Rules & Regulations

RULE ONE
AWARDS DEFINITIONS

PNG Academy Awards shall be given annually to honor outstanding artistic and scientific achievements in theatrically released feature-length motion pictures, and to honor other achievements as provided for in these rules and approved by the National Culture Commission and PNG Academy Awards Secretariat
Awards shall be conferred at annual Awards ceremonies.

Awards of Merit in the form of the statuette trophy of National Culture Commission shall be conferred annually for the following achievements:

ACTING:	Performance by an actor in a leading role. Performance by an actress in a leading role.
FEATURE FILM:	Best feature film of the year.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:	Achievement in cinematography.
COSTUME DESIGN:	Achievement in costume design.
DIRECTING:	Achievement in directing.
DOCUMENTARY:	a. Best documentary feature. b. Cinematography c. Best Narration
MUSIC:	For achievements in music produced for motion pictures: Best original soundtrack
BEST PICTURE:	Best motion picture of the year.
SHORT FILM:	Best live action short film.
STORY:	Best original story adaption
SCREEN PLAY:	Best screenplay.

RULE TWO
ELIGIBILITY

1.All eligible motion pictures, must be:
a. Feature length (defined as over 40 minutes)
b. Publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to ST 428-1:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000); and image and sound files packaged as Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) in the “SMPTE DCP” format. SMPTE DCP refers to SMPTE ST 429-2 and related specifications. (Blu-ray format does not meet Digital Cinema requirements.)

The audio in a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is typically 5.1 or 7.1 channels of discrete audio. The minimum for a non-mono configuration of the audio shall be three channels as Left, Center, Right (a Left/Right configuration is not acceptable in a theatrical environment). In addition to channel-based audio, object-based audio may also be present as an immersive audio bitstream

The audio data shall be formatted in conformance with ST 428-2:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Audio Characteristics and ST 428-12:2013 D-Cinema Distribution Master Common Audio Channels and Soundfield Groups. Immersive audio, if present, shall be formatted in conformance with ST 2098-2:2019 Immersive Audio Bitstream Specification

c. For a theatrical qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days in the same commercial motion picture theater, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily, with at least one screening beginning between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily

d. The film completes a qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days in the same commercial venue, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily, with at least one screening beginning between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily. That it meets all other eligibility requirements PNG Academy Awards Screening Room would be optional

e. Advertised and exploited during their theatrical qualifying run in a manner normal and customary to theatrical feature distribution practices

f. Released within the Awards year deadlines specified in Rule Three

2. Films that, in any version, receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release will not be eligible for PNG Academy Awards Secretariat Awards in any category. Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to:

Broadcast and cable television
PPV/VOD
DVD distribution
Inflight airline distribution
Internet transmission

Motion pictures released in such nontheatrical media on or after the first day of their theatrical qualifying run remain eligible. Also, ten minutes or ten percent of the running time of a film, whichever is shorter, may be shown in a nontheatrical medium prior to the film’s qualifying run. (See also Paragraph 9 below.)

Film festivals that have been impacted by the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic may provide films online through either a transactional pay wall or password-protected entry, which will not affect the films’ eligibility for future PNG Academy Awards Secretariat qualification. The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat will allow an exemption for those films that are released online through an impacted festival’s online platform, provided the filmmaker(s) submit proof of inclusion in the festival. With these provisions, films will be expected to comply with all other eligibility requirements for the PNG Academy Awards

3. Eligibility is contingent on the receipt by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat of a completed online Submission Form (General Entry), to be signed by the film’s producer or distributor (unless waived by the Secretariat). DVDs or DCPs are not accepted in lieu of, or in addition to, the Submission Form. The Online Submission Form is accessible online at the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat’s Awards Submission site. The submission shall include:
a. full, complete and authentic screen credits,
b. the name of the theater where the film has screened, and
c. the dates and times of the theatrical qualifying run.

4. Eligibility for all awards shall first be determined by credits as they appear on the screen and/or as certified to the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat by the producing companies, but final determination in any event shall be made by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat. The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat shall not be bound by any contract or agreement relating to the sharing or giving of credit, and reserves the right to make its own determination of credit for purposes of Awards consideration.

5.In the event of any dispute concerning credits, the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat reserves the right to declare any achievement ineligible or, alternatively, to reject all claims to credit, list credits as being in controversy, and withhold any award until the dispute is resolved.

6. The alteration of an achievement by changing a picture from the version shown, upon which eligibility is based, shall subject such achievement to the risk of being declared ineligible by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat.

7. Submissions which are essentially recordings of performances that were originally produced for another medium are not eligible for Awards consideration.

8. Motion pictures must contain accurate and legible English-language subtitles if released in a language other than English.

9.Exceptions to the eligibility requirements and methods of qualifying listed in Rules Two and Three appear in the Special Rules for the Animated Feature Film award (see Rule Seven), the Documentary awards (see Rule Eleven), the Feature Film award (see Rule Thirteen), the Music awards (see Rule Fifteen), and the Short Film awards (see Rule Nineteen).

10. The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat shall resolve all questions of eligibility and rules.

RULE THREE

THE AWARDS YEAR AND DEADLINES

The required qualifying run (described in Rule Two Paragraph 3) must begin between June 1, 2024, and October 15, 2024.
A motion picture first theatrically exhibited inside PNG prior to the theatrical qualifying run shall be eligible for submission, provided the prior exhibition is a theatrical preview or festival screening, or takes place in a commercial motion picture theater after January 1, 2024. No nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution may occur prior to the first day of the qualifying run.
A motion picture that is NOT first theatrically exhibited inside PNG is NOT eligible.
Each picture may have only one theatrical qualifying run. The earliest theatrical exhibition that meets such definition shall be designated the picture’s qualifying run.
The Awards Submission Form (General Entry) and the film’s full screen credits may be submitted to the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat prior to the qualifying run, but not later than 60 days after such opening. However, all Awards Submission Forms (General Entry) and accompanying full screen credits must be submitted to the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat by Saturday October 15, 2024.
Sunday, October 31, 2024, is the last day to withdraw a film from PNG Academy Awards Secretariat Awards consideration.
Friday, December 10, 2024, is the last day to withdraw a film from PNG Academy Awards Secretariat Awards consideration.

RULE FOUR
SUBMISSION

Entrants must complete the online submission form located on the Academy Awards Submission site, https://www.academyawardspng.org and submit to the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat the digital upload of the film for streaming purposes with all other required material and required signatures.
The filmmakers of the shortlisted documentaries must submit two DCP versions of the documentary after the shortlist is announced. Following the nominations screenings, one copy of the work shall become the property of the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat Film Archive. By submitting a film, the filmmaker agrees that the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat has the right to make copies and distribute them for voting purposes only

RULE FIVE

BALLOTING AND NOMINATIONS

Voting on all achievements shall be restricted to active and life PNG Academy Awards Secretariat members.
All eligible films will be listed by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat on Reminder Lists of Eligible Releases for specific categories. Before the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat makes the Reminder Lists available to voters, releasing companies may be required to check their productions as they will appear in the Reminder Lists and assume full responsibility for errors and omissions.
Individual reminder lists from which the nominations are voted shall refer only to the film in which the achievement was made, and not to any individual responsible, except in the case of nominations for Acting achievements, which name both the individual and the one picture wherein the achievement occurred.
In the nominations voting, the marking and tabulation of all ballots shall be according to the preferential, weighted average, or reweighted range voting system. Votes for achievements in motion pictures not on the Reminder List will not be counted in the nominations balloting. Tabulation of final ballots shall be according to the plurality or preferential system. No “write-in” votes shall be counted on the final ballot.
Not more than nominations shall be made for each award, except for the Best Picture award, which shall have ten nominations.
In the event a nominated achievement is declared ineligible by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat, it shall not be replaced, and the category will remain with one less nomination.
In the event that an achievement voted an award was done in collaboration, each of the eligible collaborators shall receive an award unless the number of awards is specifically limited by a category’s special rules. In the event of a tie for first place in the final balloting, awards shall be given for both achievements.The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat shall provide for such screenings or special meetings as may be desirable to insure a full and fair consideration of the merits of all eligible achievements.
The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat shall provide for such screenings or special meetings as may be desirable to insure a full and fair consideration of the merits of all eligible achievements.
Each branch or other designated committee shall be permitted to formulate its own special rules, provided the final ballot presents not more than achievements in each category, and that nominations and final voting in each category are restricted to active and life PNG Academy Awards Secretariat members. All rules shall be presented for approval to the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat before implementation.

RULE SIX
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE ACTING AWARDS

A Reminder List including up to ten eligible actresses and up to ten eligible actors for each eligible motion picture shall be made available all active members PNG Academy Awards Secretariat, who shall vote in the order of their preference Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role and Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
The acting achievements in each category receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Acting awards.
A performance by an actor or actress in any role shall be eligible for nomination either for the leading role or supporting role categories. If, however, all the dialogue has been dubbed by another actor, the performance shall not be eligible for award consideration. Singing that is dubbed will not affect the performer’s eligibility unless it constitutes the entire performance. The determination as to whether a role is a leading or supporting role shall be made individually by members of the branch at the time of balloting.
The leading role and supporting role categories will be tabulated simultaneously. If any performance should receive votes in both categories, the achievement shall be placed only on the ballot in that category in which, during the tabulation process, it first receives the required number of votes to be nominated. In the event that the performance receives the number of votes required to be nominated in both categories simultaneously, the achievement shall be placed only on the ballot in that category in which it receives the greater percentage of the total votes.
In the event that two achievements by an actor or actress receive sufficient votes to be nominated in the same category, only one shall be nominated using the preferential tabulation process and such other allied procedures as may be necessary to achieve that result.
In the event that an actor or actress receives a sufficient number of votes to be nominated for one achievement in one category and for another achievement in the other category, both achievements shall be eligible.
The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat shall have the right and responsibility to resolve all questions of eligibility, rules and the designation of award recipients.
Final voting for the Acting awards shall be restricted to PNG Academy Awards Secretariat

RULE SEVEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD

A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be made available along with a nominations ballot to all members of the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than motion pictures.
The productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Cinematography award.
Final voting for the Cinematography award shall be restricted to active and life PNG Academy Awards Secretariat members.

RULE EIGHT

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE COSTUME DESIGN AWARD

1. A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be made available along with a nominations ballot to all members of the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than motion pictures.

2. To be eligible for the Costume Design award, the costumes for the picture must have been conceived by a costume designer. It is the intention of this rule to recognize the designing of costumes for their special use in narrative motion pictures. Eligibility shall be determined by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat present at a meeting called specifically for that purpose.

3. The motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Costume Design award.

4. Final voting for the Costume Design award shall be restricted to active and life PNG Academy Awards Secretariat members.

RULE NINE
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE DIRECTING AWARD

A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be made available along with a nominations ballot to all members of the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than motion pictures.
The motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Costume Design award.
Final voting for the Costume Design award shall be restricted to active and life PNG Academy Awards Secretariat members.

RULE TEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE DOCUMENTARY AWARDS

I. DEFINITION
An eligible documentary film is defined as a theatrically released nonfiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, economic or other subjects. It may be photographed in actual occurrence, or may employ partial reenactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction.
II. CATEGORIES
Documentary Feature – motion pictures with a running time of more than 40 minutes, Documenters Narration Cinematography
III. DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
B. Eligibility

To be eligible for PNG Academy Awards consideration, a documentary feature must complete a theatrical release for seven consecutive days in Papua New Guinea.

2. The film must have won a qualifying award at a competitive film festival, regardless of any prior public exhibition or distribution by nontheatrical means. Proof of the award must be submitted with the entry.

3. The picture must be exhibited using 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to ST 428-1:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000); and image and sound files packaged as Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) in the “SMPTE DCP” format. SMPTE DCP refers to SMPTE ST 429-2 and related specifications. (Blu-ray format does not meet Digital Cinema requirements.)

The audio in a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is typically 5.1 or 7.1 channels of discrete audio. The minimum for a non-mono configuration of the audio shall be three channels as Left, Center,

Right (a Left/Right configuration is not acceptable in a theatrical environment). In addition to channel-based audio, object-based audio may also be present as an immersive audio bitstream.

4.Screenings during the theatrical release must occur at least three times daily, with at least one screening beginning between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily. The motion picture must be exhibited for paid admission, and must be advertised during its qualifying theatrical release in a manner normal and customary to theatrical feature distribution practices. The film must have a movie critic review in a publication in the corresponding qualifying city. Drive-in theaters are included as a qualifying commercial venue in the above metro areas (must run for seven consecutive days with at least one screening daily). For films that were unable to complete a planned theatrical release, due to the theater closures, filmmakers may appeal for an exemption. Appeals may be required to provide proof or documentation of the intended theatrical release.

5.Works that are essentially promotional or instructional are not eligible, nor are works that are essentially unfiltered records of performances.

6.Only individual documentary works are eligible. This excludes from consideration:

multi-part or limited series,
episodes extracted from a larger series,
segments taken from a single “composite” program, and
alternate versions of ineligible works.

7. The significant dialogue or narration must be in English, or the entry must have English-language subtitles.
8. Films that, in any version, receive a nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution before their first qualifying theatrical release, will not be eligible for PNG Academy Awards Secretariat Awards consideration. Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to:

Broadcast and cable television
PPV/VOD
DVD distribution
Inflight airline distribution
Internet transmission

Ten minutes or ten percent of the running time of a film, whichever is shorter, is allowed to be shown in a nontheatrical medium prior to the film’s theatrical release.

C. Submission
1. Entrants must complete the online submission form located on the Academy Awards Submission site, https://www.academyawardspng.org and submit to the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat the digital upload of the film for streaming purposes with all other required material and required signatures.
2. The filmmakers of the shortlisted documentaries must submit two DCP versions of the documentary after the shortlist is announced. Following the nominations screenings, one copy of the work shall become the property of the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat Film Archive. By submitting a film, the filmmaker agrees that the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat has the right to make copies and distribute them for voting purposes only.

D. Other Rules
1. Documentaries submitted in this category may also qualify for awards in Best narration and Best cinematography categories if they meet the specified requirements and submission deadlines.
2. The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat shall resolve all questions of eligibility and rules.

RULE ELEVEN
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE MUSIC AWARDS

I. DEFINITION

A. Original Score:

An original score is a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring and is written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer(s).

B. Original Song:

An original song consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits.

C. Original Musical:

An original musical consists of not fewer than original songs (as defined in Paragraph I.B above) by the same writer or team of writers, either used as voiceovers or visually performed. Each of these songs must be substantively rendered, clearly audible, and intelligible, and must further the storyline of the motion picture. An arbitrary group of songs unessential to the storyline will not be considered eligible.

II. ELIGIBILITY

A. The work must be the result of a creative interaction between the filmmaker(s) and the composer(s) and/or songwriter(s) who have been engaged to work directly on the motion picture.
B. The score must consist of more than 80% newly composed music which does not contain any pre- existing themes borrowed from previous scores in the franchise.
C. The work must be recorded for use in the motion picture prior to any other usage, including public performance or exploitation through any media whatsoever.
D. Only the principal composer(s) or songwriter(s) responsible for the conception and execution of the work as a whole shall be eligible for an award. Expressly excluded from eligibility are all of the following:
1. Partial contributors (i.e., any writer not responsible for the overall design of the work)
2. Contributors working on speculation
3. Producers and/or arrangers not responsible for the creation of the original song or score
4. Music supervisors

E. A score shall not be eligible if:
1. It has been diluted by the use of pre-existing music, or
2. It has been diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs or any music not composed specifically for the film by the submitting composer, or
3. It has been assembled from the music of more than one composer.

F. No more than one statuette will normally be given in the Original Score category. A second statuette may be awarded when two credited composers function as equal collaborators, each contributing fully to the original dramatic underscore for the film.

G. In cases where three or more credited composers function as equal collaborators, a single statuette may be awarded to the group. Each composer must agree to the single “group statuette” option by signing and returning a Group Award form prior to the submission deadline. Final determination of the awardable composers in the group will be made by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat.

H. No more than two statuettes will normally be given in the Original Song category. A third statuette may be awarded when there are three essentially equal writers of a song. PNG Academy Awards Secretariat has the right, in what it alone determines to be a very rare and extraordinary circumstance, to award a fourth statuette.

I. In cases where or more credited songwriters function as collaborators, a single statuette may be awarded to the group. Each songwriter must agree to the single “group statuette” option by signing and returning a Group Award form prior to the submission deadline. Final determination of the awardable songwriters in the group will be made by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat.

J. In the case of an original musical, the composer or adapter of the instrumental score may qualify for an award if their contribution is deemed relevant and substantial.

K. PNG Academy Awards Secretariat shall resolve all rules interpretations and all questions of eligibility.

L. It is within the sole and confidential discretion of the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat to determine what awards, if any, shall be given.

III. SUBMISSION

A. For an achievement to be eligible for nomination in any of the Music categories, the submission must be initiated either personally by the songwriter or composer, or by their authorized representative, or by an authorized representative of the distributing studio of that film.

B. Submission forms must be signed by all submitting writers and must be accompanied by a complete final music cue sheet listing all music cues.

C. Original Song submissions must further be accompanied by:

A vocal lead sheet
A digital video clip of no more than three minutes of each song, showing how the song is used in the motion picture
A completed “Original Song Contribution Form,” obtainable from the Awards Submission site. PNG Academy Awards Secretariat will review all submission materials when making the determination of award-eligible songwriters.
No more than (5) songs from any one film may be submitted for Original Song, regardless of writer(s).

D. Original Score submission forms must further be accompanied by:
1. A completed “Music Breakdown Form” obtainable from the Awards Submission site
2. A final cue sheet
3. In cases where other non-submitting composers have contributed original music in the film – either by shared authorship of cues or by additional cues not shared with the submitting composer – a letter signed by ALL listed composers explaining the contribution of each must be submitted to the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat by the submission deadline along with all other required materials.

E. The composer’s on-screen credit and submission form, as well as the actual cue sheet for the music as used in the film and supplied by the film company, shall be used by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat to help determine the eligibility of the score.

F. Submissions may be made prior to the film’s qualifying run but must be made no later than 60 days after such opening, or by the submission deadline of 5 p.m. PT on Monday, November 1, 2024, whichever comes first. New submissions will not be accepted beyond this date; however, for existing submissions an extension may be granted at the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat’s discretion only for the purposes of delivery of supplemental materials such as video clips or final cue sheets.

G. PNG Academy Awards Secretariat has the right, but not the obligation, to submit any eligible works in all three categories, but must do so no later than the submission deadline published by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat.

H. Works shall be judged on their effectiveness, craftsmanship, creative substance and relevance to the dramatic whole, and only as presented within the motion picture. Extended, revised, enhanced or alternate versions outside of the film shall not be considered.

I. Films eligible for Original Score and film clips of eligible Original Songs shall be viewed by all members of the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat who will use a preferential voting system.

J. No more than two songs from any one film by the exact same writers may be shortlisted. If more than two songs from a film by the exact same writers are in contention, the two songs with the most votes will advance to the shortlist. However, no more than two songs from any one film, regardless of writers, may be nominated for the Original Song award.

K. Final voting for each category shall be restricted to active and life PNG Academy Awards Secretariat members.

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RULE TWELVE
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SHORT FILM AWARDS

I. DEFINITION

A. A short film is defined as an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits.

B. This excludes from consideration such works as:

previews and advertising films
sequences from feature-length films, such as credit sequences
unaired episodes of established TV series
unsold TV series pilots

II. CATEGORIES

Live Action Short Film

A live action film uses imagery created primarily through practical photographic techniques used to capture physical actors, props, sets, and locations. Documentary short subjects will not be accepted in the live action category. If the picture is created in the cinematic style of a documentary, the filmmaker(s) must also submit information supporting how and why the picture is substantially a work of fiction rather than a documentary.

III. ELIGIBILITY

A. To be eligible for award consideration for the PNG Academy Awards a short film must fulfill one of the following qualifying criteria

The picture must have been publicly exhibited in a commercial motion picture theater in Papua New Guinea
All eligible motion pictures must be publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to ST 428-1:2006 D- Cinema Distribution Master – Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000); and image and sound files packaged as Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) in the “SMPTE DCP” format. SMPTE DCP refers to SMPTE ST 429-2 and related specifications. (Blu-ray format does not meet Digital Cinema requirements.)
The audio in a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is typically 5.1 or 7.1 channels of discrete audio. The minimum for a non-mono configuration of the audio shall be three channels as Left, Center, Right (a Left/Right configuration is not acceptable in a theatrical environment). In addition to channel-based audio, object-based audio may also be present as an immersive audio bitstream.
The audio data shall be formatted in conformance with ST 428-2:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Audio Characteristics and ST 428-12:2013 D-Cinema Distribution Master Common Audio Channels and Soundfield Groups. Immersive audio, if present, shall be formatted in conformance with ST 2098-2:2019 Immersive Audio Bitstream Specification.
All films must be submitted in a standard theatrical exhibition aspect ratio, in formats currently accepted by the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat (see Paragraph III.A.1 above), no matter which other formats may have been used during their theatrical run or festival screening. Producers may provide screenings of films in specialized formats for PNG Academy Awards Secretariat members, but attendance at such screenings is not required for voting purposes

B. A short film qualifying under Paragraph III.A.1 above may not be exhibited publicly or distributed anywhere in any nontheatrical form until after its qualifying theatrical

Broadcast and cable television
PPV/VOD
DVD distribution
Inflight airline distribution
Internet transmission

Excerpts of the film totaling no more than ten percent of its running time are exempted from this rule.

IV. SUBMISSION

A. Short films must be submitted to the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat on 35mm or 70mm film, or as a DCP formatted according to the digital qualification standards described in Paragraph III.A.1 above, along with the digital upload of the film, for streaming purposes. Encrypted films will not be accepted. Formats requiring special technical presentation that meet the technical specifications above will be given consideration if made available for PNG Academy Awards Secretariat voting screenings in

B. The print or DCP of the short film submitted for PNG Academy Awards Secretariat Awards consideration must be identical in content and length to the print or DCP that qualified.

C. Dialogue or narration must be substantially in English or the film must have English-language subtitles.

D. All required entry materials, including the film print or DCP and the digital upload of the film for streaming purposes, must be received by PNG Academy Awards Secretariat

E. If Shortlisted films must have the necessary clearances for commercial theatrical exhibition.

F.The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat will retain for its archives one film print or DCP and DVDs of every short film receiving a nomination for final balloting. The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat will have the right, but not the obligation, to create a preservation copy of the picture at its own expense. All pictures that are not nominated will be returned at PNG Academy Awards Secretariat expense.

G. The recipient of the Wantok will be the individual most directly responsible for the concept and the creative execution of the film. In the event that more than one individual has been directly and importantly involved in creative decisions, a second statuette may be awarded. However, no more than two awards will be given to a winning production.

H. A short film must be submitted in the same Awards year in which it qualifies.

I. Excellence of the entries shall be judged on the basis of originality, entertainment and production quality without regard to cost of production or subject matter

J. Online submission.

K. Final voting for the Live Action Short Film awards shall be restricted to members of the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat who have viewed all the nominated short films.

RULE THIERTEEN
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE WRITING AWARDS

Original Screenplay

1. To be eligible in Writing category, an explicit screenwriting credit must be present.

2. Reminder Lists of all eligible screenplays in to all members of the PNG Academy Awards Secretariat, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than screenplays in each category.

3. The screenplays receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Writing awards.

4. The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat shall resolve all questions of eligibility and rules.

5.Final voting for the Writing awards shall be restricted to active and life PNG Academy Awards Secretariat members.

RULE FOURTEEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR HE WRITING AWARDS

Original Screenplay

To be eligible in the best original story category, an explicit original story adaption must be present.
The original story adaption receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the best story awards
The PNG Academy Awards Secretariat shall resolve all questions of eligibility and rules.
TFinal voting for the original story adaption shall be restricted to active and life PNG Academy Awards Secretariat members