19^th Annual VES Awards plans to honor this year’s finest visual effects work despite the impact and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations around the globe have had to adapt to the unique conditions of the global health crisis, and the VES is no exception. The VES awards will go forward!

Here is important information that will help submitters navigate the Awards:

• Until further notice, and for the 19th Annual VES Awards only, feature films that had a previously planned 2020 theatrical release may premier this year on a commercial streaming channel or VOD service instead and may thus qualify in the current VES Awards. However, submitted feature film projects, whether streaming or in theatrical release, must meet all other eligibility requirements of their respective VES Awards category. This rule applies to feature film projects only.

While submissions must still have been released during the 2020 calendar year to qualify, the timetable for the 19th Annual VES Awards has been extended to give submitters more time to prepare and submit their entries. The date that the VES Awards will be presented has been set for April 6, 2021. THIS DATE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. The VES will keep members informed via eblasts if the date changes.

Please pay close attention to the new schedule and be on the look-out for announcements in forthcoming eblasts.

Other changes to the Rules & Procedures are relatively minor.

The format of the Rules & Procedures (R&Ps) remain the same as last year, making them easy to find and access. All information is contained within any category’s “home” page including how to prepare an entry. The complete Rules & Procedures is available here.

Rules for Category 24 have been refined – Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project. The rules for other categories remain largely the same.

The cost of submission remains at US $460.00 per entry.

Only ONE submission per project is allowed in the General Categories (categories 1 through 8). If more than one facility wishes to make a submission for a given project in one of those categories, they must coordinate their submission through either the overall VFX Supervisor or overall VFX Producer to submit a joint entry. Only in broadcast or streaming categories may multiple submissions be allowed under limited circumstances.

Entrants are encouraged to submit optional PDFs of written supplemental material for posting to the View & Vote site.

Questions that arise after reviewing the R&PS can be addressed sent to: awards@visualeffectssociety.com,

Important Dates:

Period of Eligibility for Entries:

• January 1 through December 31, 2020

Submissions Open:

• October 5, 2020

Upload Viewing Materials:

• December 14, 2020 through January 16, 2021

Submission Deadline:

• January 16, 2021

Help mark the 19th year of honoring the best visual effects artistry in the world by submitting your best VFX work. The VES Awards banquet on April 6, 2021 – date subject to change.

Source: Visual Effect Society