CHATSWORTH, Calif.—With Halloween displays popping up wherever you turn and the smell of pumpkin spice in the air, you can be sure that one other annual harbinger is upon us to officially signify the arrival of That Time of Year: The opening of pre-nominations for the AVN Awards.
So with no further ado, AVN Media Network hereby welcomes any and all adult industry professionals to submit their productions, websites, retail products and other work of the past year to be considered for the 2020 AVN Awards, taking place January 25, 2020, with the support of presenting sponsor MyFreeCams, at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
In the spirit of this awards show coinciding with the dawn of a new decade, AVN went back to the drawing board to reassess, rethink and revamp each of the most basic compenents at the core of putting it all together, from eligibility requirements to the categories themselves to our pre-nom site. In regard to the latter, we have built an entirely new, more intuitive site for making submissions, with an easy-to-navigate layout, clear guidance and newly updated descriptions of every category.
To request access to the new pre-nom site, fill out the application form here. Pre-nominations are also now open for the 2020 GayVN Awards, and industry members may request access to submit pre-nominations for that event in addition to or instead of the AVN Awards using the same application form. We encourage anybody applying to submit in either event section to view the instructional video at the following link: AVN Awards Pre-Nom Site 101.
The pre-nom site will close at midnight on September 30, and there will be no extensions of the deadline.
With the new site, a new submission rule has been implemented as well, of which every user must take note: There now is a maximum of FIVE (5) pre-nominations that may be submitted per account in any one category. With this in mind, we strongly urge all those participating in the pre-nomination process to take great care in what and whom they choose to submit for consideration, limiting it to the very best of the best selections within a given category.
As to those categories (listed in full below), people will notice a wide array of changes—some have been renamed, some old favorites are back, and a few brand new ones are being introduced. In particular, many should be excited to see AVN Award recognition being granted for the very first time to the self-explanatory fields of Best Blowbang Scene and Best Gangbang Scene. (In case you don't consider those—or any other cateogries—self-explanatory, however, be sure to mouse over the question marks beside each one in the pre-nom site for detailed descriptions.)
Finally, be sure to carefully read through the following amended eligibility rules for the various types of categories in the Video & Web arena (Scene/Featurette, Full-Length Production, Series), as a number of changes have been put into place to better reflect how adult entertainment is delivered and consumed in the modern marketplace:
Eligibility Term
To be considered in any of the video categories, a production must be made available commercially between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019. If a sex scene or featurette is released both as a standalone work online and as part of a full-length production via DVD or VOD prior to or on the September 30 cutoff date, it will by default be considered part of the full-length production for attribution purposes. In turn, any sex scene or featurette submitted as its own standalone work must NOT be released as part of any larger production during the same timeframe. Any scene or featurette considered for a 2020 AVN Award will be void from future consideration thenceforth if included as part of any larger production released after September 30, 2019.
Full-Length Production Eligibility
To be considered for a nomination in any category recognizing full-length, multiple-scene productions, a work must be made available in its entirety by the end of the current eligibility term on a minimum of two qualifying platforms, with all content released under a unifying title on at least one of said platforms during the current term and originally released on any platform no earlier than the first date of the previous term. The two required platforms may consist of any combination of the following:
• DVD (must be stocked with at least 100 retail outlets)
• Membership website (i.e. site or network for a single studio or group of affiliated studios offering monthly paid memberships to access content)
• VOD/streaming site (i.e. site carrying productions from at least 100 active studio labels and offering monthly paid memberships or a la carte purchases to access content)
• Subscription broadcast network
Scene/Featurette Eligibility
To be considered for a nomination in any sex scene or featurette category, a work may be released either as a standalone segment on a membership or VOD/streaming site, or as part of a larger production released via any of the platforms listed above, in accordance with the following guidelines:
• If submitted as a standalone segment, release through only one qualifying membership or VOD/streaming site is required, however the scene/featurette must be solely and originally released as its own self-contained work during the current eligibility term.
• If submitted as part of a larger production, the scene/featurette must have been originally released no earlier than the first date of the prior eligibility term, and not previously considered for AVN Awards contention.
• Scenes/featurettes released solely though indie clip sites are not eligible.
Series Eligibility
To be considered for a nomination in any series category, a line must meet one of the following criteria:
• Contains at least EIGHT (8) scenes/featurettes made available across two or more qualifying platforms by the end of the current eligibility term, with all released in the form of at least two volumes/productions on one or more of said platforms during the current term and originally released across all platforms no earlier than the first date of the previous term.
• Contains at least 12 scenes/featurettes all originally released on a single qualifying platform during the current eligibility term.
• If both criteria apply, all scenes/featurettes meeting either may be submitted for consideration.
(Note that any collection of fewer than eight scenes/featurettes released under a unifying title/volume number on any qualifying platform will be considered a “production” for classification/attribution purposes; in turn, the eligibility criteria pertaining to full-length production categories must be met for consideration there. Additionally, any series as defined above released in the form of multiple volumes/productions on any qualifying platform will by default be attributed with the title and company credits under which said productions were released.)
Record-Keeping Requirements
Producers must maintain 2257 records for any content submitted for AVN Awards consideration. In addition, any online content submitted must have clearly marked post/release dates within the eligibility term on the qualifying website(s) carrying it.
AVN asks producers to send two (2) copies of any productions they are submitting for consideration as DVD platform releases to the AVN office by September 30. Novelty companies should also provide two (2) samples of each product they would like considered. All items should be mailed or hand-delivered to:
AVN Media Network
Attn: Nominations
9400 Penfield Ave.
Chatsworth, CA 91311
The full list of categories for the 2020 AVN Awards follows (subject to change at AVN's discretion):
VIDEO & WEB
All-Girl Performer of the Year
Best Action/Thriller
Best Actor – Featurette
Best Actress – Featurette
Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene
Best All-Girl Production
Best All-Girl Series
Best Anal Production
Best Anal Series
Best Anal Sex Scene
Best Anthology Production
Best Anthology Series
Best Art Direction
Best BDSM Production
Best Big Bust Production
Best Big Butt Production
Best Blowbang Scene
Best Boy/Girl Sex Scene
Best Cinematography
Best Comedy/Parody
Best Director – Narrative Production
Best Director – Non-Narrative Production
Best Director – Web Channel/Site
Best Double-Penetration Sex Scene
Best Drama
Best Editing
Best Ethnic Production
Best Ethnic/Interracial Series
Best Featurette
Best Female Mixed-Age Production
Best Foreign Production – Narrative
Best Foreign Production – Non-Narrative
Best Foreign Series
Best Foreign-Shot All-Girl Sex Scene
Best Foreign-Shot Anal Sex Scene
Best Foreign-Shot Boy/Girl Sex Scene
Best Foreign-Shot Group Sex Scene
Best Gangbang Scene
Best Girl/Girl Sex Scene
Best Gonzo Production
Best Gonzo Series
Best Group Sex Production
Best Group Sex Scene – Multi-Pair
Best Ingénue Production
Best Ingénue Series
Best Interracial Production
Best Leading Actor
Best Leading Actress
Best Makeup
Best Male Newcomer
Best MILF Production
Best MILF/Female Mixed-Age Series
Best New Production Banner
Best New Starlet
Best Niche Production
Best Niche Series
Best Non-Sex Performance
Best Oral Production
Best Oral Sex Scene
Best Polyamory Production
Best POV Sex Scene
Best Pro-Am/Exhibitionist Production
Best Romance
Best Screenplay
Best Sexual Barter Production
Best Solo/Tease Performance
Best Soundtrack
Best Special Effects
Best Squirting Production
Best Star Showcase
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Taboo Relations Production
Best Three-Way Sex Scene – B/B/G
Best Three-Way Sex Scene – G/G/B
Best Transgender Production
Best Transgender Series
Best Transgender Sex Scene
Best Virtual Reality Product/Site
Best Virtual Reality Sex Scene
Clever Title of the Year
Director of the Year
Female Foreign Performer of the Year
Female Performer of the Year
Foreign Director of the Year
Mainstream Venture of the Year
Male Foreign Performer of the Year
Male Performer of the Year
MILF Performer of the Year
Most Outrageous Sex Scene
Niche Performer of the Year
Transgender Performer of the Year
PLEASURE PRODUCTS
Best Enhancement Manufacturer
Best Fetish Manufacturer
Best Lingerie or Apparel Manufacturer
Best Lubricant Manufacturer
Best Pleasure Product Manufacturer – Small
Best Pleasure Product Manufacturer – Medium
Best Pleasure Product Manufacturer – Large
RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION
Best Boutique
Best Retail Chain – Small
Best Retail Chain – Medium
Best Retail Chain – Large
Best Web Retail Store
