Qantas Television Awards underway

New Zealand Television Broadcasters’ Council

MEDIA RELEASE
Embargoed until 5.00pm Monday 26 June 2006

Qantas Television Awards underway

The Qantas Television Awards are underway for the second year and seeking the best of talent, on-screen and off, from New Zealand programmes broadcast on free-to-air television. The awards recognise excellence in all main genres of homegrown television, including news and current affairs.

Brent Impey, Chairman of the NZ Television Broadcasters’ Council said, “We established these new awards in 2005 to celebrate the best of the thousands of hours of Kiwi television screened each year. We are pleased that Qantas is supporting the awards as they have a proud tradition of supporting awards for media excellence in New Zealand.”

Public participation will also occur through the four Woman’s Day Readers’ Choice TV Awards, which recognise the favourite male and female personalities and favourite local and international TV programmes. Voting will occur in October/November.

The winners of all awards will be announced at a gala ceremony on Saturday, 18th November to be held in the ASB Theatre at Auckland’s Aotea Centre and highlights of the presentation will be broadcast on TV3. Last year the show was broadcast on TV ONE and drew a strong audience for the 90 minute show.

Bruce Wallace, Executive Director of the NZTBC has announced that the call for entries opened today, Monday June 26. Further information on entering is available at www.qantastvawards.co.nz. The NZTBC has appointed The Conference Company as awards manager, Pak Peacock of The Show Business as event manager and de Launay Enterprises as pr consultants.

Judging panels will be formed over the next two months with separate judging groups for news/current affairs and for all other award categories. Both New Zealand resident and international judges will be on the judging panels. The entry conditions are attached below.

The chairman of judges for News and Current Affairs is Paul Norris, head of the Christchurch Polytechnic’s NZ Broadcasting School. The chairman of judges for the Television Awards (other than News/CA) is Graeme Wilson. Graeme is Chairman of the NZ Screen Council and was Chief Operating Officer of Jupiter Programming in Japan - TV channel acquisitions, startups and operations - from 1998 to 2003 and prior to that was Managing Director, Television at TVNZ.

The NZTBC is made up of the two leading companies operating national broadcast television channels. They are CanWest TVWorks, and TVNZ.

For enquiries please contact:

Bruce Wallace on 09 379 2421 or 021 944 859

Qantas Television Awards 2006

ELIGIBILITY

Your entry is eligible for the Awards if it was broadcast on free to air television between the dates of:
13 August 2005 and 12 August 2006

Eligible television series will be judged on one episode (which must have screened in the above period) with the following exception:
- Best News. One programme chosen by the broadcaster plus another programme broadcast on a date to be advised by the Chairman of judges

KEY ENTRY DATES

Deadline for entries
Paying the early-bird fee 29 July by 5.00pm
Please note: no extensions will be given.
Paying the standard fee 19 August by 5.00pm

Deadline for receipt of DVDs/scripts 24 August by 5.00pm

AWARD CATEGORIES

Categories are divided into two sections: General Television and News and Current Affairs.

Entry is open to individuals and organisations and is not restricted to New Zealand Television Broadcasters’ Council members.

GENERAL TELEVISION

- Best Actress in a TV Drama – excellence in acting in a leading role in a series or single drama.

- Best Actor in a TV Drama – excellence in acting in a leading role in a series or single drama.

- Best NZ Comedy programme – excellence in comedy.

- Best NZ Entertainment programme - Includes variety, Game show, Quiz show or Music special.

- Best NZ Reality (format programme) - Includes non-fiction programmes in which the premise, circumstances or situations are constructed or manipulated for the purpose of realising the format (with or without a competition structure.)

- Best NZ observational reality (non-format) programme - Includes unscripted ‘fly on the wall’ style non-fiction programmes and docu-soaps.

- Best NZ Information/Lifestyle programme – Includes non-fiction magazine-style programmes such as consumer shows, house and garden series, and other information shows that are not driven by a format. These programmes are generally hosted. Note: This excludes reality format and observational reality programmes.

- Best NZ Drama –a drama series or single drama.

- Best NZ Popular Documentary – aimed at a broad primetime audience

- Best NZ Arts/Festival documentary

- Best NZ Sports or Event coverage – excellence in capturing the spirit and flavour of the event through commentary and coverage. Includes live and edited coverage.

- Best NZ Children’s/Youth programme – excellence in communicating successfully and innovatively with specific target audiences.

- Best Editing (factual) – excellence in editing, combining technical skill, integration of various formats (graphics, effects) sound, style and understanding of the programme format.

- Best Editing (non-factual) – excellence in editing, combining technical skill, integration of various formats (graphics, effects) sound, style and understanding of the programme format.

- Best Camera (factual) – excellence in cinematography which makes a clear difference to the total look and feel of the programme.

- Best Camera (non-factual) – excellence in cinematography which makes a clear difference to the total look and feel of the programme.

- Best Director (drama) – excellence in television programme direction.

- Best Director (non-drama) – excellence in television programme direction.

- Best Script for a non-factual programme/series – excellence in television non-factual programme script writing.

NEWS/CURRENT AFFAIRS

- Best News – a daily news programme which demonstrates excellence in news-gathering and presentation.

- Best Current Affairs series – a daily/weekly series which demonstrates excellence in current affairs reporting, story telling, research, integrity and investigative skills.

- Best News or Current Affairs Presenter – excellence in presenting and interviewing with integrity and authority on a daily/weekly series.

- Best News Reporter – excellence in news reporting by demonstrating investigative skills, story telling, integrity and ability to present effectively in a single report.

- Best Current Affairs reporter - excellence in current affairs reporting by demonstrating investigative and/or interviewing skills, story telling, integrity and ability to present effectively in a single report.

- Best News Report (team award) – excellence in news reporting through investigation, story telling, camerawork, editing and presentation – in a single report.

- Best Current Affairs Report (team award) - excellence in current affairs reporting through investigation, story telling, camerawork, editing and presentation - in a single report.

- Best News camera - excellence in camerawork which makes a clear difference to the presentation and story telling of a single report.

- Best Current Affairs camera - excellence in camerawork which makes a clear difference to the presentation and story telling of a single report.

- Best News/CA Editing – excellence in editing which shows technical skills and ability to combine formats such as graphics in a way which makes a clear difference to the presentation and story telling of a single report.

Special Excellence Awards

These two awards will be made by the judges in recognition of outstanding work from among the finalists of all News and Current Affairs categories.

- Investigation of the Year – a News/Current Affairs story/stories which causes the most profound impact in New Zealand.
- TV Journalist of the Year – excellence in journalism in either news or current affairs.

ENDS

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