The ATOM Awards are a group of awards offered to Australian and New Zealand "professionals, educators and students", honouring achievements in the making of film, television, multimedia, and from 2007 multi-modal productions.
The Awards were established in 1982 by the Australian Teachers of Media, "an independent, non-profit association to promote media education and screen literacy in primary, secondary and tertiary education and the broader community".
Awards are now offered in 36 categories as of 2005, broken down into awards for students, tertiary students, educational resources, and general. There is also a teacher's award'. This Award is made at the discretion of the judges, and recognises the commitment, dedication and inspiration of a teacher or school, and which the judges can observe informing a body of student work as submitted in either the primary, secondary or tertiary categories of the ATOM Awards. The Teachers’ Award can neither be sought nor applied for, and is given solely at the judges’ discretion.
The awards attract student filmmakers, educational films, and even professional industry practitioners. This makes it one of the only awards of its kind.
Entries are open to Australian and New Zealand students and media industry professionals.
Schools
Best Junior (K-8) Film Video Production. (includes music clips, short drama, documentaries, experimental)
Best Junior (K-8) Multimedia Production
Best Senior (9-12) Multimedia Production. (Multimedia production: combination of image, text, audio, video & interactivity)
Best Secondary Animation (claymation, drawing, cell 2D & 3D)
Best Secondary Documentary
Images of Age Sub-category (open to Vic residents only)*
Best Secondary Fiction
Best Secondary Music Video
Tertiary, A production made by a student or individual enrolled at a tertiary or TAFE institution at the time of the production
Best Short Fiction
Best Experimental
Best Documentary
Images of Age Sub-category (open to Vic residents only)*
Best Animation
Best Music Video
Best Multimedia (includes web)
Best Interactive Game
General
Best Short Fiction (50 minutes or less)
Best Experimental
Best Animation
Best Music Video
Best Children’s Television Series
Best Multi-modal production†
Best Documentary Short Form (30 minutes or less)
Best Documentary General
Images of Age Sub-category (open to Vic residents only)*
Best Documentary Social & Political Issues
Best Documentary Science, Technology & The Environment
Best Documentary Human Story
Best Multimedia (inc. installations and web)
Best Interactive Game
Educational/Vocational
These category entries will be judged cross platform. Judges will be assessing best teaching/training practice, methodology, suitability to the audience, delivery and content. These entries may be websites, TV programs, videos, film, DVD, CD-ROMs or a convergence of the above, including installations.
Best Primary Education Resource
Best Secondary Education Resource
Best Tertiary Education Resource
Best Instructional/training Resource
Best Multimedia Learning Reference (includes web)
Best Multi-modal production†
Best Indigenous Resource
Notable past ATOM Award nominees and winners
Hunt Angels
Hunt Angels Productions
ATOM Award winner 2006
The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
2005 Academy Award nominee
(Anthony Lucas, 3D Films)
ATOM Award winner 2005
Noah & Saskia
(ACTF)
ATOM Award winner 2005
Adam Elliot
2003 Academy Award winner
ATOM Award winner 1998
Wildness
(Big and Little Films in association with Film Australia)
ATOM Award winner 2004
The 20 Cent Quest
ATOM Award winner 2003
A Wedding in Ramallah
(Sherine Salama, Habibi Films)
ATOM Award winner 2003
Gulpilil – One Red Blood
(Darlene Johnson, jotz Productions)
Martha's New Coat
(Rachel Ward, New Town Films)
ATOM Award winner 2003
Harry’s War
(Richard Frankland, Golden Seahorse Productions)
Tulip
(Rachel Griffiths)
ATOM Award Nominee 1999
Wicked Science
(Jonathan M Shiff Productions)
ATOM Award winner 2004
Round the Twist
(ACTF)
FrontLine
(Working Dog Productions)
ATOM Award Winner 1998