About the Aurora Awards

Since time began the invisible creative forces that power our universe have illuminated the polar darkness with a phenomenon called the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis. This same phenomenon also occurs in the Antarctic sky of the Southern Hemisphere as well, called the Aurora Australis. These majestic stardust curtains have transfixed their global audiences with their majestic displays of celestial color and light.
The Aurora Awards celebrates this same ability of media creators around the world by recognizing this same ability to captivate audiences by their creative displays of color and light. Competitors come from the independent, corporate, and freelance production groups, advertising agencies, broadcast stations, large and small.

The Aurora Awards is a international competition designed to recognize excellence in the film and video industries. It specifically targets products, programs and commercials that would not normally have the opportunity to compete on a national level, by focusing on non-national commercials, regional or special interest entertainment and corporate sponsored film and video. Entries have come from across the US, and abroad. such as Russia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Germany, Australia, Mexico, etc.

Eligibility

Programs or commercials must have been completed, aired or released within two years before the competition year entered. Cable, PBS and Theatrical releases are accepted. Productions can be in English, Spanish or French, all other languages must have subtitles or be judges “as is”. The Aurora Awards reserves the right to return entries and entry fees of programs it deems contrary to its mission which is to promote and maintain excellent values in production and content. If you have questions regarding submissions, call the Aurora offices at (801) 535-4339.

Judging

The judging functions are performed by panels of working film and video professionals that are set up in major cities across the country. Most are writers, producers or directors who are previous award winners. Judges with specific proficiencies are matched with specific categories; for example music composers sit on the original music panels.
The basic premise of the judging structure for the Aurora Awards is based on the importance of receiving the endorsement of your peers to verify your work is outstanding. Programs are judged on a fixed scale in areas of creativity, message effectiveness and technical excellence. Added together this provides a score that is measured against an absolute scale to determine if the program is award worthy or not. Using this method there could be several winners in one category or none at all. Overall scores from each panel are also compared to a statistical model to see if there is a consistency and fairness in each panel. If there
appears to be a problem, the tapes may be sent to a second panel to assure a consistent and fair judging process.

The Awards

Winners may be awarded a "Platinum Best of Show" or a "Gold Award". The Best of show is the highest honor given. Only about one in ten receive this honor, while about two out of ten receive the Gold Award

The Statue

The Aurora statue itself was commissioned specifically for the competition by a nationally renowned sculptor. Its strong vertical lines and flowing form were designed to embody the creative reach for higher ground. On its pedestal, the Aurora stands just over fourteen inches tall and weighs about five pounds.

The Certificates

The Aurora certificates are also custom designed. Each is individually embossed and foiled with a holographic film that gives the three dimensional look unique to this competition.

And Coming Soon...

The Aurora Awards are in the process of commissioning other items for use in celebrating your achievement and establishing you as an industry leader. Watch here for further news.