AACTA has opened voting to determine nominees for the short-form and online categories.
This year there has been an amalgamation of the short-form AACTA Awards, with two new prizes in Best Short Form/Online Comedy and Best Short Form/Online Drama, in addition to the entertainment award. These awards will also now encompass short film; Best Short Film and Best Short Animation will not be presented this year.
Entries are available to watch via AACTA TV, with voting open to all academy members.
As IF has reported, this year AACTA has broadened the voting power of general members, and is staggering voting rounds per categories throughout the year. Documentary nominees have already been announced, and voting for the winner taken place. Film, television and technical craft award voting is still to come.
In line a desire to hear from younger audiences about the content they are enjoying, AACTA recently introduced a youth membership for people under 25. For $35, young members can view and vote on all short-form content.
“Short-form digital content, with its low technological and resource barriers, is the ultimate space for people to quickly develop their story telling and comedy skills and to find highly engaged audiences far exceeding traditional media. The diversity of styles, and of the creators themselves, speaks to the unmatched inclusivity of the medium and it means everyone, no matter their background, can find something that speaks directly to them and their own lived experience.
“Voting is open now, and in the spirit of this movement, open to all. With our new Youth tier of membership we encourage younger audiences to get involved, and let us know what they love and where they see screen entertainment heading,” said AACTA awards and industry development manager, Ivan Vukusic.
It is understood AACTA is considering a broader swathe of short form and online categories next year, in line with a review of feedback and industry consultation.
Round one voting nominees closes September 6, with nominees to be announced mid-September. Voting guidebooks are available for each award here: