THE 15th INTERNATIONAL TRT DOCUMENTARY AWARDS RULES AND TERMS
1. SUBJECT AND PURPOSE
The International TRT Documentary Awards is an event organized; to support amateur and professional documentary filmmakers, to contribute to the development and popularization of the documentary genre, to ensure the meeting of different and high-quality documentary films from various countries with the audience, to create, in the long term, a ground where documentary film-makers from all over the world will meet and exchange ideas.
2. ORGANIZATION
The TRT Documentary Awards are organized by Türkiye's first and only public broadcaster the Turkish Radio-Television Corporation ("TRT" and/or the "Corporation").
3. CATEGORIES
3.1. The TRT Documentary Awards are carried out in two main sections: National and International Category. Participants/Competitors shall fill out and sign the application forms according to the category they will compete in. They can only compete with the same work only in one category.
3.1.1. National Category: The National Category is carried out in two sub-categories, "Student Films" and "Professionals". Participants specify in the application form from which category they will compete in. The same participant cannot compete in more than one category and/or sub-category, even with different works. The language of the National Category Competition is Turkish. If the documentaries to compete in the National Category contain languages other than Turkish, a copy of the Turkish voice-over or Turkish subtitled shall be delivered to TRT.
a. Student Films Category: Only those, who are students at the time of production of the film, can participate in this category. Participants will be asked to document this condition at the time of application. Documentary films to participate in the Student Films Category shall have a running time of at least 15 minutes, and shall not exceed 60 minutes.
b. Professional Films Category: Documentary films to participate in this category must have a running time of at least 20 minutes.
3.1.2. International Category: Documentaries to participate in the International Category shall have a running time of at least 25 minutes. The language of the International Category Competition is English. If the documentaries to participate in the International Category are in languages other than English or contain different languages, a copy with English voice-over or English subtitles shall be submitted to the competition.
3.1.3. The 60th Anniversary Special Award:
Within the scope of the 15th TRT Documentary Awards, a special award will also be given in honor of the 60th anniversary of the foundation of TRT, which is marked in 2024. No separate application will be received for the TRT 60th Anniversary Special Award: from among the productions that have reached the finals in all categories, a production with a running time of not less than 20 minutes those that align with the theme of the 60th Anniversary of TRT (a production with a running time of at least 15 minutes for the Student Category Films) a total of three productions with one production from each category will be selected by the TRT Jury Committee.
4. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
4.1. Documentary productions can participate in the competition. Films, which are produced outside this genre, such as TV programs, promotional films, etc.,do not have artistic concerns and cannot be evaluated within the boundaries of cinema art are not accepted to the competition.
4.2. Films, which are entirely fictional, animated, etc., and contain documentary sections to support the narration cannot participate in the competition, but dramatic documentaries and docu-dramas that are completely documentary and contain fictional, experimental, animated, etc. sections to support the narrative can participate in the Competition.
4.3. Documentaries that have only been shot in a technical format suitable for TV broadcasting (mxf, mov, mpeg-2, mpeg-4 extension) in Full HD and 4K can participate in the Competition.
4.4. Documentaries that are produced only after the date of 01 January 2023 can participate in the Competition. Productions that have previously participated in the TRT Documentary Awards cannot participate in the Competition.
4.5. Excluding the TRT Documentary Awards, having previously participated in, and/or having received awards from national or international competitions does not prevent participation in this Competition. However, such participation shall not constitute an impediment to the transfer of the rights stipulated in Article 10 of this Rules and Terms and that are to be transferred to TRT. The finalists shall sign and submit the Letter of Consent to be provided by TRT. Award winners shall sign the Economic Rights Transfer Declaration to be provided by TRT and submit it to TRT. Additionally, award winners shall submit the Letter of Consent of the Copyright Owner, signed by the relevant contributors to the work, to TRT.
4.6. Documentaries realized as "series" can participate in the Competition with a maximum of one episode that has an integrity in itself.
4.7. Candidates can participate in the Competition with more than one documentary in the same category.
4.8. Documentary participants who will participate in the Competition in the National Category must be Turkish citizens. Holders of TRNC citizenship can also compete in this category.
4.9. Documentary films, which violate the applicable laws and legal regulations of the Republic of Türkiye and the European Convention on Cross-Border TV Broadcasting, documentaries that insult any nation, country, religion or have a propaganda nature, encourage or support violence, war, drug use or pornography, praise all kinds of fanaticism and documentaries that have an advertising element cannot participate in the competition. They will not be considered as a candidate in case of participation.
4.10. RTÜK members, the Chairman and Members of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Radio-Television Corporation, the General Manager and Deputy General Managers, those who are appointed as principal or substitute members in the selection committee related to the Competition to be announced, and all TRT Staff who take / do not take part in the organization of the Competition, their spouses and the companies they have the biggest shares; their first-degree relatives cannot participate in the Competition and cannot contribute to or help the work during the realization phase. If any violation of these conditions are detected, the work will be disqualified from the Competition. If the prize has been given, it will be withdrawn.
4.11. Documentaries, which have been produced or co-produced by TRT, and commissioned by TRT outside the Corporation , cannot participate in the Competition.
5. APPLICATIONS
5.1. The “TRT Documentary Awards” are open to all documentarians who meet the conditions of participation. Participation is free of charge.
5.2. Application and Pre-Selection Process: Those who want to participate in the Competition can make their applications starting from, Thursday October 17, 2024 via www.trtbelgesel.com or filmfreeway.com, until Friday, November 15, 2024 at 18.00 hours, which is the deadline for the pre-selection. In order for the application to be completed, the application forms must be filled out completely, the clarification text must be read and approved, and the documentary films must be uploaded to the relevant area or shared with downloadable links (if any, with passwords).
5.3. The works to be uploaded shall be in Turkish audio or Turkish subtitled for the National Category; for the International Category, it shall be English audio or subtitled in English. In other languages, for the films without English subtitles, the srt files in English must also be attached to the application form. The works shall be saved with mxf, mov, mpeg2, mpeg 4 extensions suitable for TV broadcast format.
5.4. Those who fill out the application form totally and complete the application are considered to have accepted the conditions of participation, the Competition Specification and the clarification text.
5.5. The shipments of the works that qualify for the final, to be made in person and by cargo, shall be sent to TRT General Directorate (Internal Productions Department, TRT Documentary Awards, A Block Floor: 8 No:801), Turan Güneş Boulevard 06550 OR-AN ANKARA/TÜRKİYE. Applications submitted after 18:00 hours on Friday, November 15, 2024 or those sent by post or cargo after this date will not be considered.
5.6. The pre-selection results will be announced on Friday, November 22, 2024.
5.7. Competition Process:
Documentaries that qualify for the competition final shall provide the following materials:
For the National Category:
For the International Category:
All the materials mentioned above must be hand-delivered to the address specified by the Organization and Execution Committee or posted or sent via a website link with a download password by November 27, 2024, at the latest. The submitted copies shall not contain any advertisements. Finalists must submit the wet-signed original of the Letter of Consent provided by TRT, to the Organization and Execution Committee before the Jury Committee meetings.
6. EVALUATION
6.1. Preliminary Evaluation Committee and Working Conditions:
6.1.1. The Preliminary Evaluation Committee consists of a minimum of 5 (five) members. The members of the Committee include among representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkiye, representatives of professional organizations, academicians, industry representatives, and TRT representatives. With the approval of the TRT Documentary Awards Organization and Executive Committee, the Preliminary Evaluation Committee may increase the number of members designated to categorize and evaluate the applications.
6.1.2. The Preliminary Evaluation Committee evaluates and screens the works submitted to the competition in terms of compliance with the specifications, technical aspects, aesthetics, creativity, and category selection.
6.1.3. The Preliminary Evaluation Committee submits its decisions in written, reasoned, and signed form to the Organization and Execution Committee.
6.1.4. The Organization and Execution Committee has the right to exclude works with missing documents or materials from evaluation.
6.2. Jury Committees and Working Conditions:
6.2.1. The Juries consist of a minimum of 5 members each for a total of 3 categories, namely National Student Films, National Professional, and International Professional Categories. The Jury members are selected by the TRT Documentary Awards Organization and Executive Committee from individuals who, despite their specialization in various fields, have significant perspectives on cinema due to their respected positions in society. These individuals may include filmmakers from various countries, academics involved in cinema, cinema writers, members of cinema-related organizations, television professionals, film festival organizers, and experts in different fields.
6.2.2. Individuals who have been involved in any way in the production of films participating in the competition cannot be members of the Jury Committees.
6.2.3. The TRT Documentary Awards Organization and Execution Committee includes an observer without voting rights in the Jury Committee meetings. The observer may contribute to the resolution of method-related issues.
6.2.4. Before starting to watch the films, the Jury Committees hold their initial meetings with a representative member of the TRT Documentary Awards Organization and Execution Committee present. During this meeting, information about the TRT Documentary Awards is provided to the members. Following this, the Jury Committees shall elect their own Chairman from among themselves and determine their working methods.
6.2.5. Jury Committee members are obliged to watch all films.
6.2.6. The Jury Committees make their decisions, taking into account the creativity and artistic quality of the films.
6.2.7. Jury Committees make decisions by a simple majority. All voting processes are conducted secretly.
6.2.8. The working language of the Jury Committees is Turkish for National Category and English for the International Category.
6.2.9. The Chairman and all members of the Jury Committees have only one vote each.
6.2.10. The Jury Committees determine the films to be awarded in each category from among the films accepted for the competition. The Jury Committees are not obliged to give awards if there are no works of sufficient quality in any category. In the event that two films are deemed worthy of an award, the relevant award is shared between the two works. The awards can be delivered in the name of organizations and persons, who contributed to TRT Documentary Awards.
6.2.11. The Jury Committees submit their decisions in written, reasoned, and signed form to the TRT Documentary Awards Organization and Execution Committee before the date of the announcement of the results. Participants have no right to object to the results.
7. ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS
The results will be officially announced at the Award Ceremony on Sunday December 15, 2024.
8. AWARDS
8.1. The awards, in both National and International categories, are as follows:
8.1.1. National Category:
a) Student Films Category:
b) Professional Category:
8.1.2. International Category:
8.2. Subject to Article 6.2.10, the Jury Committees cannot give awards in types or quantities not specified in this specification. However, individuals, institutions, or organizations wishing to offer additional special awards in areas outside the award categories of TRT Documentary Awards, within the year in which the competition is held, may apply to the TRT Documentary Awards Organization and Execution Committee. After evaluation and approval by the Committee, the decision is communicated to the Jury Committees.
8.3. The purpose of additional awards must be communicated to the Organization and Execution Committee by individuals, institutions, or organizations applying for them, and the decision will be made by the Organization and Execution Committee.
8.4. In case the broadcasting rights of a work submitted for the competition have been acquired by TRT before the announcement of the competition results, and the work wins an award, the difference between the award amount and the License Fee stipulated in TRT’s purchase agreement shall be paid to the participant as the award. In case the amount specified in the Purchase Agreement is higher than the amount of award, no additional payment shall be made. .9. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
9.1. Award-winning documentaries in the National Category grant, exclusive broadcasting rights to TRT, including internet TV, IPTV, VOD podcasting, and new media, satellite and terrestrial, and digital methods, open, encrypted, paid, and all kinds of media and TV broadcasting rights and rights of making available to the public, , without being limited to in terms of number, term, place, material with a full license and sublicensed rights. The license start date is the date of signing the Economic Rights Transfer Declaration and Licence Agreement, following the transfer of the award amount to the relevant parties' accounts. TRT can use these reproduction and distribution rights, including broadcasting and rights of making available to the public, ,reproduction, dissemination, representation, and publication rights, in Turkish and other languages, with dubbing or subtitles, in all TRT media, including all TRT satellite TV channels, websites and VOD platforms.
9.2. Award-winning documentaries in the International Category, provided that they are in Turkish; grant, exclusive to TRT, the broadcasting rights, including internet TV, IPTV, VOD, podcasting, and new media, satellite and terrestrial, and digital methods, open, encrypted, paid, and all kinds of TV broadcasting rights and rights of making available to the public , for a period of 1 year, with unlimited screenings in terms of quantity, with a full license and sublicensed rights. The license start date is the date of signing the Economic Rights Transfer Declaration and Licence Agreement, following the transfer of the award amount to the relevant parties' accounts. TRT can use these reproduction and distribution rights, including broadcasting and rights of making available to the public, reproduction, dissemination, representation, and publication rights, in Turkish, English and other languages, with dubbing or subtitles in all TRT media, including all TRT satellite TV channels, websites and VOD platforms.
9.3. Participants acknowledge, declare, and undertake that their works are original; they do not infringe the copyright or other rights of third parties; they have obtained the necessary permission from the owners of any works used in their works; if they win an award, they are authorized to transfer these rights to TRT, and that all rights to the work belong to them, and they are free from any third-party rights and claims. Participants also acknowledge that any compensation or other penalties claimed by individuals whose work appears in their work or whom they benefit from are their responsibility, and that they are solely responsible for any legal, administrative, criminal, and financial liability that may arise from TRT's use of these rights, and that they are aware that penalties and triple compensation may be imposed under the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works No. 5846.
9.4. Participants, if their works win awards, must submit the original documents (Economic Rights Transfer Declaration) showing that they have transferred the rights specified in the specification to TRT, to be obtained from the Director, Dialogue Writer, Original Music Composer, and, if applicable, the Screenwriter, Animator, or any person, institution, or organization that previously transferred these rights, and submit these original documents, along with other materials and wet-signed Licence Agreement requested by TRT for broadcasting, to TRT before receiving the award.
9.5. For award-winning documentaries, including special awards and additional awards, no additional fees will be paid for the use of the rights transferred to TRT. Participants must submit the original Economic Rights Transfer Declaration and Licence Agreement to TRT at the latest before receiving the award.
9.6. Participants, if they reach the finals, must submit the broadcast copy with the technical specifications requested by TRT, including separate channels for music/effects and sound, if not previously provided, along with the text and promotional materials of the work to TRT.
9.7. Participants acknowledge and accept that if they qualify for the finals, they cannot claim the award without signing the Letter of Consent attached to this specification, and furthermore, they cannot receive the award without signing the Economic Rights Transfer Declaration.
10. AWARD AMOUNTS
The award amounts, related to the winning work, will be paid by TRT within 1 (One) month following the submission of the documents (signed The Letter of Consent of the Copyright Owner and the License Agreement, and Economic Rights Transfer Declaration) and materials specified in Article 8 of this specification, as committed by the owner of the work. If the participant has transferred the rights specified in this contract to another individual or organization (Distributor), and subject to providing the Letter of Consent, from these individuals when reaching the finals, the award amount will be paid as follows: 50% to the Participant and 50% to the person or organization holding the transferred rights, after necessary legal deductions. Except for the periods specified in other articles for document submission, the documents and materials requested by TRT must be submitted to TRT within a maximum of 6 months from the date when the results are officially announced. If the commitments are not fulfilled, the information provided in the application form is found to be incorrect, or if there is a deviation from the specification as determined by TRT, the payment will not be made, and if a payment has already been made, it will be retrieved with legal interest. The participant accepts this.
11. GENERAL CONDITIONS
11.1. Non-compliant applications may be eliminated by the TRT Documentary Awards Organization and Execution Committee, Pre-selection Committee, or the relevant Jury Committee.
11.2. Co-productions are accepted to the competition in the name of the submitting organization, and the participant guarantees that other co-producers have approved this participation.
11.3. It is mandatory to specify co-producers in the application form.
11.4. Expenses related to participation in the competition, such as shipping, customs, freight, and insurance costs, are the responsibility of the participant.
11.5. The TRT Documentary Awards Organization and Execution Committee may culturally screen all or part of the documentaries participating in the competition or broadcast them in different languages in cities and venues specified domestically and internationally.
11.6. The reproduction and broadcast rights of the award-winning documentaries in the competition on DVD media are transferred exclusively to TRT for the License Period, with the permission of the copyright holder or holders, excluding the copies of the award-winning works. Within this framework, TRT can duplicate and distribute a DVD set containing copies of the award-winning documentaries for cultural purposes, either free of charge or for a fee. Additionally, TRT may distribute a promotional press kit consisting of DVD releases of the award-winning documentaries or a catalog of promotional materials for the works that have reached the finals.
11.7. Materials sent to TRT for pre-selection by the documentaries participating in the competition will not be returned. Copies of documentary films that have passed the pre-selection stage will be sent to the address indicated in the application form, provided that the request for return is specified in the application form, and at the expense of TRT, excluding the copies of the award-winning works.
11.8. TRT has the right to broadcast created through technical processes such as editing, cutting, cropping, segmenting, shortening, etc. up to 3 (three) minutes of any work that has participated in the competition, whether on its own TV channels and other platforms, or on other TV channels, VOD platforms, mobile applications, social media accounts and platforms broadcasting in Turkiye, for promotional purposes of the competition.
11.9. Any visual material submitted to TRT for participation in the competition may be used/broadcast in printed media and all other media, including but not limited to the internet, for promotional purposes of the competition, without payment to the copyright holder.
11.10. The broadcast of the award-winning documentary films in the competition is subject to the relevant broadcasting regulations of TRT and the broadcasting principles of RTÜK (Radio and Television Supreme Council).
11.11. The application form for the competition shall be signed by the economic right holder and/or the Director(s) of the documentary film.
11.12. These conditions are in Turkish and have been translated into English. In the event of any dispute between the two texts, the Turkish text shall prevail.
11.13. In matters not specified in this specification and if the number of participants does not reach a certain number, the decision to evaluate or not evaluate is exclusively the authority of TRT.
11.14. TRT reserves the exclusive and unilateral right to make any changes to this specification.
11.15. Participants are deemed to have accepted these conditions.
11.16. Ankara Courts and Execution Offices are authorized to resolve any disputes arising from the implementation of this specification.
