The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has opened the call for entries in creative categories for the 2020 HPA Awards. Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the HPA Awards shine a light on the creative brilliance of the HPA community, honoring artistry in color grading, editing, sound, and visual effects in feature film, episodic, and commercials. The event draws attention to the talent and innovation that fuels the professional media content industry and celebrates the behind the scenes collaborators who help bring the vision of filmmakers to life.

The 2020 HPA Awards will take place online in a virtual gala on November 19th, 2020. To enable participation in the awards notwithstanding the impact of the global pandemic, the HPA Awards have put temporary modifications in place for eligibility and entry procedures, including reduced entry fees.  Submission criteria for theatrical features has been adjusted to encompass the impact of the pandemic on theatrical distribution this year. The HPA Awards gala will be free to attend in 2020, via a simple registration process.

Submissions are now being accepted in the following competitive categories:

• Outstanding Color Grading – Theatrical Feature
• Outstanding Color Grading – Episode or Non-theatrical Feature
• Outstanding Color Grading – Commercial
• Outstanding Editing – Theatrical Feature
• Outstanding Editing – Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature (30 Minutes and Under)
• Outstanding Editing – Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature (Over 30 minutes)
• Outstanding Sound (Design, Editing, Mixing) – Theatrical Feature
• Outstanding Sound (Design, Editing, Mixing) – Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature
• Outstanding Sound (Design, Editing, Mixing) – Commercial
• Outstanding Visual Effects – Theatrical Feature
• Outstanding Visual Effects – Episode or Non-Theatrical Feature (13 Episodes and Fewer)
• Outstanding Visual Effects – Episode (Over 13 Episodes)

Submissions for consideration in the creative categories will be accepted between July 6th and August 21st, 2020. To be considered eligible, work must have debuted domestically and/or internationally during the eligibility period, September 4, 2019 through September 9, 2020. Entrants need not be members of the Hollywood Professional Association or working in the U.S.

The HPA Awards recognize an entire spectrum of the creativity behind the scenes. The call for entries for the HPA Engineering Excellence Award opened last month and submissions will be accepted until July 31, 2020.  The Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation, a juried award, will be announced in advance of the gala. Both special awards will be bestowed during the HPA Awards.

Seth Hallen, HPA President and a founding member of the HPA Awards Committee, said: “We’ve heard it too often in the past four months, but this year really is unlike any year we have experienced, and that is absolutely the case in the 15 year history of the HPA Awards. That said, we are going to celebrate and remain true to our core goal of recognition, honoring the talent that drives us forward. We may not be in the same room this year, but we will be in the same virtual space, celebrating together. We’re planning an amazing event that will bring us together, so submit your entries, plan to be there, and get ready to toast the work of our truly formidable community.”

The HPA Awards are made possible through the generous sponsorship of Awards Title Diamond Sponsor Blackmagic Design and Event Sponsors Dolby and Zeiss. For sponsorship or program advertising opportunities, contact Joyce Cataldo at jcataldo@hpaonline.com.

Complete rules, guidelines and entry information for the creative categories and all of the HPA Awards, as well as a list of previous winners, are available at hpaonline.com.