Submission Guidelines

Eligibility:

Feature-length documentaries, two-part documentaries, and short-form documentaries are eligible for nomination if first released commercially in the U.S. between January 1 and December 31, 2024. Documentaries may be delivered to audiences theatrically or by broadcast, cable, or online apps and services. Documentary series of three episodes or more are eligible for nomination if a majority of the episodes of the series’ eligible season have been released between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. Any documentary that premiered after November 1, 2023, that was not submitted in 2023 is eligible to submit in 2024.

Critics Choice Documentary Awards categories are:

• Best Documentary – Feature-length or two-part nonfiction films with contained narratives and/or reporting.

• Best Director – Directing of nonfiction features, two-part documentaries, nonfiction shorts, or documentary series. 

• Best New Documentary Filmmaker – First-time directing of a nonfiction feature.

• Best True Crime Documentary – Nonfiction features, two-part documentaries, nonfiction shorts, or documentary series that involves an investigation and/or chronicle of criminal activity and criminal allegations.

• Best Sports Documentary – Nonfiction features, two-part documentaries, nonfiction shorts, or documentary series about sporting events, athletes, and/or sportscasters.

• Best Political Documentary – Nonfiction features, two-part documentaries, nonfiction shorts, or documentary series focused on political subjects, including political issues, social issues, and persons involved in politics.  

• Best Music Documentary – Nonfiction features, two-part documentaries, nonfiction shorts, or documentary series involving music performers, musical performances, or the music industry. 

• Best Archival Documentary – Nonfiction features, two-part documentaries, nonfiction shorts, or documentary series in which most of the visual material is from previously shot footage produced for other use.

• Best Science/Nature Documentary – Nonfiction features, two-part documentaries, nonfiction shorts, or documentary series focused on science-related subjects, including technology, wildlife, nature, environmental issues, and histories of scientific innovation.

• Best Historical Documentary – Nonfiction features, two-part documentaries, nonfiction shorts, or documentary series chronicling the history of their subject. 

• Best Biographical Documentary – Nonfiction features, two-part documentaries, nonfiction shorts, or documentary series chronicling the life story of their subject. 

• Best Ongoing Documentary Series – Documentary series with more than one season.  Episodes of the series can cover different topics. 

• Best Limited Documentary Series – Documentary series with a single season or grouping of episodes with a unified story, overall show arc, or collective premise. Episodes of the series can cover different topics.

• Best Cinematography – Cinematography in a nonfiction feature, two-part documentary, nonfiction short, or documentary series.

• Best Editing – Editing of a nonfiction feature, two-part documentary, nonfiction short, or documentary series.

• Best Music Score – Original music scores composed for a nonfiction feature, two-part documentary, nonfiction short, or documentary series. 

• Best Narration – Writing and performing of voiceover narration for a nonfiction feature, two-part documentary, nonfiction short, or documentary series.

• Best Short Documentary – Nonfiction films with a running time of 40 minutes or less.

Category Submission Instructions:

One fee is required for each documentary submitted. Simply enter all the pertinent information for the documentary, pay the one submission fee for that title, and check off all the appropriate and eligible categories for our nominating committee’s consideration. Where applicable, please also provide credits to determine the proper names that are to receive the nomination in their respective category. In order to send FYC information to members, please contact Kymber Allen at [email protected].

Submission Materials:

Entrants will submit the following materials:

• Basic information about the Submitter and the Entry (including submitter contact info, entry title, production company, network, premiere date, etc.).

• A logline of up to 50 words that describes the submission. 

• Not required but suggested: An essay of up to 300 words regarding the submission, as a guide for judges. The essay may be used to call attention to factors that make the entry worthy of recognition.  It can address such points as the creative and production goals of the entry, techniques used to achieve these goals, any challenges that were met, and the impact of the work.  The essay will be seen by judges alongside the video.

• A representative photo.  For all entries, a promotional film still, with no text or logos.

• A video of the entire documentary. 

• • Video content must be in the same form as originally released, without enhancements.
  • All submitted features, shorts, and series must have premiered during the eligibility period of January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024. Any documentary that premiered after November 1, 2023, that was not submitted in 2023 is eligible to submit in 2024.

    
    Video requirements:
    Video: 1920×1080 progressive
    Codec: H.264
    Bit Rate: 6-8 MB
    Audio: AAC, stereo, 192-320kbps, 44-48 kHz
    MP4 format is preferred
    No timecodes
    No bars & tones
    No commercials, a few seconds of black is optional
    Slate is optional but preferred
    The file should be under 4GB
    File name must include: Film title, name of entrant if applicable, and category.
    

Entry Fee:

For all categories