Screen Nova Scotia Awards Gala

THE SCREEN NOVA SCOTIA AWARDS – 2024 ENTRIES ARE CLOSED

Submissions: To submit a film, television or animation production for consideration for the 2024 Screen Nova Scotia Awards Gala, please fill out the online entry form HERE. Nominees and winners will be selected by an independent jury comprised of respected members of the screen industry.

Best Feature Film
– Entrant (Producer, Director, or Production Company) is required to be a full SNS member to submit.
– Production must be at a minimum 20% owned by a Nova Scotia production company.
– Feature film must have aired between Jan 1, 2023, and Dec 31, 2023, as a festival screening, theatrical release, and/or on broadcast television.

Best Documentary Film
– Entrant (Producer, Director, or Production Company) is required to be a full SNS member to submit.
– Production must be at a minimum 20% owned by a Nova Scotia production company.
– Documentary must have aired between Jan 1, 2023, and Dec 31, 2023, as a festival screening, theatrical release, and/or on broadcast television.
– Minimum run time is 25 minutes.

Best Short Film: Category includes fiction, documentary, and animated shorts.
– Entrant (Producer, Director, or Production Company) is required to be a full SNS member to submit.
– Production must be at a minimum 20% owned by a Nova Scotia production company.
– Film must have aired between Jan 1, 2023, and Dec 31, 2023, as a festival screening or theatrical release.
– Maximum run time is 25 minutes.

Best TV Series – Scripted: Category is defined as a weekly series that is scripted.
– Entrant (Producer, Director, or Production Company) is required to be a full SNS member to submit.
– The submitted episode must have aired on broadcast television or a recognized online streaming platform (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.) between Jan 1, 2023, and Dec 31, 2023.
– Only one episode needs to be submitted for consideration.

Best TV Series – Doc/Factual: Category is defined as a weekly series that is factual or documentary.
– Entrant (Producer, Director, or Production Company) is required to be a full SNS member to submit.
– The submitted episode must have aired on broadcast television or a recognized online streaming platform (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.) between Jan 1, 2023, and Dec 31, 2023.
– Only one episode needs to be submitted for consideration.

Best Animated Production
– Note: this year we are expanding this category to include feature films as well as television/web series.
– Entrant (Producer, Director, Production Company, or Animation Studio) is required to be a full SNS member to submit.
– Content must be animated in Nova Scotia.
– Submitted content must have aired between Jan 1, 2023, and Dec 31, 2023, as a festival screening or theatrical release and/or on broadcast television and/or a recognized online streaming platform (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.) between Jan 1, 2023, and Dec 31, 2023.
– For television/web series, only one episode needs to be submitted for consideration.

If you would like to submit a production for awards consideration but are not yet a Screen Nova Scotia member, you can become one HERE. Please note that different membership levels have different benefits.

THE SCREEN NOVA SCOTIA AWARD FOR GROUNDBREAKING PERFORMANCE – 2024 ENTRIES ARE CLOSED

Presented by Screen Nova Scotia, this award shines a spotlight on an outstanding performance by a non-union performer in a film or television/web series. Although the screen industry is taking steps towards being more accessible and inclusive, we recognize that there are still barriers to entry, which include access to union and guild memberships. This award will provide an opportunity to recognize and celebrate our emerging, diverse Nova Scotia talent who are delivering powerful and outstanding performances but are not yet eligible for the ACTRA Maritimes awards.

Now in its third year, this award is open to all non-union performers who meet the below eligibility criteria and identify as diverse (this includes those who identify as Black; Indigenous; as a Person of Colour; as a LGBTQIA2S+ individual, or as a person with disabilities).

Voting Process: Award nominees and video clips will be listed online after the submission deadline and the winner will be selected by the industry/community via an accessible online voting process (open only to NS residents; one vote per valid email address). The winner will then be announced live during the Screen Nova Scotia Awards Gala. There will be a $500 cash prize for the award winner.

Eligibility Criteria: Please read the below information carefully before submitting.
– Performances for consideration must be from productions (feature film, short film, TV series, web series) that screened/aired between Jan 1, 2023, and Dec 31, 2023, as a festival screening, theatrical release, on broadcast television, and/or on a reputable nationally recognized streaming platform.
– The production must have been shot in Nova Scotia (although it is not required to be a Nova Scotia-owned production).
– The performer must be non-union and otherwise ineligible for the ACTRA Maritimes performance awards.

Please note: The ACTRA Maritimes Awards for Outstanding Performances are managed directly by ACTRA and are separate from the Screen Nova Scotia Awards. They are presented as part of our gala event (similar to the Women in Film and Television Atlantic Award for Best Director). For more info on the ACTRA awards, please click HERE.

Submissions: Please fill out the online entry form HERE to submit a groundbreaking performance. Please only submit one scene with a maximum length of five minutes.

The Groundbreaking Performance category is now closed. You can find more information about this year’s nominees and vote for them HERE.

NEW! THE SCREEN NOVA SCOTIA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SCREENWRITING – 2024 ENTRIES ARE CLOSED

Introduced in 2022, this award celebrates the outstanding achievements of our Nova Scotia crew in three categories: cinematography, editing, and screenwriting. Over a three-year cycle, this rotating award will shine a spotlight on professional cinematographers, editors and writers whose work in our province is inspiring and influential. In 2024, this award will honour Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting.

2022: Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography – winner Kevin Fraser
2023: Outstanding Achievement in Editing – winner Kimberlee McTaggart
2024: Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting – nominations now open!

Submissions: Please fill out the online entry form HERE. You can either nominate someone’s work you want to recognize, or submit a self-nomination. This award will act as a complement to the Film Crew Excellence Award (see below) with a goal to further highlight the incredible work being done by Nova Scotia’s world-class crew and craftspeople. Nominees and winners will be selected by an independent jury comprised of respected members of the screen industry.

Eligibility Criteria: Please read the below information carefully, as this award has different criteria than other categories.
– Writer (entrant/nominee) must be a Nova Scotia resident.
– The entrant must submit one production (feature film, short film, documentary film, episode of television series/web series). Only one submission per entrant.
– Submission must be in the form of a screener of the finished film/series’ episode.
– Submitted productions must have screened/aired during the past three years (Jan 1, 2021 – Dec 31, 2023) and must have been shot in Nova Scotia. This three-year window will allow for the cinematography and editing done this year to still be eligible in 2025 and 2026, as the award rotates through the three categories.

THE FILM CREW EXCELLENCE AWARD – 2024 ENTRIES ARE CLOSED

This award, now in its 12th year, was developed in partnership with the local unions and guilds and recognizes the outstanding work happening behind the camera in Nova Scotia’s screen industry. The professionalism, innovation, and ingenuity of the crews in Nova Scotia are a major contributor to the province’s film industry, and this award honours their contribution in maintaining Nova Scotia as one of Canada’s premier film destinations.

The Film Crew Excellence Award will recognize an individual crew person or team for outstanding creative enterprise within Nova Scotia’s screen-based industry. The 2023 Film Crew Excellence Award went to makeup artist Betty Belmore. A member of I.A.T.S.E Local 849 – and a previous BAFTA award-winner – Belmore has worked in the Nova Scotia film and television industry for over 35 years and has been a mentor to many. Belmore’s Head of Department credits include large-budget US service productions, as well as local features, TV series, and short films, including Mr. D, The Healer, Jesse Stone, and Haven.

Nominations for the 2024 Film Crew Excellence Award should include:
– The name(s), position(s) and contact information for the nominee(s). Nominees do not need to be union members.
– A description of their use of innovation and commitment to the Nova Scotia screen industry.
– Up to two supporting documents can be provided for jury review. Ideally, we would love to receive visual elements such as video clips and photos.

Please note: All nominations will be confidential and only the winner will be announced live at the awards gala. This will better allow for talented crew members to be nominated for jury review year-over-year. Nominations can be submitted via email to alex@screennovascotia.com. All nominations will be reviewed and deliberated by an independent jury of industry professionals.

THE COMMUNITY RECOGNITION AWARD – 2024 ENTRIES ARE CLOSED

In our industry, there’s no way we could do what we do without the contributions and long-term support of key community members who rise to the occasion at every opportunity. Introduced in 2017, the Community Recognition Award celebrates our connection to the communities we film in and the people who consistently make great things happen for Nova Scotia’s screen industry.

If you know someone (an individual or a team of people) in our community who has been a long-time industry supporter, nominate them for the Screen Nova Scotia Community Recognition Award! Nominations can be sent via email to alex@screennovascotia.com and should include:

— Name and contact info of nominee;
— A statement on their role in our community and why you are nominating them.

Please note: nominees for this award should be active supporters of the screen industry, but not directly involved in film and television production. The 2023 Community Recognition Award went to NS entertainment lawyer Rob Aske, Partner at Stewart McKelvey. Rob was nominated by several producers and directors for his work in the industry, helping both emerging and established filmmakers navigate the film business, regardless of project budget. For over 25 years, Aske has also generously volunteered his time and expertise while working with industry organisations/associations, including his countless hours dedicated to the Screen Nova Scotia Board of Directors, since 2015.

SPONSORSHIP/PARTNER OPPORTUNITIES 

This year’s show will continue the tradition of recognising the talent of our film community in Nova Scotia while celebrating a decade of Screen Nova Scotia’s biggest night, the annual Awards Gala. Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our generous partners and sponsors. Their financial support not only helps to produce a world-class event that celebrates and promotes our local content creators, crew, producers and performers but will also help ensure that Screen Nova Scotia can continue to fully support and advocate for our province’s screen industry. 

Interested in sponsoring the 2024 Awards Gala, the biggest night of celebration in the NS film industry? Reach out now for packages and rates: (902) 229-1499 or alex@screennovascotia.com.