A Videography Awards 2025/26 Rules

Please find the Full Rules here!

1. COST & NUMBER OF ENTRIES

• Each entry costs €10 per video.
• Entrants may enter up to 5 videos per category per round. One free entry per round per category.

2. VIDEO RULES

• Only videos captured after 1st January 2024 are eligible.
• Short video entries must be no longer than 120 seconds and in 9:16 or 16:9 ratio.
• Videos must fit the category description, or they will be eliminated from the awards.
• Entries must be uploaded to the awards website as MP4 files.
• The resolution should be no larger than 1080p (Full HD). Do not upload 4K videos – they are too cumbersome for volume management.
• Judges will be informed of the 1080p resolution requirement when assessing entries.
• You may only enter videos if you were the primary hired videographer for the wedding or commercial shoot. Second shooters are not allowed to enter.

3. CLOSING DATES

Spring Competition

• Open for entries: 1st May – 31st May 2025
• Online Judging: 1st June – 15th June 2025
• Results: 30th June 2025

Summer Competition

• Open for entries: 1st July – 31st July 2025
• Online Judging: 1st August – 18th August 2025
• Results: 31st August 2025

Autumn Competition

• Open for entries: 1st October – 31st October 2025
• Online Judging: 1st November – 17th November 2025
• Results: 30th November 2025

4. JUDGING

• Each category is judged by 3–5 judges, including a mix of IPPVA members and non-members, both Irish and International where possible.
• All judges will be specialists in the relevant field.
• Judges will independently score each entry in advance of a recorded Zoom judging session for IPPVA members.
• At the Zoom sessions, where scores vary widely, judges will be invited to discuss entries and re-score if they wish.
• The final score will be the average of all judges’ scores.

5. GENERAL RULES

• Entrants must have client permission to submit videos and entrants agree that images submitted may be used by the IPPVA for publications, promotional materials, or digital media.
  • See guidance: digitalrights.ie/photographers-rights
• Videos may be re-entered if they did not win an IPPVA award previously.
• Award-winning videos may not be resubmitted, even if re-edited.
• Videos must not contain branding, logos, watermarks, or any identifiable marks.
  • Entries breaching this will be disqualified.
• Music/sound must be legally licensed.
  • Proof of usage rights may be requested.
• No third-party stock footage allowed. Only original footage may be used.
  • Entrants may re-use their own footage.
• Videos that are primarily slideshows of still images will be disqualified.
  • Occasional stills are permitted, but they must not dominate.
• You must be the sole creator of your submitted video.
• By entering, you confirm you have read and understood the Rules of the Competition and Category Definitions
• The IPPVA reserves the right to change or modify rules without notice

Entry Integrity

• Entrants must enter videos into the appropriate category.
  • The administrator or judging coordinators may move or disqualify entries as needed.
• Entrants may be asked for evidence of: The commissioned nature of the video as well as the absence of AI-generated elements or proof of RAW/unedited footage

Conflicts of Interest

• Judges may submit entries but cannot judge in categories they have entered.
• Judging coordinators cannot enter categories they manage.
• Only the Primary Videographer may enter a video. Second shooters are not eligible to enter.

6. END-OF-YEAR PROCESS – VIDEOGRAPHY

• To become a category finalist, an entrant must have three IPPVA Award-winning videos in a category.
• Categories with two or more finalists will have a category winner chosen based on the cumulative score of the top three qualifying videos (selected by the entrant).

Category Awards:

• Irish Professional Commercial Videographer of the Year
• Irish Professional Wedding Videographer of the Year
• Irish Professional Shorts Videographer of the Year (Wedding and Commercial Shorts)

These winners will be eligible for:

Irish Professional Videographer of the Year, decided by an end-of-year judging panel.

• Judges will assess each finalist’s top 3 scoring videos and may review all their award-winning entries to determine the overall winner.

7. VIDEOGRAPHY CATEGORY RULES

Commercial Video

Commissioned video to illustrate a product, people, expertise, business, or brand awareness.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Product Videography
• Fashion Videography
• Portrait Videography
• Promotion of Brand or Corporate Identity
• Corporate videos
• Training videos
• A video used to convey an idea or concept.

Any style may be entered.

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Wedding Video

Commissioned videos capturing the essence of a wedding day.

• The videographer(s) may have interacted directly with the couple or shot the day in a hands-off approach, or a mix of the two. 
• Must substantially include footage from the actual wedding celebration as stated in contract, with optional pre/post-wedding footage.
  Any style may be entered.

Commercial Shorts

Short commissioned videos are created to illustrate a product, people, expertise, business, facility or to promote brand awareness. 

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Product Videography
• Fashion Videography
• Portrait Videography
• Promotion of Brand or Corporate Identity
• Corporate videos
• Training videos
• A video used to convey an idea or concept.

Any style video may be entered. 

Length 120 seconds but Recommended length: 60–90 seconds.

Wedding Shorts

Short commissioned wedding videos edited and shot for social media.

• The videographer(s) may have interacted directly with the couple or shot the day in a hands-off approach, or a mix of the two. 
• Must primarily feature footage from the actual wedding celebration as stated in the contract, with optional pre/post-wedding footage.

RecomLength 120 seconds but Recommended length: 60–90 seconds.