The Rundown on Awards Shows for Online Video

Awards Season is upon us, and for union members, it means screeners and lots of glossy mail. For viewers, it means lots of red carpet award shows on television. For the digital world, it means figuring out what awards shows are even out there.

There has been a dearth of known awards shows for new media, but over the last year, that has changed. So here is the rundown:

THE WEBBYS

VIBE: a tongue-in-cheek Academy Awards, lots of categories, lots of known faces

Judged by the approximately 750 invitation-only members of International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and industry-regarded associate members (also only by invite), the Webbys (arguably the most well-known of the internet-based awards) has been rewarding excellence in many fields of work on the internet since 1996 — including best website, copywriting, blog, podcasts, and also online video. The entry fee is steep at $275, the ticket price is also steep, and the nominees tend to lean towards more well-known entities (probably due in part to the price point). Their awards show is streamed online and is generally very well-run. They infamously enforce a five-word acceptance speech, kind of reminiscent of a more hilarious, tongue-in-cheek Academy Awards.

Early Entry Deadline is October 28, 2011. Enter HERE.

THE WRITERS GUILD AWARDS

VIBE: more laid back than the Academy Awards but only because writers are shy

Last year, the Writers Guild broke ground by adding two awards for new media in their prestigious annual awards ceremony: Outstanding Achievement in Writing Original New Media and Outstanding Achievement in Writing Derivative New Media. Each series can submit up to 5 different episode scripts. There are no submission fees. However, all submissions must be covered by a guild contract, and the credited writers must all be Writers Guild members. The new media awards are presented alongside television, radio and film awards.

The deadline for submissions is November 18, 2011. Enter HERE.

THE IAWTV AWARDS

VIBE: too early to say but expect more of an Independent Spirit Awards vibe

This newbie awards ceremony boasts 33 categories devoted to online video and is open to any online series which premiered from 2010-present. Judged by the members of the International Academy of Web Television, they offer a relatively low submission fee of $45 for members and $95 for non-members per 5 categories. The awards show itself will be held in January at the 2012 CES in Las Vegas (aka Consumer Electronics Show, a major annual technology trade show), which should hopefully result in a nice merger of technology and media. The young organization diversified itself and its voting community last year by opening membership to a broader group, which could potentially result in a high amount of independent representation in the nominations. Think Independent Spirit Awards.

Submissions are due October 31, 2011. Submit HERE.

THE STREAMY AWARDS

VIBE: they’re retooling but probably expect a more Golden Globes-ish vibe

Taking a short sabbatical after a controversial awards show in 2010, The Streamy Awards presented by Tubefilter announced a partnership with Dick Clark Productions in August. Dates and submission information have not yet been released for its planned 2012 show. But I’m thinking it’ll be more of a Golden Globes vibe. Lots of Dick Clark flash with online video pinache.

INDIE SOAP AWARDS

VIBE: community-based like the Screen Actors Guild Awards crossed with Daytime Emmys

Despite its name, The Indie Soap Awards presented by We Love Soaps celebrates both online drama and comedy. Obviously, the roots of the popular site are soaps, so there is a heavy presence of soap vets who are breaking ground in online video. Last year’s nicely produced award ceremony occurred February 21 in New York and was made available online shortly thereafter. In the previous two years, submissions were not open to public but instead emerged out of the coverage on We Love Soaps and a love for the “soap” community. Think more along the lines of the SAG Awards.

INDIE INTERTUBE AWARDS

VIBE: They make their own vibe.

Coming out of the popular podcast hosted by Destini and Shadhavar, Indie Intertube awarded shows in over 40 categories in January of last year in an informal live streaming event with accompanying chatroom. Submissions were not open to public. However, there was an Audience Choice Award. Dates for this year’s awards have not been announced, but the first year was a great deal of intimate, personal fun which is what the internet is about.

DAYTIME EMMYS

VIBE: it’s the Emmys!

Though not exclusively an online video awards show, the Daytime Emmys award a Special Class Award to short form online content in their June show presentation. Previous awards have gone to Imaginary Bitches and Venice. Both winners featured soap stars though the award is not necessarily soap-specific. Submission information has not been released yet on their 2012 ceremony.

DISCLOSURE: Daryn Strauss is a member of the Writers Guild of America, East, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and the International Academy of Web Television.