DETAILED INFORMATION
New to our website? You may wish to find out about the information we request and how it is used. We believe in transparency and this is a great place to learn.
See below for details for each of the four segments
We know that working on a secure site is important to you. Learn about how we work to protect your information and how we use it for just our business (not others).
Learn why we want to get to know you, how this information is used to save time in other parts of our website, what should be entered in each field, and what info is required/optional.
Learn what we are asking for in each blank field, how you set your accessibility for each entry, terms of use, and why we wish to know your promotional intentions now. Learn how to add multiple categories and what my emailed receipt will contain.
This is a simple guide to help you move around on our site. It contains a site map so you may easily get to the information you need. Some areas will require a login to access and we will explain.
INITIAL PROCESS
First-time users will create a LOGIN and will be immediately directed to create a PROFILE. After the profile is complete, you will have access to a “Member Dashboard” where you may also choose to ENTER COMPETITION, ORDER or CONNECT (join our mailing list). Only those who are qualified will have an active link to judge.
ENTRANT PROFILE
Your entrant profile will be an important key in areas of this website. Here you may let us know more about you and your organization. You will be able to edit this information as needed. Please make sure it is current prior to each competition entry period, ordering rewards, or judging (if selected). Much of the process will auto-fill in other areas of our website.
ACCESSIBILITY
You are able to select the LOGOUT and CONTACT US page from the top menu bar at any time after you have signed in. If you need information (like this page) while you are logged in, just create a new tab in your browser and enter our website so you may toggle back and forth. Each area has tab headers under the top graphic which allow you to toggle from page to page. Be sure to select the NEXT or SUBMIT buttons at the bottom of the page for your information to be fully saved and to avoid errors on other pages when entering the competition. Selecting the browser back arrow may cause newly keyed information on that page to be discarded.
SECURITY
We do not share your personal data with anyone outside of our company and ask for your information to make operations easier for you in other areas of our website. We do not sell your information to third parties. Your data is securely stored on our site with strong 256-bit encryption and built for PCI DSS 3.0 Standards. To see our Privacy Policy select the link at the bottom right of all pages of our site. Your online security is very important to us.
THE DETAILS: INFORMATION WE REQUEST AND WHY
CREATING A NEW PROFILE
Select LOGIN from the top bar on each header, select CREATE NEW ACCOUNT for the first time you begin. You will be asked for your name, email and password. Add your full name, email address, and create a new password that is secure. (We recommend that you create one which contains one capital letter, one number and be at least 8-20 characters long.)
NOTE: If you have created a login on prior to June 2016, all prior information has been safely discarded. You will need to create a new profile on this newer site. Once you have created a new profile it will be in place for ease in creating future entries.
If you forget this password, there is a location on the login page called, Recover Your Password, which you may enter your email address which will automatically direct an email to your inbox to reset the login.
YOUR PROFILE
We have created three pages. One for you as an entrant, one for your organization and one for addresses (mailing, shipping, and billing). We will not ask for payment information until later and it will be collected directly by a secure, authorized, world-wide merchant service. We do not retain your card information on our servers.
Please note that your information will not be saved until you enter the SUBMIT button on the bottom of the Addresses page. It may save a temporary cache file on your computer if your browser is up and will be deleted when you close the browser.
For specifics on fields:
ENTRANT INFORMATION PAGE
First Name, Middle Initial: Include your first name (middle initial is optional). Please do not use just initials unless this is regular practice.
Company or School Name: This is the name of your own personal company or school you attend. If you are not affiliated such, please list “Freelancer” or your own name.
Title/Position: The role you claim for yourself as a filmmaker or representative of at your company.
Email: The personal email address which we will contact you for receipts, notifications, personal and direct correspondence, and for judging (if it applies).
Email2: This is an optional contact you may include if you are out of your office or if you would like us to CC an email to get through to someone else in your absence.
Mobile Phone: We would like to have your phone number in case we would need to contact you immediately for entry clarification, payment or judging (if it applies). Enter the number without any spaces or characters.
Work Phone: This would help us contact someone in your office if you cannot be reached. We would attempt the work phone first before a mobile unless we felt it was of urgent nature. Enter the number without any spaces or characters.
Filmmaking Experience
Year Began: If you are a film creator, we would like to know what year you began. This may include years in school or when you first began with a focus in film and video. If you are an account representative, please leave the field blank.
Other Companies: We know that filmmakers often move around. We would like to know what production companies you have been affiliated with in the past. This is helpful in connecting a previous award you have won while working for another company. This field is optional and used only for filmmakers.
Primary Situation
Please enter your current situation or primary reason for which you will enter the next competition or place orders. We would like to plan how we can best promote your needs. If you fit more than one category, please indicate your primary role.
Additional Contact: This is for your convenience only. Many times we have Account Executives enter for Human Resource Managers, Marketing Managers, Production Owners, etc. This allows them to access the account should you move to another job, or other circumstance arise where the winning information needs to be accessed.
Lead Creators: (These fields are optional.) If you represent an organization for which the film or video was created, we wish to include (in the event of a win) the creators of the work. This will allow them to be authorized individuals to order. This may be helpful for larger companies in rewarding in-house filmmakers and it also gives us the opportunity to request them to judge for us. (One example: X Company contracted 123 Production Company to create a video. Then X Company wishes to enter this in the competition for more accolades and marketing. If X Company wins, 123 Production Company also wins and the lead names will be included.) Two leads are provided if specialties (ie. music, animation) are subcontracted.
ENTRANT ORGANIZATION PAGE
More information is needed if you are associated with a company. If you are a freelancer or student this could be your own information until you grow or it may be the company you are subcontracting for in providing work for a major company. IMPORTANT NOTE: This does not include the organization, school or company for which you created the film or video for. We will collect this on the actual entry form.
Website: This is the site we will link winning entries to on our winners lists. Please do not include links to websites with just the title of the work. We wish to directly promote filmmakers and those who have created the work. It is best to copy a link and paste it in this field. If you do not have a website, please enter the Aurora Awards’ home page.
Business Phone: The phone number for headquarters of your company. Enter the number without any spaces or characters.
Info Email Address: This email address is a generic email address for your company and is the primary address of the company. One you would list on your contact page or special landing page.
Company Bio: This is a brief description of your company and what you offer. Some call it a company statement. We may use this for a personalized press release. This field is optional.
Specialties: If you are a Media Production Company, we desire to know if you specialize in a specific area of filmmaking (ie. Documentaries, Medical or Aerospace related, etc.). List what are you known for (strengths) or what sets you apart (uniqueness).
Employees: We desire to know the size of company we serve. This will help in our communications and the ways we formulate to promote your company. It has no bearing on the judging of the entries.
Founded: The year your company was founded. We may include this in a press release.
PR Name, Email & Representative: We would like to open the opportunity to work with your company’s Public Relations Rep. This is the person whom will be handling the promotions for this company’s film creations. This is optional but can be helpful if your company has specific individuals to handle this.
ADDRESSES PAGE
This is a great place to specify your mailing address when it is separate from your shipping address. If you enter your billing address we can automatically apply it at a later spot when you are ordering or entering your payment. Please include phone number, especially for international orders.
Mailing Address: Designate a place where we may send physical mail such as letters, postcards, certificates or other necessary printed information. NOTE: For countries outside of the US, you will need to scroll below the US states in the box to the right to see the national provinces for your country.
Billing Address: This is the address in connection with the payment card you may use. If you want the Payment Request (purchase order) to go directly to someone in the purchasing department, then put their email address in the email field in this section.
Shipping Address: A physical location where products order may be shipped. This should not be a PO Box. In our ordering pages, if there are special instructions needed for shipping, we will allow you to include them with each specific order.
SPECIALTIES PAGE (This page will only be visible if you are allowed to judge entries)
This page will connect qualified judges to entries to be judged. We request an accurate and honest representation of your talents and abilities. See judging instructions in the judging section for more detailed information.
Languages: Please check all languages which you are fluent.
Individual Specialties: Please check which areas you have expertise. This is where your award-winning experience is identified.
Format Specialties: Please check all areas you have experience in creating.
Expertise Tags: Please check the topics you have studied, have knowledge and experience and those that are more than just a casual interest.
By selecting SUBMIT your profile will be saved. You may come back at any time to update this information from your member dashboard. Thank you for introducing you and your organization to us.
SUBMITTING ENTRIES
Creating entries is simple. You will first enter the information about the film or video to be submitted on one page and add the categories you wish to enter on the next page. You will be given the opportunity to review and edit your entries before finally submitting them to the competition.
Following payment you will authorize the amount for your chosen entries and then receive a detailed receipt to your email inbox (email listed on profile under entrant Information) unless you select otherwise in the Payment Request segment.
From the Member Dashboard you will select ENTER COMPETITION. This will take you to the first/last page called “Review Entries”. From this page you will create entries and return to this page before moving onto the payment type pages. Begin by selecting ADD ENTRY which will take you to a page that you can list all the information about your entry.
ENTRY INFORMATION PAGE
Title of Entry: Required and may be listed with quotes, without quotes, etc.
Client created for: This is the customer for whom it entry was created. Please list the organization or persons for whom the entry was created. Who benefits from the creation of the entry?
Artist Statement: This should be a brief paragraph stating the purpose of the entry. It will be seen by the judges to set them up for what they will be viewing and indicate the purpose more clearly than just the category selection. (Please limit to 200-250 words). This may also be used in the individual promotion as The Aurora Awards sees fit.
Runtime (HH:MM:SS): This is the play length of the film or video. HH is hours, MM for minutes, and SS for seconds. This is very important in allotting time for judges to review entries. (example: For a runtime of 56 minutes, please list as 00:56:00).
Language: Please select one option (English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese). If it is any of languages listed and has subtitles, please indicate “Other (with subtitles)” meaning with English subtitles.
Budget: This is a non-judging element but we are interested in knowing the budget for which it was made. You may choose not to disclose it too. There is a low-budget category (B21) in the Entertainment section if you wish for judges to make a judgement based on that element as it often is tricky to create films with those limitations. (Under $700/minute.)
Approx Release Date: When was the entry completed? All entries must have been completed, aired or released within two years before the competition year entered. If you don’t know the exact date, just pick the first day of the month which you recall. A precise date is not needed (our web developers thought it might come in handy).
Enter as a campaign: If you have up to 5 videos that are part of a single campaign then select YES. These will be judged as a whole and must be all of the same style or topic. You will be able to enter up to 5 URLs for this kind of entry. There are a few campaign categories but the majority of entries are not a campaign.
URL Link: This is the location where your entry is found online. It is best to copy the URL and paste it in this field. You may host the entry on one spot from a variety of places such as Vimeo, YouTube, your own website, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. If you wish to password secure it, we have the following two fields to list the username and password. Please allow the link to be active until 10 weeks following the competition final deadline. Should the location change, please contact our offices right away to get the change made so it doesn’t interrupt the judging process. If the link becomes inactive and no contact is made with our offices, your entry fee will not be refunded.
URL Username: If you have an associated username to a protected URL, please list it just as it should be with upper and lower case-sensitivity as needed. Some companies create a special login for Aurora Awards or for competitions in general. (Some URLs require no login and this field may be left blank.)
URL Passcode: This is the code needed to review the entry, if it is protected. Some elect to list on Vimeo and YouTube with pass codes so only those with this code may review. (This field is not required if no pass codes are needed.)
ENTRY ACCESS
We allow you to select the visibility of the film or video at any time from the date you enter the work to the promotion we choose to create after the competition is finalized. You may only select one option. This allows you to either promote the entry (if it is chosen) to a greater extent or keep it restricted. Some corporations work in specialized and often top-secret fields which requires confidentiality and at The Aurora Awards we respect that. We also will complete a NDA, if requested.
If there are entries that are pre-release or a Director’s Cut*, please indicate in the comment field. List the future release date and if necessary, let us know if the entry access needs to be changed at a later date. Only those on the entry information profile page linked to this entry are authorized to update this by phoning our office. (*Please list the words “Director’s Cut” in the Entry Title if you plan to use this.)
PROMOTION INTENTIONS
The Aurora Awards is interested in knowing how we may develop extended services for promotion of the winning entries. We are planning our services and systems which would allow you to promote your work in more specific ways and to the right channels. You may select one or several options which best suit your needs.
TERMS OF USE
We request that you review our Entry Requirements and Value Standards as set forth on our ABOUT > ENTRY PROCESS page (links included on the form). You may not proceed without affirming that you meet both conditions prior to judging for this entry. Should a judge or Aurora Awards associate discover an entry which blatantly violates Requirements or Standards, the entry fee will be forfeited. Our judging team will make the final decision on any flagged entries and notify you.
ADD CATEGORIES PAGE
You may select up to 5 categories per entry title. There is an option to manually enter the codes in a box at the bottom of the page, if you already know them. If you don’t know the code you may find them by, first, selecting the main category for which the entry was created. When selected, the window will open up and you will be able to select the entry by selecting the plus button (+) next to the description. The button changes to a negative button (-) once it is selected and you may use these buttons to include or exclude categories. The categories selected will appear in the “Selected Categories” box above. If you feel uncertain about the categories and have already read the FAQs, please contact our office and we can assist you.
As a note, for each category you enter, a different combination of judges will review your entry. So when you enter several categories, more judges review and offer feedback to your entry. Our judges which have strengths in specific areas of filmmaking are matched to the entry category so a more accurate review of your entry is made.
When you have finished selecting your categories, you may choose the buttons SAVE & REVIEW or select NEXT ENTRY to take you directly to the form for the next entry. You can elect to add more entries at the ENTRY REVIEW page or even edit an entry you have already created.
When you have completed all entries and they look just as you would like, select the CHECKOUT button to take you to the payment portal. Note, after the CHECKOUT button is selected, you may not make changes to the entry/entries and they will be sent to the Aurora office. If you need to make small changes, please contact our office and we will make the changes needed. (Should you be interrupted while entering and after the entries are on your review page, you may still be able to retrieve them if your browser has not closed. Be sure to login if it has been over 24 hours and then proceed.)
If, after you have completed entry of a film or video, you wish to add another category to an already entered title or add another new entry, simply log in and create another entry order separate of the previous one. This may be done many times until the competition deadline. In the end all of your entries will receive one notification for all your entries from that year’s competition.
2022 Aurora Awards