Content Categories

Best Animal Behavior Program
Awarded to the program that most effectively explores animal behavior in a new, fresh, imaginative or authoritative way.

Best Earth Sciences Program
Awarded to the program that most effectively contributes to an appreciation and understanding of the geosciences.

Best Environmental Program
Awarded to the program that most effectively contributes to an awareness of the environmental challenges facing the natural world.

Best People & Animals Program
Awarded to the program that most effectively explores the relationship between humans and animals. The human-animal story must be central to the program; the mere presence of people is not sufficient.

Program Categories

Best Limited Series 
Awarded to the television mini-series that most effectively advances a natural history theme. Series of any length may enter. Submit three episodes representative of the series.

Best Theatrical Program 
Awarded to the program whose initial distribution was in a venue for which tickets are sold (commercial cinema, IMAX. theater, museum theater, etc.) that best uses its technology and resources to advance an appreciation of the natural world. Judges will take into account the enormous range in production budgets typical of entries in this category.

Best Children’s Program 
Awarded to the program that most effectively inspires an appreciation of the natural world to young audiences.

Best Nonbroadcast Program 
Projects which have not been distributed on television or in theaters where tickets are sold are eligible for this category, such as projects produced for direct video and DVD sale, for corporate presentations, for display in museums, zoos, parks and aquariums and for use by interest groups. Awarded to the project that most effectively fulfills its mission and advances an appreciation for the natural world.

Best Presenter-led Program 
Awarded to the program that makes the most effective use of a presenter in advancing an appreciation and understanding of the natural world.

Best Short Program 
Awarded to the program, news clip, or magazine segment of not more than 20 minutes that best uses its technology to advance an appreciation of the natural world.

Best Use of New Media 
Awarded to the best use of new media—including user-generated content, video podcasting, mobicasting etc.—to advance an awareness and understanding of the natural word. Entries, regardless of the technology by which they are delivered, must be submitted on tape or DVD.

Marion Zunz Newcomer Award 
Presented in recognition of the achievement of the best first-time filmmaker in the field of natural history production. This award is intended for filmmakers who, while they may have worked on other natural history films, are making the first film for which they have creative control. The submission must include a resume showing past work and an outline of the responsibilities of those who worked on the program.

Craft Categories
In addition to a screening copy of the entire program, entrants in the Craft Categories must provide a tape or DVD no longer than 20 minutes of selected material from the program demonstrating the quality of the craft under consideration.

Best Achievement in Sound 
Awarded for the combined contribution of production mixing, sound editing, sound effects and post production mixing that most enhances the natural history program of which it is a part. There are unique technical specifications for screening copies in this category.

Best CGI/Animation 
Awarded for the animation that, regardless of the technology used to produce it, that most enhances the natural history program of which it is a part.

Best Cinematography 
Awarded for the cinematography that, regardless of the technology used to acquire it, most enhances the natural history program of which it is a part.

Best Editing 
Awarded for the editing that most enhances the natural history program of which it is a part.

Best Interactive Presentation 
Awarded to the program that, regardless of the delivery technology (web,
computer game or other) delivers the best interactive experience while advancing an appreciation of the natural world. Entries may be stand-alone presentations or the companion to a program presented in another medium, but they will be judged entirely on their own for the quality of the interactive experience. Entries of programs that are web-based should provide a one-page description of the project and the url at which the entry is located. Entries of programs distributed in other technologies, such as games, must submit the program itself for consideration.

Best Original Musical Score 
Awarded for the original musical score that most enhances the natural history program of which it is a part.

Best Writing 
Awarded for the writing that most enhances the natural history program of which it is a part through the union of imagery, storyline and narration.

Non-competition Category
Living Seas
Festival 2007 will have a thematic focus on the world's oceans and creatures and will feature a special day of screenings and plenary sessions examining a variety of relevant issues. Since this is not an award category there is no entry fee, but if you would like your film to be considered for inclusion in this featured screening event and for the Wildlife Film Festival's subsequent NatureFilm tour, please check the appropriate box on the entry form.