Applications are now closed for the 2018 content and skills awards which showcase production talent and skills in the television regions of Europe, across all forms of delivery and on different platforms, not just television in the home.

The total value of the awards in cash and benefits is more than 40,000 euros spread across 10 genre categories. One of the category winners will also collect the Grand Prix as “best of the best”. There is also a Special Award presented as part of CIRCOM’s Citizenship co-production.

Winners receive cash, trophy and an invitation to the gala awards show at the CIRCOM Conference in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, in May 2018. Commended entrants are also invited to attend the conference and gala awards show.
The final date for entry was Friday 16 March 2018. The judging is in Tampere, Finland, hosted by YLE from 9-13 April 2018. The gala awards show is on Thursday 24 May 2018, at Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, hosted by Omrop Fryslân.

New in 2018:

• Category winners from regional stations will now be invited to send two delegates to the gala and conference rather than one, with travel and accommodation arranged. Discussions with member stations suggest that this opportunity, alongside the honour and prestige of winning, is valued greatly as part of the prize package
• Several categories will now be open to two entries, rather than one, from each region. This will give each region a second opportunity to find a winning entry and to demonstrate its content quality. In 2018, the categories which permit two entries from a regional station are Video Journalism, News Stories For All, Europe and Young Onscreen Talent ~ more info >>
• Commended programmes will now, like winning entries, be made available rights free to all CIRCOM member stations for screening in return for the benefit of attending the gala and conference ~ more info >>
• All entries will now need to clarify whether and how audiences were involved in influencing the choice of subject matter and content created to emphasise the need for content creators and news providers in the regions to stay close to their audience ~ more info >>
• All entries will now need to make clear how content was delivered across different platforms, in its full form or reworked for streaming or download, to serve internet and mobile phone users. This is part of the need for “public service broadcasters” to become fully “public service media” ~ more info >>
• Entertainment and Drama replaces Entertainment to emphasise the value of scripted fiction in regional content. The category is sponsored by two regional stations in Spain, TPA Asturias-TVG Galicia ~ more info >>
• Music and Arts replaces Music to widen the opportunity for cultural programming in the awards. The sponsor of the category is TG4, the Irish language channel ~ more info >>
• Europe replaces News Report on a European Issue but the criteria remains the same in promoting news stories of issues which have significance and relevance across Europe’s regions. The winner of this category will also be invited to make a professional visit to Brussels by bilateral arrangement with the sponsor. This category is sponsored by the European Committee of the Regions ~ more info >>
• News Stories For All replaces News Programme and Viewer Involvement and emphasises the need to create stories in different forms to deliver successfully across all platforms and reach as many regional audience as possible. The category is sponsored by SVT Sweden ~ more info >>

In addition,

• There is a request to all entrants to voluntarily permit wider broadcast of their entries where rights permit – not just winning and commended entries – in the interests of making more viewers and users around Europe aware of high quality programming in the regions ~ more info >>

The sponsors and categories in 2018 are:

 ORF Austria, sponsor of Grand Prix

 
RTÉ Ireland, sponsor of Documentary

 TPA Asturias-TVG Galicia, sponsors of Entertainment and Drama 

 European Committee of the Regions, sponsor of Europe 

Council of Europe, sponsor of Investigative Journalism

 France Télévisions, sponsor of Minorities in Society

  TVP Poland, sponsor of Most Original and Innovative

 TG4 Ireland, sponsor of Music and Arts

 SVT Sweden, sponsor of News Stories For All

BBC UK, sponsor of Video Journalism

     TVR Romania, sponsor of Young Onscreen Talent

In addition, participating stations in the CIRCOM co-production and co-operation project Citizenship, supported by the European Parliament, have a Special Award for the best features which attracts a further trophy, award and visit to the conference and awards.