RULES FOR SUBMITTING MEDIA – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!
Here are the deadlines and dates for the 9th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards:
- Dec. 24: All G.A.N.G. members can submit entries for categories.
- Jan. 24 (midnight): Submissions closed.
- Feb 2: Final Nominees announced & final voting opens to entire G.A.N.G. membership.
- Feb 16 at 11:30pm pacific: Final voting ENDS.
- March 1-4 (TBA): 9th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards Show at the San Francisco Convention Center in San Francisco, CA. during the 2010 Game Developers Conference.
ANY G.A.N.G. member can submit ANY game for ANY category. The game must have been released anywhere in the world (for the 1st time) from January 1st, 2010 to December 31st, 2010. THERE ARE NO FEES ASSOCIATED WITH SUBMISSIONS SO FEEL FREE TO NOMINATE WHATEVER YOU WANT! You do not have to associated with the product to submit an entry. The one caveat to this process is that if you nominate a product you will be asked to supply an .mp3 or Youtube link for review, etc. of the product when submitting. We definitely advocate submitting your own work. Please don’t assume that someone else will.
For each and every category (described in detail below) there is an example description of which media would be best suited for each category. We strongly encourage G.A.N.G. members to nominate their own work and supply us with the best possible examples. In cases where movies are suggested (and you have no means to digitize the game) we suggest searching on gaming websites such as IGN.com, YouTube.com or Gamespot.com where they currently have lots of gameplay media already available for download and viewing. If all else fails, the publisher or developer (PR & marketing departments) normally have gameplay footage they could provide you with.
Aside from all of the files and media we gather, we also do a lot of online research for each product submitted in each category. This way we can gather the most data possible about the product by other industry professionals as well to help make the Final Nominations the highest quality possible.
The Final Nominations will be announced on Feb. 5, 2010 and the final winners will be decided on-line by the entire G.A.N.G. membership. Each G.A.N.G. member will be able to see and listen to each category before deciding. The winners are announced at our G.A.N.G. Awards show during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, CA.
One other important thing to note. When someone wins an award we actually make up two copies. One is given to the main author of the work and one is sent to the publisher with a letter explaining why they won and how important it is to focus on the audio aspect of the game. Not only does it help recognize the composer or sound designer to the people that hired them, but it also lets the publisher know the importance and difference it makes when they concentrate properly on audio. Additional awards can be purchased for the team. In a lot of cases it’s never just one person involved.
9TH ANNUAL G.A.N.G. AWARDS
SUBMISSION RULES AND CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONS
RULES FOR SUBMITTING MEDIA – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!
The only accepted media files when submitting are MP3 files or a Youtube link. We cannot accept files over 6 meg. MP3 files should NOT be longer than 5 minutes in length.
CATEGORIES AND DESCRIPTIONS
Please read descriptions carefully and remember that if you are nominating your own work you MUST submit the proper media described below.
- AUDIO OF THE YEAR
Takes into account everything audio related including music, sound design, voice-over, mixing, interactivity, integration, cinematics, audio programming, etc. Suggested Nominating Media: Movie file showing a combination of different levels of gameplay, scenes with dialogue, cinematics, etc. mp3’s are also accepted but not as effective for this category. - BEST CINEMATIC/CUT-SCENE AUDIO
Takes into account all music, sfx, v.o. & mixing for all of those non-interactive story-telling sequences. Suggested Nominating Media: Movie file showing a combination of different cinematic cut-scenes. - MUSIC OF THE YEAR
Best overall body of work in regards to composition. Suggested Nominating Media: .mp3 file which acts as a medley to give a good idea of the overall composition done for the game. Normally 4 or 5 different sections of music around 1 minute each in length that are put together one after each other into a single .mp3 file. - BEST HANDHELD AUDIO
Takes into account all music, sfx & v.o. for handhelds including DS, PSP, iPhone, PDA’s, cell phones, etc. Suggested Nominating Media: Really depends on the product, but could consist of an .mp3 file which acts as a medley to give a good idea of the overall audio experience done for the product. Could also be a movie file showing different levels and audio related gameplay experiences. - BEST AUDIO – OTHER
This category is for products such as toys, websites, interactive books, FLASH games on the internet and location based entertainment. Handheld platforms such as Nintendo DS & Sony PSP are NOT eligible for this award. Suggested Self Nominating Media: Really depends on the product, but normally consists of an .mp3 file which acts as a medley to give a good idea of the overall audio experience done for the product.
Would include music, sound fx, voices, etc. For Flash based games or websites, just a simple Youtube link is more than appropriate. For things such as toys, interactive books, etc. any kind of website link descriptions or online reviews are very helpful. - BEST INTERACTIVE SCORE
This award goes to the best implementation of the musical score which served to enhance the game specifically because of its integration and how the score changed or adapted to the game play in real-time depending on the actions of the player. Suggested Self Nominating Media: Youtube link showing the score adapting or changing in real-time depending on gameplay. .mp3’s are also accepted but not as effective for this category. - BEST USE OF LICENSED MUSIC
Non-Original music not post_date specifically for the project but greatly enhanced the game experience. Suggested Self Nominating Media: Youtube link showing different parts of the game and music in action. Or, a .mp3 file which acts as a medley to give a good idea of the overall licensed music for the game. Normally 7 to 10 different sections of music around 20 to 30 seconds in length that are then put together one after each other into a single .mp3 file. - BEST ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTAL
The best written single piece of music or theme that did not include any featured vocals or choir. Can be any style of music and the performance can be live musicians or MIDI. Suggested Self Nominating Media: A complete .mp3 file of the piece of music. - BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – POP
For the best song containing a featured vocal or vocalists. Suggested Self Nominating Media: A complete .mp3 file of the song. - BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – CHORAL
The best song or theme containing a choir. Suggested Self Nominating Media: A complete .mp3 file of the song or theme. - BEST USE OF MULTI-CHANNEL SURROUND IN A GAME
Note: Only the product name and platform is required for submission. Because of the complexity of this category a special committee is formed to play each submitted product. This unique category takes into account things like real-time gameplay experience, overall quality of sound, interactive volume level mixing, realism of the audio environment post_date, cinematic mixing (if applicable). - SOUND DESIGN OF THE YEAR
Best creation and implementation of sound effects in a game. Suggested Self Nominating Media: Movie file showing the use of sound effects during gameplay. .mp3’s are also accepted but not as effective for this category. - BEST DIALOGUE
This category takes into consideration things such as performances, recording production, quality of dialogue, realism, casting, direction, editing, interactivity, being non-repetitive, etc. Suggested Self Nominating Media: An .mp3 file containing a good mixture of characters and dialogue taken from the game. Sound design and music underneath while recording the file during the game is acceptable. Recorded lines by themselves (before getting put into the game) are also acceptable as long as they are put together in one .mp3 file. - BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALBUM
The best soundtrack album which was commercially available (any kind of distribution counts including website only sales, digital downloads, etc.). As long as it could be bought for the 1st time during the year by someone… somewhere… somehow. Suggested Self Nominating Media: .mp3 file which acts as a medley to give a good idea of the overall composition done for the game and album. Normally 4 or 5 different sections of music around 1 minute each in length that are then put together one after each other into a single .mp3 file. - BEST GAME AUDIO ARTICLE, PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST
This award is given to the best article written about game audio. Includes newspapers, websites, television, internet broadcasts, magazines, podcasts, etc. Looking for the article that helps the industry to "promote excellence", educate the masses or recognizes interactive audio for its people or importance. Suggested Self Nominating Media: A scan or copy of the article or an internet link to the story. For television or internet broadcasts a movie file would be needed. For podcasts and radio broadcasts and .mp3 file would be needed. - ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
This award is given to the person who made their first professional splash in the industry during the year. Not necessarily exclusive to just students and apprentices. This person could have come from any other industry (film, television, music, etc.) as long as they worked on their first interactive product during the year. PLEASE feel free to nominate yourself! Suggested Self Nominating Media: A short description of the person and why you believe they should be nominated. Include game titles, products and/or projects worked on during the year. - G.A.N.G. RECOGNITION AWARDS
For the person who went above and beyond the call of duty to "Promote Excellence in Interactive Audio" and/or for an innovative product (including software, hardware, technology, etc) or company that excelled in providing for the game audio industry. For people, we accept any job position from executive to game tester, composer to website owner. For products we accept anything game audio related including audio engines, algorithms, compression techniques, programs, new synths, sound libraries, software plug-ins etc. Suggested Self Nominating Media: A short description of the person or product and why you believe they should be nominated. Include what they specifically did during the year to warrant the award. - LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
A person whose career exemplifies "Promoting Excellence in Interactive Audio". The person does not have to be in the industry currently. Someone whose impact on game audio was so great that it helped to change the way people perceived game audio. Doesn’t have to be a composer or sound designer. Suggested Self Nominating Media: A bio and/or description of the person and why you believe they should receive this award. Include history, game titles, products, projects, contributions, past awards, etc.
Please keep in mind that you can nominate for one category or all of them and you can nominate as many games as you like for each category. Please remember to send in the very best of the best so it makes the nomination process a LOT easier when choosing the final nominees.
If there are ANY questions please feel free to e-mail info@audiogang.org.
Thanks!
Tommy, Paul, Michelle, and Dren