The Eisvogel – Prize for Sustainable Film Production recognises projects that were guided systematically and structurally by the sustainability standards for film productions and in addition have implemented further measures and innovations to reduce their environmental impact.
The focus of this competition is on the implementation of additional measures and innovations that are transferable to other productions.
This can involve both innovative ways of applying new technical solutions, for example in the area of studio or recording technology, as well as the implementation of innovative approaches and concepts in the area of organizational and logistical challenges of environmentally sound film productions.
Eligibility
Producers representing film productions of any genre completed in the period between September 2022 and November 2023 are eligible for participation during the 2023/24 competition period. Whether the production was made for cinema, television or other distribution methods did not affect its eligibility.
Advertising and promotional films were excluded from the competition, as were moderated light entertainment programmes such as talk, game, or quiz shows.
For the 2023/24 competition period, an additional competition category will be again established for up-and-coming productions that were created in the course of (final) projects as part of educational programs at (state or private) film schools or other institutions in Germany.
Application deadline
The application period for the 2023/2024 competition period runs from mid-September 2023 to 30 November 2023.
Criteria for entry
Productions taking part in the competition must meet the following four criteria and demonstrate their compliance by means of the evidence listed.
Criterion 1 The producers make a clear commitment to reducing the environmental impact of their film productions beyond the production submitted for consideration.
Criterion 2 The current ecological standards for film productions were implemented in the productions planning and management.
Criterion 3 Environmentally friendly practices and techniques are established and/or implemented in the relevant production areas and environmentally friendly techniques are used that go beyond the general industry standard.
Criterion 4 The successful implementation of innovations led to the avoidance or reduction of environmental impact in one or more areas of the production. The innovative measures implemented can be transferred for use in other productions.
Further details regarding the requirements for how these criteria are met and the evidence to be provided can be found in the application materials below.
Application materials
Applications for the competition can only be submitted digitally.
PDF versions of the submission form for a first view will be made available here to support you in the application process from October 2023.
Assessment
Assessment of the submissions will be carried out in a two-stage process:
Preliminary expert examination of the submitted documents followed by the nomination of eligible submissions
Selection of the winner by the competition jury
The following elements will be assessed during the preliminary examination of the submissions:
The strength of the applicants’ articulation of the comprehensive reduction of environmental impacts achieved by their production
The degree to which environmentally friendly measures were systematically embedded in the planning, management and evaluation of the production
The scope of the implementation of environmentally friendly measures across the various operational areas of the film production, as well as the verifiable documentation of their implementation
As well as, in particular, the degree of novelty, effectiveness and transferability of the innovative approaches implemented to avoid and reduce environmental impacts in the individual areas of the particular film production
Prize money
The Eisvogel – Prize for Sustainable Film Production includes 20,000 euros in prize money in its main category and 5,000 euros in the up-and-coming category provided by the Heinz Sielmann Stiftung.
The prize money will be awarded to the winning productions selected by the jury.
Trophy
The trophy for the Eisvogel Prize was designed by Berlin artist Martin Binder.
More about Martin Binder + Examples
Artist Statement - Martin Binder
A great interest in the design of and in public space runs through Martin Binder's interdisciplinary study career in art-in-context and industrial design. Binder is experienced in art in construction as well as art in public spaces and consistently implements his own designs. As a jury member, he is often part of art in construction competitions and also acts as a preliminary examiner and coordinator of competition procedures of the Berlin Senate and district administrations.
Martin Binder lives and works in Berlin, where he is a recipient of the Berlin Studio Stipend. Martin Binder creates site- and context-specific sculptural installations that reference environmental issues and raise awareness of the planet's limits. Furthermore, an essential component of his work is the playful interaction with public space and between people.
Martin Binders artistically addresses anthropocentric claims to dominance over the earth and deals with their consequences for humans and the environment. The often sculptural engagement with innovative technology and natural materials offers points of connection to the topics of forestry, monocultures, climate change, nature conservation, domestication, ecosystems, and appreciation of nature. Binder works with a wide variety of media and is fascinated by technical progress, which is an essential part of his work through 3D printing, 3D scanners, drone photography and CNC cutters, among other things. He combines technical precision with chance and human unpredictability.
