MAVERICK AWARDS for all of the below categories will be given to one feature AND one short or, accordingly, one individual from each category. Award-winners will be selected from a list of honorees comprised of two to ten nominees in Features and two to fifteen nominees in Shorts. The MMA categories are:

BEST PICTURE
All genres of narrative, documentary, animated, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST DIRECTOR
All genres of narrative, documentary, animated, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST SCREENPLAY
Only narrative, animated, and experimental pictures will be considered for this award. Original work and adaptations from all genres will be considered for this award.

BEST CHRONICLE
Only documentary, musical, or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award. Please note that narration text, corresponding visual texts and graphics, as well as overall recountal structure will be considered for this award.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
All non-animated narrative, documentary, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award. There will be no designation between photographic and digital cinematography.

BEST ANIMATION
Only cel animation, computer animation, stop-motion cinematography, rotoscoping, and other pictures utilizing visual processes classifiable as “animation” will be considered for this award. Only completely animated pictures will be eligible for this award. Please see Best Special Effects for computer-generated imagery (CGI), etc.

BEST ACTOR
Only performances in narrative fiction pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST ACTRESS
Only performances in narrative fiction pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Only performances in narrative fiction pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Only performances in narrative fiction pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST PERFORMANCE
Only performances from documentary (specifically narration), animated (specifically voice talent), musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST EDITING
All genres of narrative, documentary, animated, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
All genres of narrative, documentary, animated, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST SOUNDTRACK
All genres of narrative, documentary, animated, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award. Please note that pictures without proper rights clearances for soundtrack music will be disqualified from eligibility for this award.

BEST SOUND DESIGN/EDITING
All genres of narrative, documentary, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
All genres of narrative, documentary, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award. Please note that costumes, hair and makeup, locations, set dressing, overall art direction, and all other elements that culminate in a picture’s complete production design are considered for this award.

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
All genres of narrative, documentary, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award. Please note that the “special effects” considered for this award include any and all practical effects done on location, in-camera effects, computer-generated imagery (CGI), optical effects, mechanical effects, composting, mattes, miniatures, etc., and/or a combination thereof.  Prosthetic /special effects make-up, which includes blood and gore effects, is a separate award.

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKE-UP
All genres of narrative, documentary, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award. Please note that this award is exclusive to prosthetic/special effects make-up, which includes blood and gore effects.

BEST STUNTS
All genres of narrative, documentary, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award.

BEST STUDENT PICTURE
All genres of narrative, documentary, animated, musical, experimental, and/or performance-based pictures will be considered for this award. Student moviemakers must provide student ID that is valid within two years of submission copyright date. Graduate-level work is eligible. Submitting to this category DOES NOT exclude moviemakers from other categories.

THE PRECIOUS
This special award is reserved for any moment, any detail, anything that we deem worthy of recognition in any picture, of any length, in any genre. In the past we have given “The Precious” for particularly hilarious lines of dialogue, outstanding technical achievements, and in recognition of intense passion and commitment to the medium. What’s next depends on you.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND DISTINCTIONS: “Feature” refers to pictures that are seventy (70) minutes and over. “Experimental” refers exclusively to non-narrative, non-documentary works. We reserve the right to re-categorize submissions as we deem appropriate.