Categories
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Arts & Entertainment
Comedy & Variety
+ -- A program or series including sketch comedy programs, stand-up comedy specials, talk or interview programs, awards shows, variety specials, television presentations of live or stage-based comedy and variety productions.
- Ineligible: Telethons and other variety shows where the intention is to raise money, content directly associated with promoting political campaigns, and scripted comedy series featuring a narrative structure that should be considered for Comedy Series: English or Comedy Series: Non-English Language categories.
Competition Series & Game Shows
+ -- A program or series that is a competition show with a winner and/or prize element. This includes in-studio game and quiz shows, any competition shows framed within lifestyle activities (i.e. cooking, home renovation, fashion, etc.), competitions shot in reality-style formats as well as talent competitions.
Docuseries
+ -- A program or series that explores real people, subjects, events, communities, professions, issues, or environments through factual, non-fiction storytelling. Examples may include a focus on professional activities, unique (non-artificial) living environments or subcultures.
- Ineligible: Unscripted programs created to follow personal lives and relationships for entertainment purposes.
- Ineligible: Any factual program with a competition or game element should be entered into the Competition Series & Game Shows category.
Lifestyle
+ -- A factual program or series that highlights lifestyle topics such as home renovation, interior design, food, garden, health, dating, fashion or travel.
- Ineligible: Any factual program with a competition or game element should be entered into the Competition Series & Game Shows category. Talk or interview shows should be entered into the Comedy & Variety category.
Reality Series
+ -- A program or series featuring personalities, relationships, lifestyles, or ongoing activities of its participants, presented through reality-based storytelling, , including celebreality, where characters are followed in a 'fly on the wall' manner. Programs may be purely observational or structured around a constructed premise or experience.
- Ineligible: Any factual program with a competition or game element should be entered into the Competition Series & Game Shows category.
Children & Youth
Animation: Children & Family (7+)
+ -- Animated programming or series intended for family co-viewing or general audiences ages 7 and up (typically rated TV-PG). At least 65% of total running time must consist of animated sequences (traditional, digital, 2D/3D, stop-motion, or motion graphics).
Animation: Preschool & Young Kids (2-6)
+ -- A children's program or series that targets preschool and young children ages 2 - 6. At least 65% of total running time must consist of animated sequences (traditional, digital, 2D/3D, stop-motion, or motion graphics).
Live Action: Children (up to 10)
+ -- A program or series that targets children up to the age of 10 where the depiction of characters and settings is primarily (more than 65%) in the form of live action. This can include both fiction and non-fiction programming.
Live Action: Youth (11-17)
+ -- A program or series that targets youth ages 11 - 17 where the depiction of characters and settings is primarily (more than 65%) in the form of live action. This can include both fiction and non-fiction programming.
Digital & Creator Media
*New* Podcasts & Vodcasts
+ -- A fiction/non-fiction program or series of digital audio or video files (podcasts and vodcasts) that users can download, stream, and listen to or watch.
*New* Short Form & Digital-First Series: Fiction
+ -- A scripted (drama or comedy) short form series with episodes less than 20 minutes in length, created for viewing on a major streaming platform or a widely used social media platform (Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, etc.)
- Episodic vertical/micro content must be stitched together to provide a minimum of two minutes of continuous content (max. four episodes).
- Ineligible: short clips from programs used for marketing/promotional purposes.
*New* Short Form & Digital-First Series: Non-Fiction
+ -- A non-fiction or factual short form series with episodes less than 20 minutes in length, created for viewing on a major streaming platform or a widely used social media platform (Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, etc.) Fact-based fiction should be entered into the Short-Form Fiction category.
- Episodic vertical/micro content must be stitched together to provide a minimum of two minutes of continuous content (max. four episodes).
- Ineligible: short clips from programs used for marketing/promotional purposes.
Documentary & Factual
Arts & Culture
+ -- A non-fiction documentary or factual program or series with themes and/or subject matter focusing on issues or trends that explore the arts, culture or creative industries, including musical acts or performers, dance, visual arts, circus or any mix of other art presentations.
- Note: Sketch and stand up comedy, talk or interview shows, variety programs, stage recordings and television adaptations of performing arts should be entered into the Comedy and Variety category.
Crime & Investigative
+ -- A non-fiction documentary or factual program or series with themes, stories, and/or subject matter dealing with crime and/or the investigative efforts thereof.
- Note: If submitting a crime and investigative program that is part of a strand, please identify the episode title and the date it first aired within the strand.
- Note: Crime shows primarily following a profession rather than actual criminal cases should be entered into the Docuseries category in the Arts & Entertainment stream
- Ineligible: Fully dramatized or scripted re-enactments that lack primary non-fiction elements (such as real-world observational footage, archival material, interviews, or factual narration).
History & Biography
+ -- A non-fiction documentary, factual program, or series that focuses primarily on historical subjects and biographies of historical figures.
- Note: For "living history" programming, entrants should consider entering other categories in the Documentary & Factual stream or Docuseries in the Arts & Entertainment stream.
- Ineligible: Fully dramatized or scripted re-enactments that lack primary non-fiction elements (such as real-world observational footage, archival material, interviews, or factual narration).
Social Issues & Current Affairs
+ -- A non-fiction documentary, factual program, or series exploring social issues, political topics, human rights, or current world affairs. Submissions may be standalone feature documentaries or episodes from an ongoing strand/anthology series.
- Note: If submitting a project that is part of a strand, please identify the project and the date it first aired within the strand.
- Ineligible: Standard daily news broadcasts and live event coverage, as well as fully dramatized or scripted re-enactments that lack primary non-fiction elements (such as real-world observational footage, archival material, interviews, or factual narration).
Sports Documentary
+ -- A non-fiction or factual program concerned with historical or modern day sports stories, as well as biographies or profiles of athletic figures (coaches, teams, leagues, etc.).
- Note: For reality-style sports programming or unscripted competition series involving sports elements, entrants should submit in the Arts & Entertainment categories that are most appropriate (Docuseries, Competition Series & Game Shows, etc.)
- Ineligible: Live sports events/game coverage and daily news coverage.
*New* Science & Nature
+ -- A non-fiction documentary, factual program, or series whose primary emphasis is to educate and explore science, popular science, natural history, wildlife, technology, medicine, environmental issues, and ecology.
- May include biographical programs on scientists, provided at least 50% of the program focuses on the work, research, and discoveries of the subject versus the subject’s personal history.
- Ineligible: Fully dramatized or scripted re-enactments that lack primary non-fiction elements (such as real-world observational footage, archival material, interviews, or factual narration).
Scripted
Best Use of Music in a Series
+ -- Awarding the music supervision of a single episode of a scripted comedy or drama, limited or anthology series, or TV movie.
- Entries will be judged based on how the original and catalog music creatively enriches the storyline, development and overall quality of the program.
Comedy Series: English Language
+ -- A continuing narrative meant for multiple seasons with recurring principal characters and a focus on comedic elements that have a minimum of six parts. Entries can include sitcoms and dramedies.
- Duration: 21-60 minutes of content per episode.
- Comedies presented in less than 6 parts should be submitted in the Limited & Anthology Series category.
- Ineligible: Sketch comedies, standup or parodies should be entered in the Comedy & Variety category.
Comedy Series: Non-English Language
+ -- A non-English language continuing narrative meant for multiple seasons with recurring principal characters and a focus on comedic elements that have a minimum of 6 parts. Entries can include sitcoms and dramedies.
- Duration: 21-60 minutes of content per episode.
- Comedies presented in less than 6 parts should be submitted in the Limited & Anthology Series category.
- Ineligible: Sketch and stand-up comedy and should be entered in the Comedy & Variety category.
Drama Series: English Language
+ -- A continuing narrative meant for multiple seasons with recurring principal characters and a focus on dramatic elements that has a minimum of 6 parts.
- Duration: 21-90 minutes of content per episode.
- Note: Drama series presented in fewer than 6 parts should be entered in the Limited & Anthology Series category.
Drama Series: Non-English Language
+ -- A non-English language continuing narrative meant for multiple seasons with recurring principal characters and a focus on dramatic elements that has a minimum of 6 episodes.
- Duration: 21-90 minutes of content per episode.
- Note: Drama series presented in fewer than 6 parts should be entered in the Limited & Anthology Series category.
Feature Length Film
+ -- A narrative fictional presentation that premiered on a streaming or television platform. Films that also had a limited theatrical run ahead of its intended platform release are eligible.
- Must have aired in one part and not divided into multiple episodes.
- Duration: Above 40 minutes.
Limited & Anthology Series
+ -- A narrative fictional presentation that tells a complete story in 2 to 12 episodes.
- May have some recurring elements and even casts of repertory players, but story arcs must be resolved within the season and not extend over subsequent seasons. Each new season must cover a completely new story with no knowledge of what happened in the previous season.
*New* Young Adult Series (14+)
+ -- A fictional (scripted comedy or drama) series targeting teenage and young adult audiences (ages 14 and up) focusing on coming-of-age themes, youth culture, and personal or societal issues relevant to adolescents and young adults.
- Ineligible: Programs targeted primarily at children aged 13 and under, or general adult scripted series where teen/YA characters are only secondary or supporting.
Talent
Best Performance in a Comedy
+ -- For a performer appearing as an established character or role in a scripted comedic series or limited/anthology series. Performers may be submitted for a recurring role; one-off or guest appearances are not eligible.
- Performers must enter into the same genre as their show if it is also a Rockie entry. Ex: If the show was entered in comedy series, all performers of that program must then enter the comedy series performance category.
- Ineligible: Sketch comedies, standup or parodies.
Best Performance in a Drama
+ -- For a performer appearing as an established character or role in a scripted dramatic series or limited/anthology series. Performers may be submitted for a recurring role; one-off or guest appearances are not eligible.
- Performers must enter into the same genre as their show if it is also a Rockie entry. Ex: If the show was entered in drama series, all performers of that program must then enter the drama series performance category.
