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Published: 11 December 2015

Frequently Asked Questions 

What’s the Prix CIRCOM all about?

The Prix CIRCOM has been in existence for more than 31 years. It is the showcase for the best television programmes produced and broadcast by the public service regional stations in Europe. Winning an award does not just mean money and trophy – it means professional kudos for the winning station and a valuable line in a personal curriculum vitae. More about the Prix...

Who runs the Prix?

There is a President of the Prix who acts as chair of the specialist judges. This role has the duty to identify and agree sponsorship, define categories and criteria for those categories, select qualified judges, find a judging venue and judging host, organise the judging process, confirm the verdict of the judges, arrange the attendance of the winners and commended at the gala award presentation, organise and produce the awards ceremony (often as a live broadcast), create workshops for Meet The Winners at the conference and promote the Prix to the European television community and beyond. The President reports to CIRCOM’s Executive Committee and its European Board. Rule 26

Who sponsors the Prix?

The sponsors are mainly broadcast members of CIRCOM but sponsorship is also available to associations and organisations which regard regional television broadcasting and production as important. Organisations – including commercial companies – who might consider supporting the Prix should contact Fernando Ojea, the General Secretary, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

What are the rules of the Prix CIRCOM?

The rules are set out (in English) on the CIRCOM web site. They change very little from year to year but you should always check you are reading the latest version. Your own broadcaster is free to make a local translation of the Rules – but the version in English is always the final and approved version. Rules of Entry

Who can enter?

Entries are only accepted from the member stations of CIRCOM. If your station has not paid its subscription fee, this will need to be done before an entry can be validated. If you are an independent producer, you will need to contact the station which commissioned your work: only they can enter your programme. See Rule 1

What if my entry is part of a co-production with other stations?

Entries from CIRCOM member stations who are creating co-productions are welcome. If you want to enter a co-production, you will need to check with the other stations that this is OK. If the co-production wins an award, the prize money is allocated to the entering station to distribute.. See Rules 19 and 20

How many times can I enter?

There are four categories which permit TWO entries per regional station – News Report, News Programme, Video Journalism and Young Onscreen Talent. In the other categories, you can enter once. There are 11 categories, so any one station can make a total of 15 entries. See Rule 3 and Rule 21

Does my entry need to be approved?

Yes. Every entry needs to be approved by the representative to CIRCOM of the member broadcaster, normally known as the “national co-ordinator”. This is necessary to check that no region is entering twice in the same category if only one entry is permitted or more than twice in those categories (News Report, Video Journalism, News Programme and Young Onscreen Talent) in which two entries are permitted and that the broadcaster is happy to approve an entry. If, for some reason, you are without a national co-ordinator, this task will be filled by the President of the Prix. See Rule 2

How is my entry approved?

When you fill in the online entry form, a version will be automatically sent to your National Co-ordinator, who will complete the entry process with formal confirmation. If for any reason, there is no national co-ordinator, the President of the Prix will be asked to approve the entry.

What if I am not on the staff of a CIRCOM member station?

You can still enter your programme but only if approved by the commissioning station and entered under its name. See Rule 1

What categories can I enter?

In 2022, there are 11 categories: Digital Multimedia, Documentary, News Report, News Programme, Most Original and Innovative, Minorities in Society, Music and Arts, Young Onscreen Talent, Investigative Journalism, Video Journalism, Entertainment and Drama. If you want to enter Young Onscreen Talent, you need to be aged 30 or under.  It is not possible to enter the Grand Prix: this is open only to entries selected by the judges from among the category winners.

How much does it cost to enter?

It’s free. Most other competitions charge entry fees - but this competition is free to member stations. There will be costs to be borne in translation and providing a version with subtitles but this is regrettably unavoidable to make sure your entry can be properly judged.

Why must I add subtitles?

The subtitles are essential so the judges can understand what is being spoken in your programme. For practical reasons, English is the common language. We even ask the English-language programmes to add subtitling because regional accents can be confusing for non-English judges. See Rule 8

How good must the subtitles be?

The subtitles do not have to be broadcast accurate. Nor do they have to be language accurate. They are a guide for judges only to help them better understand what is happening. Google Translate and other conversion software can help immensely, although there does need to be final human intervention – especially with the lesser-used languages. See Rule 8  and paragraph Subtitling and Translation

How do I enter?

You can enter only by using the official entry form on the CIRCOM web site. No other method of entry is acceptable. 

What information do you need to give?

You need to fill in all the spaces as requested on the entry form so we can properly identify your entry and so the judges can better understand why you think the entry is worthy of winning. Please pay special attention to the background of no more than 250 words. The judges find this really helpful. Make sure you mention why you made the programme, why it is considered special and also any impact it has had. Please note there is also a section to be completed on delivery and distribution by means other than broadcast alone and on how and if you involved your audience in selecting content themes. You will also need to state the rights availability, including international distribution rights.
See Rule 7 
See List of information you need to provide
See Step-by-step manual on how to use the entry form

What do you mean by non-broadcast delivery?

Delivery can be by streaming as well as “traditional” broadcast. These days, regional stations should not and often do not just “broadcast” content. They distribute by many means and the audience can also interact with content. From programmes broadcast in a schedule and viewed on a TV set in the home, we are now into a world of content delivered on many platforms to be viewed at any time on many devices. Indeed, now much regional content is delivered only online and not broadcast at all. This needs to be reflected in our criteria and in our judging. The new Digital Multimedia category reflects this specifically but so now do all our criteria.

What do you mean by involving the audience?

This goes beyond interactivity with completed content to involvement in selecting and creating content. Regional stations need to listen more to audiences on what they consider important. In this way, regional stations can still claim to be close to their audience. It is about “bottom up” rather than “top down”. The judges would now like to know how and why content is chosen – not just what it looks like on a screen.

By what date must I complete my entry?

Entry forms have to be completed and videos uploaded by Friday 11 March 2022. See Rules 9 and 10

How do I deliver my entry to CIRCOM?

Video entries need to be uploaded by FTP in the codec H.264. No other way of delivering entries is acceptable. When you have filled in the entry form and told that the entry is accepted, you are instructed how to upload. One tip – do not leave it to the last week to upload or you may find yourself in a very long queue as entries fight for bandwidth and capacity on the server. See Rule 10 ~ See Step-by-step manual on how to enter the Prix

Who will judge my programme or entry?

CIRCOM brings together about 14 qualified production and broadcast professionals with substantial experience of making or commissioning programmes. They view the programmes in small groups and discuss what they see. If they think a programme might be the winner or a commended, they usually pass to another group to get a further opinion. If any of the judges has made one of the entered programmes or is from the same broadcaster, they are required to point this out to their colleague judges. If a vote is required for any reason, they will not take part. Some judging is also done remotely and – because of Covid – all judging in 2020 and 2021 was remote.

What are the judges looking for?

First check the general Award Criteria section and then the individual category criteria. This gives the best clue about what you should be offering the judges. After that, it becomes more difficult to be specific. Judges are individuals of great experience and each may have a different view on what makes “a winning programme”. Different categories require different winning qualities. Different judges place priorities on different qualities. Judging is more of an art than a science. Generally speaking, on programme entries, they look for a good story, clearly told, in a way which will entice and inspire viewers, with a supporting use of high quality production techniques, and some regional relevance. More tips are available in “How to Win an Award – Well, Maybe….” elsewhere in this document. But, be warned, those views are just personal and cannot be a guarantee of success. Anyway, they are worth a read!  

Must the programme be about my region?

Not necessarily. The awards are about the quality of television production and content creation in the regions, not just programmes about regions or watched only in regions. However, there is no doubt that the judges prefer regional relevance. The programme need not have been made for broadcast in a region because we want to show how regional productions add value to networks and have the quality to travel around the world also. A programme made by a central production team about a general subject and for broadcast primarily on the national network or internationally will generally be at a disadvantage in these awards. The smaller countries, clearly, may not have regional broadcasting and allowance is made for this.
See Award Criteria: For all categories

How do I find out if I am a winner or commended?

The judges reach their verdict at the end of the judging week. You will then be contacted and told you have been selected by the jury as a winner or commended. You then have to assure CIRCOM that you have complied with all the Rules of Entry, including the rights requirements and especially international distribution rights. You may be asked for some evidence. No public announcement will be made until such details have been checked and assurance given and accepted.  See Rules of Entry

If I am a winner or commended, when and where do I collect my award?

The winner and the commended in each category are invited to attend the CIRCOM Conference, which usually takes place about threeweeks after the conclusion of the judging. The trophy (winner only) and the certificates (winner and commended) are presented (usually in front of the television cameras) at a gala awards ceremony. You should also register for the Conference on the official registration form but the CIRCOM Secretariat will be in touch to help make such arrangements as are necessary.

Can I bring a friend or colleague to the award ceremony?

The conference is free to anyone from CIRCOM member stations – and to guests of the winners and commended or their work colleagues. However, CIRCOM’s prize money is passed across to the entering station. It is up to that station how the money is spent. CIRCOM only guarantees to pay the flight/travel costs and accommodation (for up to two nights) of the winner and commended, plus a second delegate (preferably a younger professional) from the winning station. Others have to pay for themselves or be paid for by agreement with their employers, not CIRCOM. Also, everyone (including winner, second permitted delegate and commended) will have to register for the Conference on the official registration form.    

If I am a winner or commended, what do I have to do at the CIRCOM Conference?

Most of the time you can enjoy and take part in the debates, watch the presentations, network with Europe’s top public service television executives and producers. However, we do want everyone who attends the conference to have the chance to “meet the winner” and commended and hear something about the winning entries. The usual way is to have a short workshop at which you can show some excerpts and people can ask questions. You are granted two nights’ accommodation – but can, of course, book more at your own expense. Make sure you plan your flights in good time to attend the workshops and gala.

If I am the Young Onscreen Talent winner, how does my internship work?

Because of Covid, this year’s winner and last year’s winner are still waiting to fulfil the intern placement. Before that, Katrine Fuglsang from TV Midt-Vest, Denmark, spent a week at the BBC in Hull last year. In October 2015, Tom Brown from BBC East Midlands spent a week with John Inge Johansen, also a video journalist, in his far north region of NRK Nordland. Nick Sheridan, from RTÉ, winner in 2016, visited SVT Lulea and worked alongside the winner of the VJ category, Randi Gitz. In 2017, Thomas Mignon, from RTBF, chose to go to SVT Lulea also. We cannot be specific on how this will work each year – or even if it can work each year. The winner will state a preferred region to visit and we will request the internship from the broadcaster on your behalf. Some broadcasters have legal or insurance issues about hosting “guests”.  Nothing is ever simple! But, with your help and the help of our member stations, we will do our best to fulfil your dreams!

What rights are conceded by entering or winning or being commended?

If your entry is lucky enough to win or be commended, the Rules of Entry require it to be freely available, within a limited time period, to be broadcast or streamed by any CIRCOM member station. Not all stations choose to transmit but it does mean that you and the entering station need to make sure that all rights are cleared - and it is the entering station’s responsibility to ensure this is done and paid for when necessary. No rights costs of a winning or commended entry can fall on the transmitting station. Producers are accustomed to clearing music and other rights within programmes but we would strongly recommend more detailed and wider checks on international sales rights which may have been conceded.
See section RIGHTS of the Rules of Entry

Can my entry be shown round Europe, even if it is not a winner?

That’s up to you and the entering station. It might be possible if other stations are keen to show it. All entrants are also asked to offer, if they can, to make every entry available for use by member stations. The aim is to allow the widest possible circulation of programmes to the benefit of our regional citizens. However, this is purely voluntary and there is a “tick box” on the online entry form which sets out whether this can be offered free or with some fees payable. It is important that transmitting stations do ensure that all relevant rights are, indeed, cleared. The Prix is a great showcase for programming quality.

See Rule 11
See section VOLUNTARY AVAILABILITY OF ENTRIES TO CIRCOM MEMBERS of the Rules of Entry

If there’s a dispute, how is it resolved?

Hopefully by discussion, explanation and mutual agreement. If not, the decision of the co-Presidents is final. See Rule 26

ANY QUESTIONS?

Questions about or problems relating to the web-based entry form, video delivery, or other technical issues to:
Tonja Stojanac at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Questions about the Rules of Entry only to Mojca Recek at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.