SVG College Sports Media Awards 2025: Entry Window Now Open!

Deadline to enter the 17th-annual competition is April 9; ceremony hosted at SVG College Summit on May 28 in Atlanta

The Sports Video Group (SVG) is excited to announce that the 2025 SVG College Sports Media Awards in association with NACDA are now open! Be a part of the nationwide celebration of the very best in college sports video production!

Get your entries in now! The deadline to enter this year’s competition is set for Wednesday, April 9, 2025.

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Finalists will be celebrated and winners will be named at the SVG College Sports Media Awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 as part of the 2025 SVG College Summit at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Atlanta.

Important notes for this year’s competition:

• Categories Changes to Special Feature: We have, again, made adjustments to the Special Features categories for this year’s competition. Now, institutions will be able to submit entries in “Outstanding Special Feature” and “Outstanding Cinematic Recap.” See below for further breakdown of these category distinctions.
• Entry Fees: SVG will be reinstating entry fees this year. Every institution receives one free entry in each category. Any additional entries beyond the first will be accompanied by a fee (costs outlined below).
• Students Remain Free: The Collegiate Student division remains free to enter! Institutions will be limited to three entries per category in the Collegiate Student division.

Category Changes

In our consistent attempt to keep these rewards reflective of the current state of media and to ensure categories and divisions are judging videos of consistent artistic style and quality, we are again making tweaks to two of the award categories in this year’s competition.

We have eliminated the two categories entitled “Outstanding Special Feature – Scripted” and “Outstanding Special Feature – Unscripted” in last year’s competition and have replaced them with the following:

Outstanding Special Feature – (time limit of eight (8) minutes per entry) This documentary-style edited video tells the story of a single college sports-related subject matter.  These entries can include: current or former student-athletes, teams, staff members, coaches, parents, siblings, historical events, etc.  To qualify, the entry video must be a complete element, “with a beginning, middle and end, not an excerpt of a longer program.  Cohesive creative (i.e. Scripted) from a video of any length, where the subject matter or theme is singular (one college sports subject) and the content is edited.  To qualify as a Special Feature must be the finished product as it was distributed and consumed by viewers.  Distribution methods can include linear television, streaming platform, social media platform, mobile application, IPTV, connected device, OTT service, or in-stadium videoboard.

Outstanding Cinematic Recap – (time limit of eight (8) minutes per entry).  This entry is a long-form video that tells the story of a single event, series of events, or season through original footage shot and highlights obtained of these events.  The entry can include voiceovers, quotes, broadcast pay-by-play and/or commentary, and other narration.  To qualify, the entry must be a continuous segment, excerpt, or the entirety of a finished product as it is distributed and consumed by viewers.  This can be any type of longer form programming that would fall into the genres of “reality, behind the scenes, highlights or storytelling.”  Themes include the following in any of these areas as examples: teams, coaches, players, parents, siblings, historical events, athletic department employees, trainers, medical staff, recruiting, instruction, behind-the-scenes footage, Senior Day, etc.  Distribution methods can include linear television, streaming platform, social media platform, mobile application, IPTV, connected device, OTT service, or in-stadium videoboard.

Further details are outlined in the official rules.

Entry Fees

For the 2025 competition, every institution’s first entry into any category remains free. Any additional entries in a given category will be charged the following:

• Professional – $100/entry
• Collegiate Conferences and Governing Bodies – First Entry Free; all additional entries $50/entry
• Collegiate Athletics – First Entry Free; all additional entries $50/entry
• Collegiate Student – All entries free/limit three per institution in each category

****You must use coupon code CSMA1FREE2025 and checkout the first entry completely before checking out the remainder of your entries. If you do not use the coupon, there will be no refunds.****

In the Collegiate Student division, for example, Texas A&M University may enter up to, but no more than, three entries in the Outstanding Live Game category in the Collegiate Student division. They are also permitted, though, to enter up to as many as three in any other Collegiate Student award in which they meet the qualifications for.

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Here is an outline of the awards that will be given in the 2025 SVG College Sports Media Awards in association with NACDA:

Outstanding Live Game Production

• Professional
• Collegiate Conferences and Governing Bodies
• Collegiate Athletics – Power
• Collegiate Athletics – Championship
• Collegiate Student – Power
• Collegiate Student – Championship

Outstanding Live Non-Game Production

• Professional
• Collegiate Conferences and Governing Bodies
• Collegiate Athletics
• Collegiate Student

• Professional
• Collegiate Conferences and Governing Bodies
• Collegiate Athletics – Power
• Collegiate Athletics – Championship
• Collegiate Student – Power
• Collegiate Student – Championship

Outstanding Cinematic Recap

• Professional
• Collegiate Conferences and Governing Bodies
• Collegiate Athletics – Power
• Collegiate Athletics – Championship
• Collegiate Student – Power
• Collegiate Student – Championship

Outstanding Social Media Video

• Professional
• Collegiate Conferences and Governing Bodies
• Collegiate Athletics – Power
• Collegiate Athletics – Championship
• Collegiate Student – Power
• Collegiate Student – Championship

Outstanding In-Venue Video

• Collegiate Conferences and Governing Bodies
• Collegiate Athletics – Power
• Collegiate Athletics – Championship
• Collegiate Student – Power
• Collegiate Student – Championship

If you have any questions regarding new rules or where your entry should be submitted for the 2025 SVG College Sports Media Awards, please email CSMA Chair Tom Buffolano at [email protected] or SVG College Summit Program Director Brandon Costa at [email protected].

MORE: 2024 SVG College Sports Media Awards Winners
MORE: 2024 SVG College Sports Media Awards Finalists