Good to know:

• You may complete your award submission over numerous sessions. It doesn’t need to be completed straight away, or in one sitting.
• Simply save and continue your submission up until awards close.
• You may also enter multiple award categories if you address the respective judging criteria and pay the submission fee for each entry.
• Should you require any assistance, an APATA team member will be able help you through the process. Call 1300 582 580 or email hello@apata.com.au

Important Dates:

• 2025 APATA National Awards Program Criteria Available & Entries Open, Friday 10 January 2025.
• Entries Close: Midnight AEDT, Friday 21 March 2025 (check your time zone). 
• All entries must be finalised and submitted in the APATA system by Midnight AEDT, Friday 21 March 2025. No further changes are permitted after this time or to any submission that has been formally submitted as confirmed through the APATA Awards Entry Portal.
• Awards Announced: Friday 2 May 2025.
• Award Presentations: Scheduled throughout May / June 2025.

Fees & Charges:

• Award submission fee = $50.00 per entry (excluding GST).
• The Meskell Award is an honorary award and does not attract an entry fee. 
• The Meskell Award will be awarded to the most outstanding candidate who has been a winner in another category, recognised as the ‘best of the best’! 
• The Meskell Award is given at the discretion of the judging committee and is not necessarily awarded every year.
  

File size & formats for attachments:

• Upload JPG, PNG, PDF or Word files.
• Maximum 10 attachments with each file size no bigger that 5MB max.
• Video attachments may be hosted on a video site such as YouTube or Vimeo [no more than 5 minutes in length for each file max.]
• If providing URLs, please ensure any applicable usernames and passwords are deactivated to allow judges access.
• Should judges be unable to access URLs they will be unable to review with your submission.

Do I require permissions?

• Yes, if you are entering the work of others as part of your submission you will need permission to use their content (e.g., images).
• It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure permission and approvals have been granted by third parties.

2025 Award Criteria

• 2025 Award entries should include relevant criteria pertaining to the period of 1st January 2024 – 31st December 2024.

Can I withdraw my submission after the due date?

• All submission cancellations (withdrawal) must be made in writing to APATA via hello@apata.com.au 
• Submission fees will be refunded if cancellation is received via written notification to hello@apata.com.au prior to the submission closing date of Midnight AEDT, Friday 21 March 2025.

What happens after I submit my entry?

• After submissions close APATA conducts an internal health check to ensure all projects are entered in the appropriate categories.
• Once the health check is complete, APATA coordinates category judging of entries with the appointed judging panel.

How will my submission be judged?

• Each category is judged by an independent panel of industry professionals and peers.
• Judging of entries will include a review of the written submission against criteria for each category and additional support content including images and video files.
• APATA reserves the right to reallocate award submissions to another category if it is a more appropriate fit.
• In this instance, the entrant will be notified, and they will be given the option to amend their submission.
• The decision of the judging panel is final and will not be subject to challenge by an entrant or other parties.

Can I be disqualified?

• Should APATA be made aware that an entrant has been in contact with or approached a member of the judging panel to discuss a submission, their entry will be disqualified.
• Should an entry not have the required approvals and permissions from interested third parties, APATA will immediately remove and disqualify that entry.

How do I become a judge for the awards?

• APATA regularly rotates its judges and invites senior members of the performing arts industry to participate. 
• If you wish to be considered to judge in the future, please send your details to hello@apata.com.au
• Please note you cannot be an entrant in the awards and a judge at the same time.

If I win will APATA let me know beforehand?

• Apologies…no…it’s a surprise!

Winners:

• Winners will be announced on Friday 2 May 2025.
• Following official proceedings winners will be made public on www.apata.com.au