The Austrian public service broadcaster ORF has agreed to sponsor Europe's top award for regional television programmes.

It has agreed to support the Grand Prix of the Prix CIRCOM for the next three years. There are usually about 200 entries in the eight categories of the Prix and the international panel of judges then selects the "best of the best" as the winner of the Grand Prix.

The category winners will be announced after the judging in Slovenia in April, at which RTVSLO are hosts. However, the Grand Prix winner will not be announced until the CIRCOM Regional conference in May in Dundalk, Ireland, where RTÉ are hosts. The Grand Prix winner will receive 2000 euros in addition to the category award.

Gerhard Drexler, ORF Styria Managing Director, said: "The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation is delighted and proud to be the sponsor for the most prestigious award of regional television, the Grand Prix of CIRCOM."

David Lowen, President of the Prix, said: "Everyone at CIRCOM is delighted that ORF will act as sponsors of our major award. The awards set a high quality benchmark for public service television production in the regions."

ORF hosted the judging of the Prix CIRCOM in Wőrthersee near Klagenfurt in 2000. ORF hosts the Eurovision Song Contest in May.

The categories for 2015 are Documentary, Investigative Reporting, Video Journalism, Magazine and News Magazine, Minorities in Society, Rising Star, Music and Most Original. The other sponsors are BBC UK, France TV, TVP Poland, TVR Romania, TG4 Ireland, SVT Sweden, The Dutch Cultural Media Fund, the Council of Europe.

ENTER THE PRIX 2015