CINE Competition Rules and Regulations
CINE Entry Divisions and Categories
Each entry must be entered in the category that best describes the production.
Select a Division that reflects your program's status as TELECAST or NON-TELECAST. In order to be considered TELECAST, the production must have already been telecast (by broadcast, cable or satellite), or be intended for telecast. After determining that you meet this qualification, then choose which division best suits the production: NON-FICTION, FICTION, NEWS, or ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION. Within the chosen division, select the category that seems most appropriate based on the content of the production.
The remaining Divisions are NON-TELECAST.
To be considered in this NEW MEDIA Division, the production must have been produced exclusively for a website and/or for mobile devices such as cell phones or mp3 players. Promotional tie-ins for telecast productions (commercials, featurettes, etc.) are eligible as long as they are intended solely for use on the Internet or mobile devices and are not telecast.
To be considered in this NON-FICTION Division, the program will have been produced by or for a business, educational, government, or non-profit entity or for school use.
To be considered in the INDEPENDENT (unaffiliated) Division, the production must not have been produced by or for a commercial studio, nor by or for a broadcast, business, educational, government, or non-profit entity. There is a reduced rate for this Division, but a budget figure must be attached to the entry.
If this is a STUDENT production, choose that Division. These shows may be entered at a reduced rate. A student is defined as one who is enrolled at an accredited high school, undergraduate, or graduate school, including such programs as AFI. A student is not required to be a film or video major, but must identify their school and year of study on the entry form. No student production can have been produced as a work for hire.
If you're not sure which is the most appropriate category, contact the CINE office for assistance. Enter each title only once. CINE reserves the right to reassign an entry to a category it deems more appropriate than the category requested on the entry form. If this involves a change of entry price, the entrant will be notified in advance.
Eligibility
To be eligible, a production must have been completed or originally aired in the 12 months prior to the final entry deadline.
Formats
Entries are accepted on NTSC DVD and will not be returned. DVD entries must adhere to professional production standards that will ensure compatibility and playback on standard consumer desktop DVD players. DVD RW discs have the lowest compatibility with consumer players and will not be accepted for judging by CINE. PAL DVD discs cannot be accepted by CINE and only DVDs that have Region 1 or No Region encoding can be submitted. It is the entrant's responsibility that the program that is entered can be easily identified on the DVD menu. If a DVD is found to be incompatible with available playback equipment, the entrant will be given the opportunity to submit a VHS tape of their production.
All entries must be submitted in NTSC format and will not be returned. Whenever possible, programs with non-English soundtracks should be submitted with subtitles. Otherwise, an accompanying English language script translation is required.
Compliance
The CINE entry form must be signed. This signature indicates acceptance of the requirements outlined herein and further stipulates that the person or organization entering the production in the competition has the authority to do so.
CINE is not responsible for notifying any parties other than the entrant, through its contact person, of entry status or of any questions or determinations regarding the entry. For winning programs to be exhibited at CINE events or other promotional and educational programs, however, specific rights may need to be provided and rights holders may need to be contacted. Please provide information on rights-holder(s) on the Entry Form.
DVD Shipment
DO NOT SEND any entry media until instructed. Approximately 30 days after the deadline, you will be requested to send a non-returnable copy of your entry to a Stage One Jury at a designated address, before a specified date. It is the entrant's responsibility to deliver the entry to the specified CINE jury on time. Late entries may be deferred to a later competition, or rejected if no longer eligible, and the entry fees forfeited. Do not submit any press materials or accompanying books, etc., with the entry form or to the jury. No media or written material submitted as part of the entry process will be returned.
Worldwide Entries
Entries to CINE's competition may be submitted from any source worldwide. All entry fees, tape transfers, duties and other applicable fees must be paid by the entrant prior to the production being judged. All entries, regardless of original format of production, must be submitted on NTSC DVD for judging. English voice-track is preferred, but programs may be sub-titled. If this is not available, an English translation script must be provided.
Competition Results
Every entry is judged. Each entrant will be notified of the competition results by mail at the completion of the entire judging process, which takes approximately four months.
