The Motion Picture Sound Editors shall annually present MPSE Golden Reel Awards for excellence in Sound Editing, including Dialogue Editing, ADR Editing, Sound Effects Editing, Sound Design, Music Editing, and Foley Artistry.

INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION

MPSE Career Achievement Award

The Board of Directors may, but shall not be required to, award the MPSE Career Achievement Award to a qualified member of the sound community.

MPSE Honorary Filmmaker Award

The Board of Directors may, but shall not be required to, award the MPSE Honorary Filmmaker’s Award to qualified members of the Filmmaking community.

GENERAL RULES

The following rules shall apply to all categories except for the Verna Fields Student Award:

To be eligible for nomination in any category, entry paperwork must be submitted, fully completed, and received by the date and time specified in the awards calendar.

Music cue sheets and summaries must be supplied with the submission form by the Lead or Supervising Music editor for all Music Editorial categories.

An explanation of the editorial work (supervisor summary) may be supplied and is highly encouraged on the submission form by the Lead or Supervising editor(s) for all Sound Editorial categories.

Additional supporting documents, including but not limited to, spotting notes, screenshots, etc. are strongly-recommended. All supporting documentation will be reviewed and considered.

It is strongly-recommended that all entries submit a poster, title card, or other promotional still with their submission to be displayed on the ballot.

All entries shall be eligible only in the form in which they are initially released in the United States of America.
A theatrical Feature film is defined as any film that had a theatrical paid release of a minimum of seven (7) consecutive days, in the United States during the eligibility period. In the event of release to both theatrical and streaming platform(s), the submitted title will be considered theatrical if it satisfies the minimum theatrical run. Festivals and private screenings do not qualify as theatrical releases, but participation in festivals and private screenings do not prevent qualification.
Minimum number of nominees per category will be determined by the number of qualified submissions in said category.
a.) In categories where there are twenty-five (25) or fewer qualified submissions, there will always be a minimum of three (3) nominees in a category.
b.) In categories where there are twenty-six (26) or more qualified submissions, there will always be a minimum of four (4) nominees in a category..
c.) If there are fewer than three (3) submissions in a particular category, those entries shall be carried over to the following year.

A Membership Nomination Voting Round will be held for all categories. In all categories, the number of nominations determined by membership nomination vote shall not exceed five (5) nor be less than the minimums as described in General Rules, item 4, above. One additional nomination slot will be reserved for chair recommendations, but is not guaranteed.

This voting round will be available to all levels of members of the MPSE who have voting privileges. Only entries that have completed submissions will populate the ballot. Incomplete submissions will result in the disqualification of that entry from the nominating process.

a.) Submissions that receive enough votes in this round to place them in the 90th percentile (top 10%) of all submissions in the category will automatically be moved into available nomination slots provided that the total number of titles promoted does not exceed the maximum of 5 membership nominees.

b.) Should the number of submissions in the 90th percentile exceed the maximum number of nominations, percentile calculations will increase by one (1) (eg. 91th, 92th, 93rd, etc.) until the minimum number of submissions is achieved. If a single percentage increase results in a number of qualifying nominees in excess of the maximum allowed, the lowest ranked submissions within that percentile will be eliminated.

c.) Should the number of submissions in the 90th percentile fall short of the minimum number of nominees as per General Rules, item 3, percentile calculations will decrease by one (1) (eg. 89th, 88th, 87th, etc.) until the minimum number of submissions is achieved. If a single percentage drop results in a number of qualifying nominees in excess of the maximum allowed, the lowest ranked submissions within that percentile will be eliminated.

d.) In the unlikely event of a tie that pushes the number of nominees in a particular category over the maximum number of allowed nominees, the panel chair reserves the right to recommend nominating one, all, or none of the tied titles to the Board of Directors. This recommendation will be subject to approval by the Board of Directors through majority vote.

Chair Recommendations - Panel Chairs, having reviewed their category's submissions and supporting documentation, will have the option to suggest the promotion of no more than one (1) submission that exhibits exemplary demonstration of the craft in question that did not receive qualifying votes to place as a nominee in their category via the Membership Nomination Voting Round.

For a title to be considered for Chair Recommendation, the title must have completed an awards entry submission and have been present on the Membership Nomination Voting Round ballot.

Panel Chairs must submit a ranked Chair Recommendation list of a maximum of six (6) titles for their category prior to the nomination vetting meeting. Failure to submit this Chair Recommendation list will forfeit the Panel Chair's ability to make a Chair Recommendation.

All co-chairs must agree on the Chair Recommendation list and support the Panel Chair in making a clear argument to the Board of Directors to justify the promotion of the Chair Recommendation.

If any Board members or officers have a working contribution to any Chair Recommendation, they must identify that fact and excuse themselves from the vote and leave the meeting until after the vote is taken. The vote must then be tabulated by secret ballot.

The Board of Directors will consider the Chair Recommendation and vote to promote the recommendation to nominee status. A majority vote from the Board of Directors will be necessary to promote the Chair Recommendation to the field of nominees.

Ballots shall always be counted by an independent arbitrator.
The Sound Supervisor(s) or Lead Music Editor shall be notified of their nomination by the MPSE Awards office, Rules Committee, or Category Chairs. This person shall submit an entry form listing the qualifying crew with the correct spelling of each name. This list will be used in all printed materials created for the awards.
The MPSE reserves the right to disqualify any nomination or award determined to be ineligible within one year of the Golden Reel Awards presentation. In the event that an award is revoked, the remaining eligible nominee with the highest number of votes will receive the award.
A maximum of five (5) trophies can be awarded per winning title at the Golden Reel Awards ceremony. These five crew members are determined by the Supervising or Lead crew member during nomination. For winning crews that exceed five (5) editors, additional trophies may be purchased.
Should the submitter wish to contest qualifying crew size, they may submit a request to the MPSE office for exception to be considered by the Board.
A single entry cannot be submitted for consideration of the same discipline in multiple categories. i.e. a Foreign Language Feature Documentary may be submitted in Foreign Language Feature or Feature Documentary, but not both categories as both categories consider the same disciplines of sound editorial. This applies to all categories.
Advertisements, trailers, promos, or other branded content in which the primary goal is to promote or raise awareness of a brand or product is not eligible and will not qualify for any award categories.
Localization work will not be considered for any awards category, including but not limited to English dubs of Foreign language content.
After vetting submissions, the MPSE reserves the right to hold submissions that have been submitted to the incorrect category for further review. In these circumstances, the MPSE will contact the submitter to discuss further options. Final decisions will be determined by the President of the MPSE and the Golden Reel Awards Rules Committee.
The Board of Directors shall set deadlines for receipt of entries. These deadlines shall be printed on all entry forms and shall be absolute.

Nomination Process

A Membership Nomination Ballot will be digitally distributed (via email) to all voting MPSE members.
A properly completed entry form is required for all submissions. Incomplete submissions will result in the disqualification of that entry from the nominating process and will not be considered for Chair Recommendations.

The nominating ballot will contain a list of all qualified submissions that have completed entry by the deadline.
For nomination consideration, the voting MPSE membership will consider the sound editorial work presented from sections indicated by the submitter in their submission paperwork.
The voting MPSE membership and Panel Chairs will determine, by electronic ballot, the nominations congruent with the General Rules.
Crews will not be eliminated due to more than one nomination.

Blue Ribbon Panel Voting Process

There shall be at least one Chairperson for each panel.
Panel Chairpersons shall be determined by the President of the MPSE and the Golden Reel Awards Rules subcommittee.
Chairpersons are responsible for contacting the supervising or lead sound / music editing crew member of their nominations. This contact will be responsible for all crew information including but not limited to the spelling and credit of all names as they shall appear on such items as announcements, certificates, program books, and trophies.
All categories shall have a minimum of ten (10) panelists.

Conflict of Interest - If a panel member worked on a title nominated for consideration in the category they are judging, they will be removed from the panel in question.
Qualifying judges for the Blue Ribbon Panel - Chairpersons shall fill the Blue Ribbon Panel with Active, Associate, Honorary, Lifetime, and Retired MPSE members. Upon having any vacancies on their panel, the balance of the panel shall be filled with qualified sound editors, music editors, sound designers, Foley Artists. If there are still vacancies, the Chair may approve, on a case-by-case basis, other qualified professionals who work in post-production.
Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.
All panelists shall attend screenings or view physical or digital screeners provided by the submitters in an equal arena where possible.
Screenings should occur during the Blue Ribbon judging period.
All paperwork submitted will be considered by the panel.
Digital ballots shall be tabulated using the Award Force platform.

Eligibility Period

All submissions for the 72nd Annual Golden Reel Awards must have had their initial US domestic release between 01/01/2024 - 12/31/2024.

Screening Copies

No-cost access to final, commercially-released, screening copies of all submitted titles for our Blue Ribbon panelists is mandatory for all nominees. This may be accomplished through digital upload to the awards platform (preferred) or via existing distribution methods including streaming platforms, FYC portals, physical screeners (DVD / BluRay), scheduled theatrical FYC screenings, or reimbursement to commercial theatrical screenings. All screening copies of nominated titles must be received by the MPSE prior to the start of Blue Ribbon Panel Voting. If a nominated title fails to provide this access to panel judges, the nomination will be disqualified.

Screening Sections

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound / music editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the nomination screening section considered will start from the beginning of the title.

Specifics of the nomination screening section(s) will be defined in each individual category’s rules.

SOUND EDITORIAL RULES

For the consideration of outstanding dialog, adr, sound effects, and Foley editorial, titles will submit under the Sound Editorial categories.

An explanation of the editorial work (supervisor summary) may be supplied and is highly encouraged on the submission form by the Supervising editor(s) for all Sound Editorial categories.

To determine the appropriate category for a Broadcast Long Form or Broadcast Short Form submission, the average total run time shall be calculated by dividing the sum of the total run time of all episodes released to date within the same season by the total number of episodes released in the same season.

Submissions with a season average run time less than or equal to forty minutes
(≤ 40:00:00) must be submitted in Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Broadcast Short Form
Submissions with a season average run time greater than forty minutes (> 40:00:00) must be submitted in the appropriate Broadcast Long Form category.
1. Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Broadcast Long Form – Dialogue/ADR
2. Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Broadcast Long Form – Effects/Foley

This applies to all submissions regardless of an individual episode’s length.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Broadcast Animation

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound editing for an animated short form project in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Broadcast Animation.

For this category sound editing is defined as the editing of the Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR, either English Language or Foreign Language. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of all of these disciplines for each eligible submission.

The GRA Rules committee will decide which submissions qualify as animated on a case-by-case basis. Among the factors that may be considered are the following:

● Whether the sound editing follows the process of sound editing in traditional animation, including the pre-recording and editing of dialogue before the picture is shot.

● In the cases of mixed media (live-action and animation), whether more than 50% of the frames in the submission have animation.

● Whether the animation is intended to be perceived by the audiences as ‘realistic’ or not.

Only one (1) episode per series may be submitted per sound team. Additional episodes may be considered provided that they have a different Supervising Sound Editor and more than 50% of the crew are different.

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to ten minutes (10:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first ten (10:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

RUNNING TIME REQUIREMENT - ≤ 40:00:00

If your project’s running time exceeds 40 minutes, please see the rules for Non-Theatrical Animation.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall only be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Supervising Dialogue Editors, Supervising ADR Editors, Dialogue Editors, ADR Editors, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists, and Sound Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Broadcast Long Form - Dialogue / ADR

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary dialogue and ADR editing for an episodic long form project in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Broadcast Long Form - Dialogue/ADR.

For this category, sound editing is defined as the editing of Dialogue and ADR. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of these disciplines for each eligible submission.

Broadcast Long Form is considered any program that has five (5) or more episodes which broadcast recurrently. This includes Limited Series, Anthology Series, Made-For-Television Movies, Mini-Series, and Specials.

Only one (1) episode per series may be submitted per sound team. Additional episodes may be considered provided that they have a different Supervising Sound Editor and more than 50% of the crew are different.

RUNNING TIME REQUIREMENT - Season average run time is > 40:00:00

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to ten minutes (10:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first ten (10:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall only be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Supervising Sound Editors, Supervising Dialogue Editors, Supervising ADR Editors, Dialogue Editors, and ADR Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Broadcast Long Form – Effects/Foley

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound effects and Foley editing for an episodic long form project in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Broadcast Long Form - Effects/Foley.

For this category, sound editing is defined as the editing of Sound Effects and Foley. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of these disciplines for each eligible submission.

Broadcast Long Form is considered any program that has five (5) or more episodes which broadcast recurrently. This includes Limited Series, Anthology Series, Mini-Series, and Specials.

Only one (1) episode per series may be submitted per sound team. Additional episodes may be considered provided that they have a different Supervising Sound Editor and more than 50% of the crew are different.

RUNNING TIME REQUIREMENT - Season average run time is > 40:00:00

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to ten minutes (10:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first ten (10:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall only be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists, and Sound Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Broadcast Short Form

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound editing for a live-action project in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Broadcast Short Form.

For this category, sound editing is defined as the editing of ADR, Dialogue, Foley, and Sound Effects. Judging for this award shall consider the quality of all these disciplines for each eligible submission.

Broadcast Short Form is considered any program that has five (5) or more episodes which broadcast recurrently. This includes Limited and Anthology Series.

Only one (1) episode per series may be submitted per sound team. Additional episodes may be considered provided that they have a different Supervising Sound Editor and more than 50% of the crew are different.

RUNNING TIME REQUIREMENT - Season average run time is ≤ 40:00. The submitted episode for awards consideration in this category cannot exceed 48 minutes in length. IF the desired episode for submission exceeds 48 minutes in length, the submitter has the option to submit in the Broadcast Long Form categories.

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to five minutes (5:00) from no more than two (2) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first five (5:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

The following crew positions on the winning production are eligible to receive MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies: Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Supervising Dialogue Editors, Supervising ADR Editors, Dialogue Editors, ADR Editors, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists, and Sound Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Feature Animation

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound editing for animated feature films, as defined in General Rule #3, in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Feature Animation.

For this category sound editing is defined as the editing of the Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR, either English Language or Foreign Language. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of all of these disciplines for each eligible film.

The Board will decide which films qualify as animated on a case-by-case basis. Among the factors that may be considered are the following:

● Whether the sound editing follows the process of sound editing in traditional animation, including the pre-recording and editing of dialogue before the picture is shot.

● In the cases of mixed media (live-action and animation), whether more than 50% of the frames in the film have animation.

● Whether the animation is intended to be perceived by the audiences as ‘realistic’ or not.

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to fifteen minutes (15:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first fifteen (15:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall only be presented to the following positions on the winning production in this category: Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Supervising Dialogue Editors, Supervising ADR Editors, Dialogue Editors, ADR Editors, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists, and Sound Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the temp mix or mix changes can be eligible at the discretion of the supervisor.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Feature Documentary

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound editing for documentary feature films, as defined in General Rule #3, in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Feature Documentary.

For this category, sound editing is defined as the editing of Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of all of these disciplines for each eligible film.

A Documentary Feature is defined as a theatrically released, non-fiction motion picture, with an informative, cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, biographical or other subject matter. Game Show, Reality and Reality Competition subject matter are not eligible.

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to fifteen minutes (15:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first fifteen (15:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall only be presented to the following positions on the winning production in this category: Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Supervising Dialogue Editors, Supervising ADR Editors, Dialogue Editors, ADR Editors, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists, and Sound Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the temp mix or mix changes can be eligible at the discretion of the supervisor.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Feature International

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound editing for foreign language feature films, as defined in General Rule #3, in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Feature International.

For this category, sound editing is defined as the editing of Dialogue, ADR, Sound Effects, & Foley. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of all of these disciplines for each eligible film.

For a film to qualify as an International Feature, it must:

1.) Have been released for a minimum of 7 days theatrically in the United States of America.
2.) Be live action.
3.) Have been released theatrically or streamed in a foreign territory simultaneously or up to twelve (12) months prior to its theatrical release in the United States.
4.) At least sixty percent (60%) of the spoken dialogue is not in English.

For those films in which multiple languages are used, the International Feature chairs and the Board of Directors shall make determinations on a case-by-case basis of the location of the major portion of the sound editing and thereby the classification of the film as “Feature International” or “Feature Motion Picture” taking into account, but not limited to, such factors as supervision, creative input, amount of editing hours, etc.

SCREENING SECTIONS-

Submitters may indicate on their submission paperwork up to three (3) sections not to exceed a total of fifteen minutes (15:00) to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first fifteen (15:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall only be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Supervising Dialogue Editors, Supervising ADR Editors, Dialogue Editors, ADR Editors, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists and Sound Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the temp mix or mix changes can be eligible at the discretion of the supervisor.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Feature Motion Picture – Dialogue/ADR

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary Dialogue and ADR editing for feature films, as defined in General Rule #3, in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Feature Motion Picture - Dialogue/ADR.

For this category, sound editing is defined as the editing of Dialogue and ADR. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of all of these disciplines for each eligible film.

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to fifteen minutes (15:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first fifteen minutes (15:00) will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall only be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Supervising Sound Editors, Supervising Dialogue Editors, Supervising ADR Editors, Dialogue, and ADR Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the temp mix or mix changes can be eligible at the discretion of the supervisor or lead music editor.

If an editor has worked in both categories, Dialogue/ADR, as well as Sound Effects/Foley, the Supervising Sound Editor may place that editor(s) into both award categories.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Feature Motion Picture - Effects/Foley

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound effects and Foley editing for feature films, as defined in General Rule #3, in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Feature Motion Picture - Effects/Foley.

For this category, sound editing is defined as the editing of Sound Effects and Foley. Judging for this award shall consider the quality of only these disciplines for each eligible film.

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to fifteen minutes (15:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first fifteen (15:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall only be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists and Sound Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the temp mix or mix changes can be eligible at the discretion of the supervisor or lead music editor.

If an editor has worked in both categories, Dialogue/ADR, as well as Sound Effects/Foley, the Supervising Sound Editor may place that editor(s) into both award categories.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Non-Theatrical Animation

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound editing for a non-theatrical animated long form project in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Non-Theatrical Animation.

For this category sound editing is defined as the editing of the Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR, either English Language or Foreign Language. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of all of these disciplines for each eligible film.

The Board will decide which submissions qualify as animated on a case-by-case basis. Among the factors that may be considered are the following:

● Whether the sound editing follows the process of sound editing in traditional animation, including the pre-recording and editing of dialogue before the picture is shot.

● In the cases of mixed media (live-action and animation), whether more than 50% of the frames in the submission have animation.

● Whether the animation is intended to be perceived by the audiences as ‘realistic’ or not.

Non-Theatrical Animation is considered any Animated program, either episodic or single presentation, running forty (40) minutes or more in length, which has not been released theatrically.

RUNNING TIME REQUIREMENT - > 40:00:00

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to fifteen minutes (15:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first fifteen (15:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall only be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Supervising Dialogue Editors, Supervising ADR Editors, Dialogue Editors, ADR Editors, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists, Sound Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the temp mix or mix changes can be eligible at the discretion of the supervisor.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Non-Theatrical Documentary

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound editing for a non-theatrically released documentary project in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Non-Theatrical Documentary.

For this category, sound editing is defined as the editing of Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of all of these disciplines for each eligible film.

Non-Theatrical Documentary is considered any Documentary program, either episodic or single presentation, running 40 minutes or more in length, which has not been released theatrically in the United States and is not being submitted in any other broadcast category.

Only one (1) episode per series may be submitted per sound team. Additional episodes may be considered provided that they have a different Supervising Sound Editor and more than 50% of the crew are different.

RUNNING TIME REQUIREMENT - ≥ 40:00:00

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to fifteen minutes (15:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first fifteen (15:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall only be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Supervising Dialogue Editors, Supervising ADR Editors, Dialogue Editors, ADR Editors, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists, Sound Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the temp mix or mix changes can be eligible at the discretion of the supervisor.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Non-Theatrical Feature

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound editing for a non-theatrically released feature film in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Non-Theatrical Feature.

For this category, sound editing is defined as the editing of Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of all of these disciplines for each eligible film.

A Non-Theatrical Feature is considered any program, running 40 minutes or more in length, that has been released in the United States, not theatrically, and is not being submitted in another Sound Editorial category. This includes Made-for-Television Movies and Specials.

Non-English language films running 40 minutes or more in length, that have been released in the United States, not theatrically, and are not being submitted in another Sound Editorial category, are eligible for Non-Theatrical Feature. Localization versions of submissions are not eligible. Subtitles do not count as localization.

RUNNING TIME REQUIREMENT - ≥ 40:00:00

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to fifteen minutes (15:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first fifteen minutes (15:00) will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Supervising Dialogue Editors, Supervising ADR Editors, Dialogue Editors, ADR Editors, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists, and Sound Editors.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the temp mix or mix changes can be eligible at the discretion of the supervisor.

MUSIC EDITORIAL RULES

For the consideration of outstanding music editorial, titles will submit under the Music Editorial categories.

Music cue sheets and summaries must be supplied on the submission form by the Lead or Supervising Music editor for all Music Editorial categories.

To determine the appropriate category for a Long Form or Short Form submission, the average total run time should be calculated by dividing the sum of the total run time of all episodes released to date within the same season by the total number of episodes released in the same season.

Submissions with a season average run time equal to or lesser than forty minutes
(≤ 40:00:00) must be submitted in Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing - Short Form
Submissions with a season average run time greater than forty minutes (> 40:00:00) must be submitted in Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Long Form – Music

This applies to all submissions regardless of an individual episode’s length.

Outstanding Achievement In Music Editing
Broadcast Long Form

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary music editing for an episodic long form project in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing - Broadcast Long Form.

This category encompasses all music editing including production vocals. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of this discipline for each eligible submission.

Broadcast Long Form is considered any program that has five (5) or more episodes which broadcast recurrently. This includes Limited Series, Anthology Series, Made-For-Television Movies, Mini-Series, and Specials.

Any entry in the Music categories that does not submit a complete application for submission, including cue sheets, and an explanation justifying the exemplary nature of the music editors' work, will not be considered for an award.

Only one (1) episode per series may be submitted per music team. Additional episodes may be considered provided that they have a different Lead Music Editor and more than 50% of the crew are different.

RUNNING TIME REQUIREMENT - Season average run time is > 40:00:00

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to ten minutes (10:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first ten (10:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Lead Music Editors, Music Editors, and Scoring Editors.

The Lead Music Editor may petition for additional crew titles to be included.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary music editing crew.

Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing
Broadcast Short Form

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary music editing for a live-action project in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing - Broadcast Short Form.

This category encompasses all music editing including production vocals. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of this discipline for each eligible submission.

Broadcast Short Form is considered any program that has five (5) or more episodes which broadcast recurrently. This includes Limited and Anthology Series.

Any entry in the Music categories that does not submit a complete application for submission, including cue sheets, and an explanation justifying the exemplary nature of the music editors' work, will not be considered for an award.

Only one (1) episode per series may be submitted per music team. Additional episodes may be considered provided that they have a different Lead Music Editor and more than 50% of the crew are different.

RUNNING TIME REQUIREMENT - Season average run time is ≤ 40:00:00. The submitted episode for awards consideration in this category cannot exceed 48 minutes in length. IF the desired episode for submission exceeds 48 minutes in length, the submitter has the option to submit in the Broadcast Long Form categories.

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to five minutes (5:00) from no more than two (2) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first five (5:00) minutes will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Lead Music Editors, Music Editors, and Scoring Editors.

The Lead Music Editor may petition for additional crew titles to be included.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary music editing crew.

Outstanding Achievement In Music Editing
Documentary

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary music editing for a documentary project in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing - Documentary.

This category encompasses all music editing including production vocals. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of this discipline for each eligible submission.

For this category, Documentary is considered any documentary program, either episodic, single presentation, or theatrical release.

Any entry in the Music categories that does not submit a complete application for submission, including cue sheets, and an explanation justifying the exemplary nature of the music editors' work, will not be considered for an award.

Only one (1) episode per series may be submitted. Additional episodes may be considered provided that more than 50% of the crew are different.

RUNNING TIME REQUIREMENT - > 40:00:00

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to fifteen minutes (15:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first fifteen minutes (15:00) will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Lead Music Editors, Music Editors, and Scoring Editors.

The Lead Music Editor may petition for additional crew titles to be included.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary music editing crew. Music editors who worked on the temp mix or mix changes can be eligible at the discretion of the lead music editor.

Outstanding Achievement In Music Editing
Feature Motion Picture

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary music editing for Theatrically-released feature films, in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing - Feature Motion Picture.

Music editing for this category refers to working with newly composed original instrumental score, and / or songs in the instance of visual sync musicals.

Music-oriented documentaries are not considered in this category and should be submitted in the Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing - Documentary category.

Any entry in the Music categories that does not submit a complete application for submission, including cue sheets, and an explanation justifying the exemplary nature of the music editors' work, will not be considered for an award.

A total of at least thirty (30) minutes of music must be present in the released version for any submission. Music cue sheets must be provided to demonstrate this requirement in addition to the statement from the supervising or lead music editor.

SCREENING REQUIREMENTS -

For nomination consideration, submitters may indicate in their submission paperwork up to fifteen minutes (15:00) from no more than three (3) sections to demonstrate the outstanding achievement in sound editorial. If no times are indicated in the submission paperwork, the first fifteen minutes (15:00) will be considered.

Nominated titles will be judged in their entirety for award consideration.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies shall be presented to the following positions on the winning production: Lead Music Editors, Music Editors, and Scoring Editors.

The Lead Music Editor may petition for additional crew titles to be included.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary music editing crew. Editors who worked on the temp mix or mix changes can be eligible at the discretion of the supervisor or lead music editor.

GAME AUDIO RULES

For the consideration of outstanding sound or music editorial in a game project, titles will submit under the Game Audio categories.

For the purposes of these categories, Game Audio is considered any interactive experience that utilizes a game engine for synchronized playback of sound.

An explanation of the editorial work (supervisor summary) must be supplied on the submission form by the Audio Lead, Audio Director, or equivalent for all Game Audio categories.

Eligibility clause: The title must be released within the eligibility period. Any Downloadable Content or Seasonal updates released within the same eligibility year as the original title can be considered as part of said title’s submission for award purposes.

Downloadable Content updates and Seasonal updates released outside of the eligibility year of the original title will not qualify as a new release, and therefore not be eligible for awards consideration.

All titles are subject to the eligibility as stated in article 2 in the General Rules.

A maximum of five (5) trophies can be awarded per winning title at the Golden Reel Awards ceremony. These five crew members are determined by the Supervising or Lead crew member during nomination. For winning crews that exceed five (5) editors, additional trophies may be purchased.

Eligibility Period

All submissions for the 72nd Annual Golden Reel Awards must have had their initial US domestic release between 01/01/2023 - 12/31/2023.

Nominating Process

A Membership Nomination Ballot will be distributed to all voting MPSE members.
A properly completed entry form is required for all submissions. Incomplete submissions may result in the disqualification of that entry from the nominating process and will not be considered for Chair Recommendations.
The nominating ballot will contain a list of all submissions that have completed entry by the deadline.

For nomination consideration, the Active MPSE membership will consider the sound editorial work presented in one video, fifteen minutes in length (15:00), from game capture of no more than five (5) segments, that exemplifies the outstanding sound editorial work in each category’s discipline (dialog/ADR, sound effects / sound design / Foley, and Music).

All pertinent aspects of the game should be represented, including but not limited to gameplay, UI, linear cinematics, or non-gameplay segments. If linear cinematics or other non-gameplay sections are part of your submission, at least one cinematic or non-gameplay section must be included in its entirety, but must not exceed 50% of the total duration of the game capture video.

All content for consideration must live permanently within the confines of the game after its initial release in order to be eligible.

Any linear cinematic distributed in its entirety prior to the game's release is ineligible for consideration as this would be considered branded content by the MPSE and be in violation of the general rules prohibiting the same.
The voting MPSE membership and Panel Chairs will determine, by ballot, the nominations congruent with the General Rules.
Crews will not be eliminated due to more than one nomination.

Blue Ribbon Panel Voting Process

There shall be at least one Chairperson for each panel.
Panel Chairpersons shall be determined by the President of the MPSE and the Golden Reel Awards Rules subcommittee.
Chairpersons are responsible for contacting the Audio Lead, Audio Director or equivalent of their nominations. This contact will be responsible for all crew information including but not limited to the spelling and credit of all names as they shall appear on such items as announcements, certificates, program books, and trophies.
All Gaming categories shall have a minimum of ten (10) panelists.

Conflict of Interest - If a panel member worked on a title nominated for consideration in the category they are judging, they will be removed from the panel in question.
Qualifying judges for the Blue Ribbon Panel - Chairpersons shall fill the Blue Ribbon Panel with Active, Honorary, and Retired MPSE members. Upon having any vacancies on their panel, the balance of the panel shall be filled with qualified sound editors, music editors, sound designers, Foley Artists. If there are still vacancies, the Chair may approve, on a case-by-case basis, other qualified professionals who work in post-production.
For awards consideration, the Blue Ribbon Panel will consider the sound editorial work from the submitted game clips.
All paperwork submitted will be considered by the panel.
Digital ballots shall be tabulated using the Award Force platform.

Screening Copies

Screening copies are required for all Gaming submissions.

The preferred format of screening copies for Gaming categories is digital upload to the judging platform, or other secure streaming platform such as Vimeo or YouTube.

For titles released ahead of the submission deadline the MPSE office must receive screening copies by the submission deadline or the submission will not be considered for nomination.

For titles released after the submission deadline but before the end of the eligibility period, submitters must contact the office to make arrangements to provide the screening copies in a timely fashion.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Game Audio - Dialogue

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary dialogue editing for Game Audio in a single category, designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Game Audio - Dialogue.

For this category sound editing is defined as the editing of Dialogue and ADR. Judging for the award shall only consider the quality of this discipline for each eligible entry.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

Positions eligible for MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies in this category include: Audio Director, Senior Audio Artist, Audio Artist, Junior Audio Artist, Dialogue Director, Dialogue Designer, Sound Implementer, Audio Programmer, Technical Sound Designer, Supervising Dialogue Editors, and Dialogue Editors

The Audio Lead, Audio Director, or equivalent may petition for additional crew titles to be included.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the title are eligible at the discretion of the Audio Lead, Audio Director or equivalent.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Game Audio - Effects / Foley

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary sound effects and Foley editing for Game Audio in a single category, designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Game Audio - Effects / Foley.

For this category sound editing is defined as the editing of Sound Effects and Foley. Judging for the award shall only consider the quality of these disciplines for each eligible entry.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

Positions eligible for MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies in this category include: Audio Director, Senior Audio Artist, Audio Artist, Junior Audio Artist, Sound Implementer, Audio Programmer, Technical Sound Designer, Supervising Sound Editors, Sound Designers, Sound Effects Editors, Foley Editors, Foley Artists, and Sound Editors

The Audio Lead, Audio Director, or equivalent may petition for additional crew titles to be included.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the title are eligible at the discretion of the Audio Lead, Audio Director or equivalent.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Game Audio - Music

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The MPSE will confer a Golden Reel Award on the crew demonstrating exemplary music editing for Game Audio in a single category, designated as Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing - Game Audio.

Any entry in the Music categories that does not submit a complete application for submission, including cue sheets, and an explanation justifying the exemplary nature of the music editors' work, will not be considered for an award.

For this category music editing is defined as the editing of all music including score, source, and vocals. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of this discipline for each eligible entry.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

Positions eligible for MPSE Golden Reel Statue Trophies in this category include: Audio Director, Senior Audio Artist, Audio Artist, Junior Audio Artist, Sound Implementer, Audio Programmer, Technical Sound Designer, Supervising Music Editors, Music Editors, and Scoring Editors

The Audio Lead, Audio Director, or equivalent may petition for additional crew titles to be included.

CREW SIZE -

All nominated editors must be part of the primary sound editing crew. Editors who worked on the title are eligible at the discretion of the Audio Lead, Audio Director or equivalent.

VERNA FIELDS STUDENT AWARD RULES

The following rules shall apply to the Verna Fields Student Award:

1. All submissions for the 72nd Annual Verna Fields Student Award must have had their original films completed as part of an institute, college, or university’s curriculum while enrolled as a student during the eligibility period. For any questions regarding a school’s eligibility please contact awards@mpse.org.

2. To be eligible for nomination in this category entry paperwork must be submitted, fully completed, and received by the time and date specified in the awards calendar.

3. All entries shall be eligible only in the form in which they are initially completed for the school in which they were enrolled in.

4. The number of submissions will be limited to one (1) submission per Student Supervising Sound Editor, regardless of the student / individual submitting the film. In the event that multiple projects are submitted on behalf of the same Student Supervising Sound Editor, the Student Supervising Sound Editor will be contacted and must choose one (1) title only to submit for consideration.

5. There will always be a minimum of three (3) nominees in the Verna Fields Student Award category. If there are less than three (3) submissions those entries shall be carried over to the following year.

6. The number of nominations determined by the Verna Fields panel shall not exceed six (6).

7. In the event of a tie that results in more than six (6) potential nominations, Panel Chairs, having reviewed all submissions and their supporting documentation, will make recommendations in order to determine which of the lowest placed ties shall be promoted to nomination. These recommendations will be subject to approval by the Board of Directors through majority vote.

8. Chair Recommendations - Panel Chairs, having reviewed all submissions and their supporting documentation, and having conducted interviews with all student supervising sound editors, may suggest the promotion of up to two (2) submissions that are an exemplary demonstration of the craft in question that did not receive qualifying votes to place as a nominee from the Nomination Round, or in the event that a student has demonstrated an outstanding effort that has gone above and beyond during their period of studies.

This outstanding effort may include, but is not limited to, forwarding the school, fellow students, the filmmaking community, or the objectives and purposes set out in the MPSE Mission Statement.

Panel Chairs must make a clear argument to the Board of Directors to justify the promotion of the Chair Recommendation(s).

The Board of Directors will consider all Chair Recommendations and vote to promote each recommended submission to nominee status. A majority vote from the Board of Directors will be necessary to promote each Chair Recommendation to the field of nominees.

Chair Recommendations will never be allowed to replace a qualified submission that adheres to the preceding rules. Inclusion of chair recommendations would result in up to a total of eight (8) nominations in the Verna Fields category.

9. Advertisements, trailers, promos, or other commercial work in which the primary goal is to promote or raise awareness of a brand or product is not eligible and will not qualify for any award categories. This includes cut clips which are used solely for advertising / promotional / fundraising purposes, which are also not eligible.

10. The MPSE reserves the right to disqualify any nomination or award determined to be ineligible within one year of the Golden Reel Awards presentation. In the event that an award is revoked, the remaining eligible nominee with the highest number of votes will receive the award.

11. Should the submitter wish to contest qualifying crew size, they may submit a request to the MPSE office for exception to be considered by the Board.

12. A single entry cannot be submitted for consideration in the Verna Fields Student Award and additionally in any other category.

13. The Board of Directors shall set deadlines for receipt of entries. These deadlines shall be printed on all entry forms and shall be absolute.

14. Panel Chairpersons shall be determined by the President of the MPSE and the Golden Reel Awards Rules subcommittee. There shall be at least one Chairperson for the Verna Fields Student Award.

15. For both the nomination and Blue Ribbon panels there will be a minimum of ten (10) judges.

16. Qualifying judges for the nomination and Blue Ribbon panels - Chairpersons shall fill the voting panels with Active, Honorary, and Retired MPSE members. Upon having any vacancies on their panels, the balance of the panel shall be filled with qualified sound editors, music editors, sound designers, and Foley Artists. If there are still vacancies, the Chair may approve, on a case-by-case basis, other qualified professionals who work in post-production.

17. All paperwork submitted will be considered by the judges.

18. Digital ballots shall be tabulated using the Award Force platform.

Eligibility Period

1. All submissions for the Verna Fields Student Award for the 72nd Golden Reel Awards must have had their films completed during the eligibility period of 11/01/2022 - 10/31/2023.

Nomination Process

1. A properly completed entry form is required for all submissions. Incomplete submissions will result in the disqualification of that entry from the nominating process and will not be considered for Chair Recommendations.

2. For nomination voting, judging panel members will watch each of the submitted Student Films and judge the sound editorial work and its supporting documentation in its entirety.

3. The judging panel will determine Verna Fields Student Awards nominees by casting ballots in the Awards Force platform.

4. Chairpersons are responsible for contacting the student supervising sound editor or lead sound editing crew member of each of the nominations. This contact will be responsible for verifying all crew information including but not limited to the spelling and credit of all names as they shall appear on such items as announcements, certificates, program books, and trophies.

Blue Ribbon Voting Process

1. For awards consideration, the Blue Ribbon Panel will rewatch and review the supporting documentation for each of the nominated Student Films and consider the sound editorial work in its entirety.

Screening Copies

1. Screening copies are required for all Verna Fields Student Award submissions.

2. The preferred format of screening copies for Verna Fields Student Award categories is digital upload to the judging platform, or other secure streaming platform such as Vimeo or YouTube.

3. Should the submission not be available via streaming or digital upload, the submitter must supply a minimum of ten (10) separate non-region restricted DVDs or Blu-Rays.

These screening copies must be received by the MPSE office by the submission deadline or the submission will not be considered for nomination.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Verna Fields Student Award

AWARD CATEGORY DEFINITION AND QUALIFICATIONS -

The Motion Picture Sound Editors shall annually present an MPSE Golden Reel Award for exemplary sound editing for a student film in a single category designated as Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Verna Fields Student Award .

This award shall be granted to the Student Supervising Sound Editor and the sound editing crew, including Dialogue Editing, ADR Editing, Sound Effects Editing, Sound Design, Music Editing and Foley Artistry. Judging for the award shall consider the quality of all of these disciplines for each eligible film.

This category is open to all original student projects, both English and Foreign Language. Though not required, if the film is not in English, an English subtitled copy is preferred. A lack of a subtitled copy will not disqualify submissions from nomination.

The winning, singular Student Supervising Sound Editor of the Verna Fields Student Award shall also be awarded the Ethel Crutcher Scholarship. The MPSE Board of Directors shall determine the amount of the scholarship. In the event of a tie, multiple scholarships shall be awarded.

The Verna Fields Student Award category is meant for films in which students have produced the soundtrack in full. As a general rule, no sound professionals may be used in this category for the project in its entirety. This includes, but is not limited to, professional Sound Editors, Location Sound Recordists, Foley Artists, ADR Mixers, Re-Recording Mixers, or otherwise. The Board may approve, on a case-by-case basis, a unique or exceptional situation occurring, causing a non-student to work on the production. The reason for this extenuating circumstance must be included in the submission application.

A faculty member must certify on submission forms that only students completed the soundtrack.

The Student Supervising Sound Editor must provide an email and username to one video chat service, or phone number. The Student Supervising Sound Editor may be asked to participate in a phone call or video chat interview with the panel chair(s) prior to nomination voting.

TROPHIES AWARDED -

A maximum of five (5) trophies can be awarded per winning title of the Verna Fields Student Award. These five crew members are determined by the Student Supervising Sound Editor during nomination. For winning crews that exceed five (5) student editors, Student Supervising Sound Editors must petition the Panel Chair and awards office on behalf of the additional crew member(s) for inclusion.

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72nd Annual MPSE Golden Reel Awards Official Rules