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Personnel Categories

Every year, we ask our valued members of FOCAL to nominate a Footage Person, Footage Company, or Researcher for our personnel awards.

Submissions for The Jane Mercer Researcher of the Year 2025 are open.

Company of the Year and Footage Person of the Year submissions will open on 21 January 2025.

Please read about the individual categories below and see the eligibility guidelines.

If you have any queries, please contact [email protected] – we look forward to hearing from you.

Jane Mercer Researcher of the Year Award

Submissions Deadline: 28 February 2025

The recipient is an individual Footage Researcher (or team) who has demonstrated outstanding achievement whilst being primarily responsible for the footage research undertaken for a production(s) or project(s) premiered or released during the qualifying year (2024). Such production(s) or project(s) can include series that have been aired over many years, provided the cited episode was premiered in 2024.

The Jury will be looking for an individual or team who displayed some or all of the following qualities:

  • Depth of knowledge;
  • Tenacity;
  • Thoroughness;
  • Imagination;
  • An ability to enhance and protect the integrity of the footage.

The above is not an exhaustive list, and the submitter may wish to highlight other areas of excellence for the jury. Nominations can be made by anyone except the person themselves, but all submissions must include authorisation from the nominee.

Anyone can nominate a Researcher for this award, which is not restricted to FOCAL International members.

For more information, please read the eligibility guidelines.

All Submission Forms and supporting visual material must be submitted to the FOCAL Awards entry platform – entry.focalintawards.org no later than 28th February 2025.