Why award only editing & mixing but not sound design?

Sound design requires the very subjective activity of selecting audio components. Final (post-production) audio editing & mixing, on the other hand, is more quantifiable, does not require selecting audio & can easily make-or-break the complete listening experience. THAT's what the SFAA celebrates. Besides, there are a LOT of sound design awards. We want ours to stand out!

I'm a HUGE fan of a video but didn't contribute to making it. May I enter it into your event?

No. Only video creators themselves or someone officially on or representing a creative team's work may submit an entry. Everyone wins, though, if you tell filmmakers about our event!

How does the SFAA define a 'budding artist or team'?

Quite broadly, actually, using a number of factors: social media following, potential for high earnings on streaming video services, IMDb entries & ratings, quantity of release catalog, apparent successes with broadcast/streaming partnerships, etc.

Why are documentaries & videos with non-English dialog not eligible?

Not eligible... for NOW. Most documentaries run over 20 minutes. And otherwise until the time comes, we have a limited, mostly English speaking staff. So the 'for now' will stay in place until the SFAA has the resources & public support to collate, nominate & judge longer-form videos & submissions in many languages.

I'm on a creative team, but not the show runner / producer / creator. May I submit our video?

Oh, yes!... provided your name & team role is publically credited somehow on an official web site (official social media accounts included), or better yet, you're listed in the film's credits.

Are my video's festival screenings taken into account about its SFAA eligibility?

Nope. But exercise due diligence: your video must be available live & online at the time of submitting it to us & doing that may disqualify your submissions into many festivals.

Would my video's previous awards have any effect on it being eligible, nominated, judged or awarded?

Not in the slightest.

If my entry is one of the final winners, I'd rather the cash award be donated to a charity of my choosing. Will the SFAA do that for me?

If that charity accepts online donations via a service we use, ABSOLUTELY! And we'll gladly make sure the donation is made in the name of whomever you choose, too. If online donations are not an option, we'll check out how to make it happen.

There's no way you can recognize ALL possible AI content for disqualification purposes...

True. However, we DO run our event on an honor code: anyone trying to capitalize on our event with *ANY* AI-created content is not welcome to do so.

Can you give me some 'not safe for work' examples that might affect my submission's eligibility?

Sure thing. Keep in mind when screening submissions we also consider the context & quantity of content less extreme than the following:

AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFICATION:
- Blatant sexuality
- Frontal nudity
- Very graphic violence to a character: excessive blood, physical harm, etc.
- Clearly offensive or oppressive language (incl. hate speech, racism, bigotry, genderism, etc.)
- Use of drugs or alcohol with a high probability of being addictive, abusive or illegal
(BTW - Our standards are generally influenced by the MPAA's 'PG-13' rating.)

If my entry is one of the final winners & I had someone else mix my video, am I obligated to give the cash award to them?

Obligated, no. However, mildly, politely & with a cutesy smile *requested* to support them ... that's a yes!

How can I receive a cash prize if I don't use your current payment platforms?

Then let's talk & find a way to get you what we're confident you've earned!

I use a pseudonym when posting my videos. Would that make my submission ineligible?

No. However, the SFAA *DOES* require your real name & mailing address for the purposes of official communications, ensuring we award the correct people & for our preference of professional & accurate crediting.

Many of the SFAA crew members are or have been involved with short film productions. How can I be sure the winners are selected in a fair & unbiased way?

Two points:
- All SFAA team members must recuse themselves from nominating or voting for eligible video entries in which they created or otherwise took part in creating.
- All nominee & final winners voting results will be collected & collated by a non-partisan third party, retaining the complete privacy & separation of voters & voting results by & from other voters.

If my film makes it to the top ten in it's category, do I get a copy of all the judges comments?

As part of their awards packages, the top 3 winners in each category will receive all our judges comments. The creators of all the remaining nominated films may also have copies of judges comments by EMAILING A REQUEST TO OUR OPERATIONS TEAM.

How do I become an official sponsor or partner my organization with yours for cross-promotion or joint activities?

Wonderful! Please see our Contact page for more about that!

I've got some ideas about how the SFAAs can be improved. Who do I talk to?

Scroll down juuuust a little... :)