The documentaries must be about women who are making a difference, on their own lives or on the lives of other women.  Entries must be between 20 and 90 minutes long for Film/TV, 15 – 60 minutes for Radio and at least 15 min for webcast documentaries, and must have been aired, shown at a competitive festival or uploaded on the web between October 4^th 2015 and October 2nd 2017.

The award categories for 2017 not format specific, so radio, video, television, or any form of online journalism are all considered. The three categories are named  after long serving IAWRT officer holders, who were leaders and innovators in their respective media fields during their lifetimes, and have since passed away: 

The Social Impact Award – the Laila Doss Award: The project may feature female protagonists piloting groundbreaking responses to systemic gender oppression or alternatively the media project may have the potential to shift policy, change attitudes or be used to advance dialogue, education and awareness. It is named after Egypt’s first woman broadcaster and first female UN Assistant Secretary General.  This award recognizes programs which have the potential to change women's lives. 

The Innovation Award – the Mette Janson Award:  This section looks for productions which demonstrate innovation in form, story, and or interactivity with the general public and is named after the founder of the IAWRT Awards, a documentary maker who caused uproar in Norway with a 1969 series on sex and contraception and was a leader in reporting gender perspectives in the media.

The Emerging Talent Award the Jai Chandiram Award: This award is open to students and/or first time documentary makers and looks to award emergent filmmakers who are taking risks and bringing new and fresh perspectives to diverse publics. Named after the former deputy director general of Doordarshan (all India TV) and a media teacher and academic.

Entries will be assessed by an international jury of IAWRT members and the winners will be announced at the Annual Gala Dinner asscoiated with the IAWRT Biennial Conference in The Philippines, November 9-11.

Entry forms for 2017 are attached below..

Any enquiries may be directed to the coordinator, Arshiya Ashsan, [email protected]

IAWRT International Documentary Awards 2017 proudly accepts entries via FilmFreeway.com, the world's best online submission platform. FilmFreeway offers free HD online screeners, unlimited video storage, digital press kits, and more.