The DGA Awards celebrates outstanding directorial achievement and we welcome your entry. Here are the Awards guidelines and entry form for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports - Specials. You must agree to these rules at the bottom of the page in order to go to the Entry Form.

Entry Criteria:

1. Director Eligibility:
   
   
   • Entry submissions must be covered under a DGA Agreement and directed by a DGA member with a Deal Memorandum on file.
   
   
   • Entries are accepted only from the Director of the Special. An entry found to be submitted without the Director’s knowledge will be immediately disqualified.


2. Specials Eligibility:


• Only Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials that have originally aired on television or streaming services during the period of January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024 are eligible.
• Members who directed an “Unscheduled Specials Program” that is broadcast between December 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024, and who are unable to submit their entry by the November 18 deadline, will be permitted to submit their entry for next year’s 78th Annual DGA Awards.
• Entries may not be an episode of a regularly scheduled series. An extended version of a regularly scheduled program is not a Special and should not be entered in this category.


• A ’Breaking News’ segment, which interrupts regular programming, is not eligible.


• Specials exhibited theatrically prior to television or Internet exhibition are not eligible.


• Specials that are only broadcast locally (even if available on the Internet) are not eligible.



3. Length:
   
   
   • Specials produced specifically for streaming services must have a minimum broadcast format length of approximately one half hour.
   
   
   • Specials produced for television broadcast, basic cable or pay television of any broadcast format length are eligible.


4. Credit:
   
   
   • The Director must have exercised all traditional directorial functions in connection with original photography and/or narration and received an on-screen "Directed By" credit.


5. Entry Requirements:
   
   
   
   • The Director must submit a completed DGA Awards entry form. A confirmation e-mail will be sent upon receipt of the entry form.
   
   
   • The entry must be accompanied by a copy of the program’s main and end title credits. The credits must contain the Director and Directorial team credits. In lieu of on-air credits, directors may also submit the finalized call sheet or schedule to accompany their submission. Entries will not be accepted without the program’s credit information.

Entry Deadline:

• All entries must be received in the Awards office by 5:00 p.m. PT on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2024. No entries will be accepted after the deadline

Judging Process:

• Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials entries will be placed on a nomination ballot that will be available to the DGA membership for voting online, starting Monday, December 16, 2024. The five entries that receive the highest number of votes will be announced as the 2024 DGA Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials Award Nominees on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.


• Nominees will be required to immediately provide a secure password protected HD link of the nominated project with the following specifications: QuickTime Movie in Apple ProRes, 1920 x 1080. These five will then be viewed by a Director-Member Blue Ribbon Panel that will, by secret ballot, select the winner of the 2024 DGA Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials Award. The winner will be announced at the 77th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 8, 2025.

Should you have any questions, please contact Brandon Kyle Goco in the DGA Awards Office at Awards@dga.org or (310) 289-2038.