards. Students must submit scripts to FilmFreeway to be considered. Scripts must be submitted in the required format (details below) by the posted deadline. All scripts written during the Fall 2019 – Spring 2020 academic year are eligible.

Required Submission Materials
- Completed submission form on FilmFreeway
- You do not need to include a Digital Press Kit with your submission
- Completed script in PDF format with cover page including the following information for each writer: Name, address, phone, email address, and LMU Student ID
- Entry materials will not be returned
- Incomplete entries will not be considered

EVALUATION PROCESS
Two panels of alumni judges will evaluate submitted scripts: The first will narrow submitted scripts down to nominees for each category, the second will choose a winner for each category from the nominated scripts.


RECORDED SONG SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

All current SFTV Recording Arts students are eligible for the Best Recorded Song award. Students must submit their recorded song to FilmFreeway to be considered. Songs must be submitted in the required format by the posted deadline. All songs produced during the Fall 2019 – Spring 2020 academic year are eligible.

PRODUCER / ENGINEER
The song’s Producer / Engineer must be an SFTV RECA student at time of production to be eligible for the individual award.

DETAILED SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- Completed submission form on FilmFreeway
- For the Digital Press Kit, you do not need to include a trailer, poster, or writer/director biography and headshots
- A hi-res image that best represents your song, in .jpeg format, is required
- Entry materials will not be returned
- Incomplete entries will not be considered
- All projects must have permission from the recording band to submit the song

EVALUATION PROCESS
A panel of alumni judges will evaluate all submitted songs and select nominees. Once nominees are selected, all members of the SFTV community will vote online for the winner.