Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question not listed below? Email dana@jacksonwild.org
Q) Is my film a good fit for the Jackson Wild Media Awards™?
A) Since 1991, Jackson Wild has strived to recognize media that features all aspects of the natural world. It is our aim to include all the best nature, wildlife, environment and natural science related media from the previous year, including educational, broadcast, theatrical and independent productions.
A biennial event for nearly 30 years, Jackson Wild Media Awards™ is now annual competition, doubling the number of media entries we can honor as finalists and winners, and doubling the chances your entry will be selected as a finalist. Any film completed since June 1st, 2021 is eligible to enter. The deadline to enter is June 1st, 2022.
There are over 20 award categories and Special Jury recognitions, to honor as wide a variety of media as possible, there may be a number of categories that are appropriate for your entry, including content, program and craft categories as well as special jury awards. CLICK HERE to see a list of our categories and their descriptions for more detailed information. You can also review our finalists and winners from 2019, 2020, and 2021 to see the types of programs that do best in each category.
Q) How do I enter my submission into the competition?
A) Review the Terms and Conditions. Review and choose the categories you wish to enter. Prepare the required media outlined in our Media Submissions Guidelines. If you are entering any of the following categories: Breakthrough Film, Limited Series, Student, Sound, or Writing; review the Special Category Requirements. When you are fully prepared to enter your program Click This Link to access our film registration system and follow the instructions to complete the form and upload your media. The system will time out so please have your information collected ahead of time. If you need assistance during the entry process contact dana@jacksonwild.org or call 1 (307) 200-3286 ext. 3.
Q) What happens to my entry after it is submitted?
A) We have a very unique and thorough judging process in which every program is watched in its entirety and scored on various criteria by a panel of judges specially chosen for their experience and expertise as it relates to the entered category. There will be one or two rounds of preliminary judging depending on the number of entrants in your chosen category. This means your submission will be viewed by at least 5 preliminary judges, and sometimes up to 15. With the exception of some special categories, all entries are viewed via our secure, password protected online viewing platform integrated with Vimeo. Based on the results of the preliminary judging, finalists will be announced in August. All finalist media is then reviewed and winners are chosen by our prestigious final jury. Winners will be announced at the Jackson Wild Media Awards Gala during the Jackson Wild Summit in Burgenland, Austria on September 29th, 2022.
Q) What is the judging process?
A) Our preliminary judging pool consists of hundreds of judges from all over the world. Only highly qualified judges with a media, science and conservation background are chosen via our preliminary judging application process. Each category has its own separate panel of judges chosen based on their knowledge and qualifications in the category. For example: judges with professional experience as editors review the Editing category, nature media professionals and biologists review the Animal Behavior, etc. Preliminary judges are also encouraged to nominate worthy programs that do not move forward in their entered categories for Honorable Mention. Every effort is made to ensure there are no conflicts of interest during the judging process.
Q) How many entries are submitted to the Jackson Wild Media Awards™?
A) We expect approximately 300 to 600 media submissions.
Q) How many programs will move on to become finalists?
A) Between 60 and 80 entries will move forward as finalists.
Q) What happens if my submission is chosen as a finalist?
A) If your submission moves forward as a finalist, good things happen!
Q) Many programs do not move forward as finalists, are there benefits to entering the competition for these programs?
A) YES!
Q) Why do you charge entry fees?
A) Jackson Wild is a certified, non-profit organization. We work hard to secure and augment funding for all our programs in various ways, including applied grants, in-kind exchange, sponsorship packages, and the generosity of donors. The entry fees offset only a portion of the tremendous cost of running the Jackson Wild Media Awards, the largest and most thorough competition of its kind. It also restricts entry to only on-topic submissions from dedicated filmmakers that are passionate about their projects, so we can give each individual entry the attention it deserves.
Q) Do you waive or discount entry fees for filmmakers on a limited budget?
A) Unlike a curated film festival, the Jackson Wild Media Awards is a true competition. In the interest of fairness we never waive or discount entry fees. We set our entry fees lower for certain categories that attract emerging and independent filmmakers such as the Shorts, Micro-Movie, Student, etc. We do have our Breakthrough Film category and number of Special Jury nomination categories for which there are no fees. We also offer support to aspiring nature media-makers with limited funds via other initiatives such as our media labs, intern and volunteer programs, as well as offering credit to attend the Summit to qualified members of the industry that serve as a preliminary judge.
A) Since 1991, Jackson Wild has strived to recognize media that features all aspects of the natural world. It is our aim to include all the best nature, wildlife, environment and natural science related media from the previous year, including educational, broadcast, theatrical and independent productions.
A biennial event for nearly 30 years, Jackson Wild Media Awards™ is now annual competition, doubling the number of media entries we can honor as finalists and winners, and doubling the chances your entry will be selected as a finalist. Any film completed since June 1st, 2021 is eligible to enter. The deadline to enter is June 1st, 2022.
There are over 20 award categories and Special Jury recognitions, to honor as wide a variety of media as possible, there may be a number of categories that are appropriate for your entry, including content, program and craft categories as well as special jury awards. CLICK HERE to see a list of our categories and their descriptions for more detailed information. You can also review our finalists and winners from 2019, 2020, and 2021 to see the types of programs that do best in each category.
Q) How do I enter my submission into the competition?
A) Review the Terms and Conditions. Review and choose the categories you wish to enter. Prepare the required media outlined in our Media Submissions Guidelines. If you are entering any of the following categories: Breakthrough Film, Limited Series, Student, Sound, or Writing; review the Special Category Requirements. When you are fully prepared to enter your program Click This Link to access our film registration system and follow the instructions to complete the form and upload your media. The system will time out so please have your information collected ahead of time. If you need assistance during the entry process contact dana@jacksonwild.org or call 1 (307) 200-3286 ext. 3.
Q) What happens to my entry after it is submitted?
A) We have a very unique and thorough judging process in which every program is watched in its entirety and scored on various criteria by a panel of judges specially chosen for their experience and expertise as it relates to the entered category. There will be one or two rounds of preliminary judging depending on the number of entrants in your chosen category. This means your submission will be viewed by at least 5 preliminary judges, and sometimes up to 15. With the exception of some special categories, all entries are viewed via our secure, password protected online viewing platform integrated with Vimeo. Based on the results of the preliminary judging, finalists will be announced in August. All finalist media is then reviewed and winners are chosen by our prestigious final jury. Winners will be announced at the Jackson Wild Media Awards Gala during the Jackson Wild Summit in Burgenland, Austria on September 29th, 2022.
Q) What is the judging process?
A) Our preliminary judging pool consists of hundreds of judges from all over the world. Only highly qualified judges with a media, science and conservation background are chosen via our preliminary judging application process. Each category has its own separate panel of judges chosen based on their knowledge and qualifications in the category. For example: judges with professional experience as editors review the Editing category, nature media professionals and biologists review the Animal Behavior, etc. Preliminary judges are also encouraged to nominate worthy programs that do not move forward in their entered categories for Honorable Mention. Every effort is made to ensure there are no conflicts of interest during the judging process.
Q) How many entries are submitted to the Jackson Wild Media Awards™?
A) We expect approximately 300 to 600 media submissions.
Q) How many programs will move on to become finalists?
A) Between 60 and 80 entries will move forward as finalists.
Q) What happens if my submission is chosen as a finalist?
A) If your submission moves forward as a finalist, good things happen!
- We will publicize your entry as an elite finalist via press releases and social media.
- We will send you a media kit and official laurels to promote your achievement
- A trailer for your submission will be featured as an honorable finalist on our website.
- Your film will be showcased at the 2022 Jackson Wild Summit Sept. 26th - Sept. 30, 2022.
- We will invite you, the filmmaker, to attend the Summit, attend your screening, and network with the delegates.
- All finalist programs gain significant exposure to our sponsors and Summit attendants, including major stakeholders in the nature media industry and conservation field.
- Finalists will be honored and winners will be announced and celebrated at the Jackson Wild Media Awards Gala during the Jackson Wild Summit on Sept. 29th, 2022
Q) Many programs do not move forward as finalists, are there benefits to entering the competition for these programs?
A) YES!
- Entering the Jackson Wild Media Awards is one of the best ways to promote and expose your program to important people in the natural history and wildlife media industry, including major decisions makers from some of the biggest nature media producers in the world, even if it does not move forward as a finalist.
- Information on all submissions will be included in our 2022 Jackson Wild Media Guide, which is published digitally on our website.
- Non-finalist programs may still be eligible for inclusion in Jackson Wild On Tour, a program designed to share the unique nature related media entered into our competition with audiences around the world.
Q) Why do you charge entry fees?
A) Jackson Wild is a certified, non-profit organization. We work hard to secure and augment funding for all our programs in various ways, including applied grants, in-kind exchange, sponsorship packages, and the generosity of donors. The entry fees offset only a portion of the tremendous cost of running the Jackson Wild Media Awards, the largest and most thorough competition of its kind. It also restricts entry to only on-topic submissions from dedicated filmmakers that are passionate about their projects, so we can give each individual entry the attention it deserves.
Q) Do you waive or discount entry fees for filmmakers on a limited budget?
A) Unlike a curated film festival, the Jackson Wild Media Awards is a true competition. In the interest of fairness we never waive or discount entry fees. We set our entry fees lower for certain categories that attract emerging and independent filmmakers such as the Shorts, Micro-Movie, Student, etc. We do have our Breakthrough Film category and number of Special Jury nomination categories for which there are no fees. We also offer support to aspiring nature media-makers with limited funds via other initiatives such as our media labs, intern and volunteer programs, as well as offering credit to attend the Summit to qualified members of the industry that serve as a preliminary judge.