PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2024
RULES AND CONSIDERATIONS
PRIX JEUNESSE promotes, celebrates and honors the highest quality in children’s and youth media.
For the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2024 competition, we invite content distributors (e.g., channels, FAST and streaming companies) and production companies to send their outstanding works.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
- top-quality television aimed at 2 – 15 year olds;
- the best, most innovative, special and/or risky formats of the last two years;
- content that surprises and pushes borders, or offers a fresh or outstanding take on a classic genre;
- shows for children and young people, not about them.
Series that have been selected as finalists in previous years are unlikely to make it through preselection, unless they have changed substantially. If you have questions about re-entering a series, please contact the PJ Secretariat to discuss what has changed.
Please note: While only about one in six entries can be forwarded to the final competition, all entries deemed to be of high quality will be included in the PRIX JEUNESSE Catalogue, which is circulated worldwide as a yearbook of excellence.
Entries do not necessarily have to be related to the festival theme.
1. WHO CAN ENTER
Entries may have been distributed via either a “push” or a “pull” medium:
- “Push” includes any platform that sends out content on a regularly-scheduled timetable (e.g., broadcast, cable, satellite and digital TV channels; internet or mobile services that stream content at particular times and in set order);
- “Pull” includes platforms with content libraries available for on-demand streaming or download. Eligibility is limited to providers that upload at least 15 videos per month with sustained high viewership (approximately 200.000 subscribers or views for each upload) and professional production standards.
The festival management has the final decision about eligibility.
Joint organizations:
Individual channels that are members of a national association of broadcasters (e.g., ARD/Germany) can enter separately as long as the member produces its own programmes on a regular basis.
Multichannels:
If one company operates multiple channels within a country, individual channels may enter only if they are separately managed and programmed, not if they simply retransmit or repurpose content from another channel.
Production Companies:
An independent production house may enter its own work with confirmation of the initial broadcaster or other distributor, that the programme was distributed as stated, and that it is not also entering the work.
Regardless of platform or entrant type, an entry must have been commissioned or co-produced (meaning substantial creative input, not simply financial investment) by the entering company, not acquired or repurposed from others’ work.
2. ENTRY REGULATIONS
2.1. Main TV Categories
- 11 – 15 Years Non-Fiction
- 11 – 15 Years Fiction
- 7 – 10 Years Non-Fiction
- 7 – 10 Years Fiction
- Up to 6 Years Non-Fiction
- Up to 6 Years Fiction
Non-fiction: Documentaries, science, natural science, magazine programmes (these may include some fictional narrative segments), “reality” series, games or music programmes.
Fiction: Scripted stories such as dramas, sitcoms, etc.
Entry limits
| For content distributors (broadcasters, streamers, VOD collections): | 80 minutes in total |
| For production companies: | 1 production only |
(Entries coming from a production company must be accompanied by signed confirmation from the content distributor/broadcaster that initial transmission took place within the time-frame stated in the rules).
Programmes must be
- minimum four minutes (except for “Shorts” category); maximum 60 minutes long;
- first transmitted, scheduled for transmission, or made widely available (in case of pull media) between 1 January 2022 and 31 May 2024;
- either produced in-house, commissioned or co-produced (meaning substantial creative input, not simply financial investment) by the entering organization; they may not be acquired, repackaged or repurposed;
- full programmes, not excerpted items or segments, entered as they were broadcast/distributed;
- limited to one episode per series (entrants are encouraged to provide context on the entry form to help jurors understand what’s come before or happens next);
- subtitled, voiced-over or dubbed in English (even English-language programmes must be submitted with English subtitles, at latest when they reach the final round of competition).
PRIX JEUNESSE does not accept
- programmes that violate the principles of the General Declaration of Human Rights;
- programmes that incorporate advertising or product placement in their content.
If multiple organizations enter the same series (whether the same or different episodes), they will be asked by the festival organizers to decide on only one of the entries.
2.2. Shorts category
Content distributors (broadcasters, streamers, VOD collections) and production companies can enter their best short videos of the last two years. Up to two entries are allowed per organization/company.
Programmes must be
- maximum four minutes long (including credits);
- first transmitted, scheduled for transmission, or made widely available (in case of pull media) between 1 January 2022 and 31 May 2024;
- limited to one episode per series;
- subtitled, voiced-over or dubbed in English (even English-language programmes must be submitted with English subtitles, at latest when they reach the final round of competition).
3. PROCEDURES FOR NOMINATION/AWARDS
3.1. Main TV Categories
An international pre-selection committee will choose the finalist programmes from all entries, using criteria similar to those used in the final competition.
All festival entries (agreed in pre-selection to be of high standard) will be listed in the PRIX JEUNESSE 2023/2024 Catalogue “Quality in Children’s TV Worldwide.” Programmes that don’t make it into the final round of competition will be presented at the festival in the PRIX JEUNESSE Media Bar.
The main TV prizes will be decided during the PRIX JEUNESSE festival week, out of all finalist programmes.
PRIX JEUNESSE works with a peer review system: any attending professional involved with children and media is invited to vote in the main prize categories, under the following terms:
Voters
- may choose to vote in one, some or all categories;
- must watch every programme in the selected category/categories;
- may not vote on any entry for which they or their organization had creative input.
Each organization attending PRIX JEUNESSE is limited to a maximum of three voters per category.
Participants who don’t want to vote are welcome at all screenings and discussions as ‘observers’.
For reasons of fairness and equal opportunity, general distribution of promotional material on finalist programmes during the contest is not allowed.
3.2. Shorts Category
A preselection jury will decide on the ten finalists. The final decision for the TV Shorts prize will be taken at the PRIX JEUNESSE Festival during a special session, through voting by all session participants.
4. PRIZES
are in most cases awarded on the last day of the contest:
PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL
is awarded to the highest-rated programme in each of the main TV categories.
PRIX JEUNESSE “2024 Theme Prize”
is awarded to a programme which is an outstanding and inspiring example how to foster climate literacy among children. A special jury selects the Theme Prize winner out of all finalists, across all categories.
PRIX JEUNESSE Children’s and Youth Jury Prizes
are awarded by the German children’s jury in the categories 7 – 10 Fiction and 7 – 10 Non-Fiction, and by the international youth jury in categories 11 – 15 Fiction and 11 – 15 Non-Fiction.
UNESCO Special Prize
is awarded to a programme that convincingly promotes a better understanding of different cultures, and encourages youth to be open-minded and to communicate in the spirit of true partnership.
PRIX JEUNESSE “Gender Equity Prize”
is awarded to the programme with the most innovative approach to gender representation. A special jury of gender experts will award this prize out of all finalist programmes, across all categories.
PRIX JEUNESSE “Heart Prize”
is awarded to the programme that most touches the heart, by vote of the festival participants.
PRIX JEUNESSE Shorts Prize
is presented at a special session during the competition week; all festival participants are invited to screen the 10 finalists and vote on the winner.
The PRIX JEUNESSE Special Achievement Award
is presented to an initiative that has resulted in significant, positive developments within the children’s media landscape in its world region, during the two years leading up to the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL festival; or to a personality in the children’s media field who has made outstanding contribution to quality media for children in his/her career.
The members of the PRIX JEUNESSE International Advisory Board will form the final jury for this prize.
Nominations can be made to the PRIX JEUNESSE office: info@prixjeunesse.de. Please describe the key contributions made by the initiative or person; as well as a short statement (up to 250 words) about why this initiative/person deserves the prize.
5. DEADLINES / REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS
For Preselection: 8 December 2023
>> 1 programme entry form
>> 3 still images, for use free of charge, jpeg, minimum 300 dpi (to: info@prixjeunesse.de)
>> Upload of a digital high bandwidth broadcast HD format of English-subtitled/-voiced or dubbed programme entry, with at least 25Mbit/s and the following minimum video compressions:
- dvcproHD, HDV
- every kind of XDcam (HD, HD422, EX), XAVC Intra, XAVC Long GOP (Sony)
- every kind of AVC-I, AVC-Ultra, AVC-LongG (Panasonic)
Accepted high bandwidth broadcast audio compressions:
- AES uncompressed, every sample rate, every bit depth
- PCM uncompressed, every sample rate, every bit depth
- DolbyE or other data tracks are accepted on track 3 or higher but will not be used for screening or presentation
Accepted high bandwidth broadcast containers:
- mxf (op1a only) – preferred container!
- mov
- mp4
English subtitles have to be integrated (burned in) into the image.
We only accept ONE file containing video and audio!
If your bandwidth is too low to upload a broadcast-format, you can also upload a high compressed file with following minimum technical requirements:
- Video: deinterlaced, square pixels, 1080 lines, compression h.264, we recommend at least 10 Mbit/s.
- Audio: 1 stereo track (may contain 2 times the same mono), compression aac, at least 192 kbit/s.
- Containers: mov or mp4.
Once we have received your online registration form, we will contact you with a link and instructions to upload your entry.
Results of the preselection will be announced by end of January 2024.
For Finalists: 28 February 2024
>> 1 English script (dialogue list or audio transcription) with time-code, in digital format, sent in Word, Excel or other open formats (no PDF!) to: info@prixjeunesse.de.
>> Even English-speaking programmes must be submitted with English subtitles.
Deadline for Personal Registration: 6 May 2024
6. QUALITY PROMOTION / USE OF ENTERED MATERIALS
With regard to the entered programme, the entrant grants to the PRIX JEUNESSE Foundation free of charge the non-exclusive rights, unlimited in place, time and content, for utilisation of the programme as a whole and/or in excerpts for non-commercial public screening in the framework of PRIX JEUNESSE events, educational, research and training purposes (for example in the PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase) and transmission on television/live stream (excerpts of up to 4 minutes). Those are in particular the
- transmission rights (only for excerpts of up to four minutes. Live stream/simulcast is part of the transmission right);
- right to duplicate and disseminate;
- right of making available to the public (only for excerpts of up to 4 minutes)
- right to public screening;
- right to archive the programme;
- right to edit and to promote;
- right for printing and ancillary printing;
- right to making available for screening on a password-protected, on-demand streaming platform, for a limited time frame of six months (January – June 2024), with login details only for juries and discussion moderators;
- right to transfer those rights to third parties.
7. LEGAL NOTICES
- Claims made by third parties are to be resolved by entrants.
- Submission of a registration request constitutes agreement with the contest rules.
- Voting results are final, and recourse to legal action is precluded.
8. EXTRA FESTIVAL FEATURES:
DISCUSSIONS
The formal discussion groups are the core element of the festival for learning how other people and cultures think about children’s television, and for comparing reactions to the finalist programmes.
Discussions follow the screenings of each category. They are held in English, with some support for at least one other language (Spanish or German) in most groups.
The moderators summarise and compare their groups’ views in two plenary sessions.
THEME EXPLORATION
on the PRIX JEUNESSE 2024 festival theme “For Us, No Planet B! Kids TV and Sustainability” will be held during the festival week, in the form of info sessions.
MEDIA BAR
for personal viewing of entries not nominated as finalists. Finalist programmes are available after their scheduled screening.
NEWCOMERS
will be offered a tour of the premises and a “rough guide” to making the most of their time at the festival. The tour is scheduled for the morning of the opening day.
Plenty of opportunities for
SOCIALIZING
at receptions, parties and a gala award ceremony.
9. REGISTRATION FEE
There are no programme entry or participant registration fees.
Deadline for programme entries: 8 December 2023