The Royal Television Society (RTS) has opened entries for the RTS Craft & Design Awards 2025.
The awards are accepting entries until Sept. 5. Emma Gormley, Managing Director of Daytime at ITV Studios, is returning to chair the Awards. Winners will be unveiled at the ceremony taking place on Dec. 8 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
Entries for the 2025 Awards are now open across all 29 competitive categories, ranging from lighting and multicamera through to costume design and the production management Award. The RTS Special Award and Outstanding Contribution Award will be presented at the discretion of the RTS.
Last year, The TV Collective, The Film and TV Charity and TV Mindset won the Special Award, while Peter Kosminsky won outstanding contribution. The Awards shine a light on the variety of crafts and skills involved in programme making in the UK television industry.
Gormley said, “In a turbulent time for the television industry, now more than ever it is vital to celebrate the exemplary skill displayed by the creatives behind the best of UK programming, from the very beginning of a project right through to post-production. Returning as Chair this year, I look forward to seeing how the upcoming submissions have evolved in line with new trends and techniques across the varied and hugely impressive skillsets on display.”
The RTS strongly encourages submissions that reflect diversity within both the industry and wider society. When reviewing submissions, the judges are mindful of production differences, specifically the budgets and time scales involved. All entries should have been first delivered in the UK, whether by broadcast or online streaming, between Sept. 1. 2024 and Aug. 31. 2025.
Full list of categories.
Craft & Design Awards Categories
Casting Award – Entries accepted from any genre of scripted programming. For this award we are looking for excellence in assembling an entire cast.
Design
Nominations and Awards will be made in the following two categories. These can be for graphics, animation, live action etc: Please ensure that the creative personnel involved in building or shooting these sequences are nominated – not just the commissioners.
Programme Content Sequences – These can be for motion graphics, animation, live, action etc.
Titles – Entries are welcome from any programme area.
Make Up Design (incorporating all areas of make up including hair styling and wigs).
Nominations and Awards will be made in two categories:
Scripted – including Single Drama, Drama Series, Drama Serial, Drama for Children’s and Educational programmes, Comedy Drama, Situation Comedy, Dramatic Reconstruction and Drama Documentaries
Non-scripted – including Arts, Music, Entertainment and Documentary/Factual programmes.
Costume Design – Nominations and Awards will be made in two categories:
Scripted – including Single Drama, Drama Series, Drama Serial, Drama for Children’s and Educational programmes, Comedy Drama, Situation Comedy, Dramatic Reconstruction and Drama Documentaries
Non-scripted – including Arts, Music, Entertainment and Documentary/Factual programmes
Production Design – Nominations and Awards will be made in two categories:
Scripted – including Single Drama, Drama Series, Drama Serial, Drama for Children’s and Educational programmes, Comedy Drama, Situation Comedy, Dramatic Reconstruction and Drama Documentaries
Non-scripted – including Arts, Music, Entertainment, Documentary/Factual programmes, News and Current Affairs, Sports and Events
Effects – Nominations and Awards will be made in two categories, from any area of programme making.
SFX – This includes practical effects eg. in-camera effects, pyrotechnics, explosions, stunts, animatronics and models etc. Please provide before/after or ‘making of’ shots or stills showing the process where possible.
VFX – This includes integration of live action with the creation of realistic digitally generated imagery such as digital environments, objects, creatures, people, for example, that would be impossible to film in a live-action shot. Please provide before/after or ‘making of’ shots or stills showing the process where possible.
Picture Enhancement – Nominations and an Award will be made in this category for manipulation and improvement. It is aimed at those who take the original material and enhance and improve it, thereby making a substantial contribution to the ‘feel’ of the piece. The category covers electronic or film images and is aimed at colourists/graders, matte work/glass shots, blue screen/chromakey etc. Entries may come from any genre of programme making.
Director – Nominations and Awards will be made in three categories: When completing the entry for additional judging material, please provide specific details of the submitted directors work.
Scripted – Including Single Drama, Drama Series, Drama Serial, Drama for Children’s and Educational programmes, Comedy Drama, Situation Comedy, Dramatic Reconstruction and Drama Documentaries.
Non-scripted – Including Arts, Music, Entertainment and Documentary/Factual programmes
Multicamera (all multicamera work is eligible) – including Arts & Music, Factual programmes, News and Current Affairs, Entertainment and Events.
Photography – Nominations and Awards will be made in two categories:
Scripted – including Single Drama, Drama Series, Drama Serial, Drama for Children’s and Educational programmes, Comedy Drama, Situation Comedy, Dramatic Reconstruction and Drama Documentaries.
Non-scripted – including Arts, Music, Entertainment and Documentary/Factual programmes.
The Photography Awards are designed to recognise location based single camera work.
Lighting and Multicamera– Nominations and Awards will be made in two categories:
Lighting for Multicamera (all multicamera work is eligible). This Award is for a Lighting Designer.
Multicamera Work (all multicamera work is eligible) – including Arts & Music, Situation Comedy, Factual programmes, News and Current Affairs, Entertainment and Events and Sport. This Award is for a Camera Team or Team Leader as appropriate.
Multicamera Work – Sport – This Award is for a Camera Team, Team Leader and/or Director as appropriate.
The Multicamera Awards are designed to recognise those who work in studio based or OB multicamera programming across all genres.
Sound – Nominations and Awards will be made in two categories:
Scripted – including Single Drama, Drama Series, Drama Serial, Drama for Children’s and Educational programmes, Comedy Drama, Situation Comedy, Dramatic Reconstruction and Drama Documentaries.
Non-scripted – including Arts, Music, Entertainment, Documentary/Factual programmes/Outside Broadcasts/Sport.
These Awards recognise the whole sound team and both recording supervisor and mixing supervisor should be named on the entry form.
Editing – Nominations and Awards will be made in four categories:
Scripted – including Single Drama, Drama Series, Drama Serial, Drama for Children’s and Educational programmes, Dramatic Reconstruction and Drama Documentaries.
Non-scripted – including Arts, Music, Entertainment and Documentary/Factual programmes
Sport
Entertainment and Comedy – This Award is designed to recognise skills in all areas editing within entertainment and comedy.
Music Original Score – Nominations and Awards will be made in two categories
Scripted – including Single Drama, Drama Series, Drama Serial, Drama for Children’s and Educational programmes, Comedy Drama, Situation Comedy, Dramatic Reconstruction and Drama Documentaries
Non-scripted – including Arts, Music, Entertainment and Documentary/Factual programmes
The score must be specially commissioned for a specific programme
Production Management Award – Entries accepted from any genre of programming. For this award, we are looking for excellence in financially, logistically and collaboratively managing a complex project.
Awards Given At The Discretion Of The Society – The RTS welcomes suggestions for the following two Awards, however these must be accompanied by a brief biography or synopsis.
RTS Special Award – This award is given at the discretion of the Royal Television Society. It can be awarded to either an individual or a group, from any area of programme making, and will be given in recognition of an outstanding contribution to television craft or design for the innovative use of new technology within the current criteria year. The Society welcomes suggestions and recommendations. This Award cannot be awarded posthumously.
Outstanding Contribution Award – This Award is given at the discretion of the Society for an outstanding contribution of creative craft or design in the industry. The Society welcomes suggestions and recommendations. This Award cannot be awarded posthumously.
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