AACTA Awards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids AACTA Awards
The AACTA Award statuette is given to winners.
Presented by	Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA)
Country	Australia
First awarded	Founded as the Australian Film Institute Awards (AFI Awards) 1958; 67 years ago (1958) (to honour achievements of 1957/1958)
Television coverage
Network	ABC (1977, 1980–83, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003–04) SBS (1998–2000) Seven Network (1978, 2001, 2016–20) Nine Network (1976, 2005–12) Ovation (2004) Network Ten (1985, 2002, 2013–15, 2021–) Arena (2013–21) Famous (2022–)

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, also known as the AACTA Awards, are Australia's biggest awards for movies and TV shows. Every year, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) gives out these awards to celebrate amazing work in the film and television industry.

The awards honor everyone involved in making great entertainment, including producers, directors, actors, writers, and cinematographers. They are considered the Australian version of the Academy Awards (the Oscars) in the United States and the BAFTA Awards in the United Kingdom.

Before they were called the AACTA Awards, they were known as the Australian Film Institute Awards (or AFI Awards). They started way back in 1958 with just a few categories. In 1986, they began including awards for television shows. The AACTA Awards also have a special ceremony in Los Angeles each January to honor international films and TV shows.

History of the Awards

1958–2010: The AFI Awards

The awards began as the Australian Film Institute Awards, or AFI Awards. They were created in 1958 to help support and celebrate Australian movies. At first, the awards were part of the Melbourne International Film Festival.

In the early years, there weren't many feature films being made in Australia. So, the awards mostly focused on documentaries and educational films. The first feature film to win a major award was Jack and Jill: A Postscript in 1969.

For a long time, awards were given to the film itself. But in 1971, they started giving special awards to individual people, like actors, directors, and writers, for their amazing skills. In 1976, the awards ceremony was shown on TV for the first time. Awards for TV shows like dramas and comedies were added in the 1980s and 1990s.

2011–Present: The AACTA Awards

Actress Diana Glenn holds her AACTA Award in 2012.

In 2011, the Australian Film Institute (AFI) decided to create a new organization called the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). With this change, the awards were renamed the AACTA Awards.

The goal of the new Academy was to promote Australian movies and TV shows both at home and around the world. The awards ceremony was also moved from Melbourne to the famous Sydney Opera House in Sydney. This change helped line up the AACTAs with other big international award shows.

The Academy also launched the AACTA International Awards. These awards are given out in Los Angeles to celebrate the best films and TV shows from all over the globe.

How Winners Are Chosen

For a movie or TV show to be considered for an AACTA Award, it must be Australian. It also has to be new and can't have been entered in the awards before. Feature films must be shown in movie theaters, and TV shows must have been broadcast on television.

The winners are chosen by members of the AACTA. These members are professionals who work in the film and TV industry, such as actors, directors, writers, and producers. They are split into groups called "Chapters."

First, each Chapter votes to create a list of nominees in their area of expertise. For example, the actors' chapter chooses the acting nominees. Then, all members of the Academy vote on the nominees to pick the final winner in each category. This is called peer voting, because people are judged by others who do the same job.

The AACTA Statuette

The AACTA Award statuette on the red carpet in 2014.

The award trophy, or statuette, has changed over the years.

• Early Medals (1958-1975): In the beginning, winners received a gold, silver, or bronze medal.
• The Acrylic Award (1979-2010): For many years, the award was a clear block of acrylic on a silver base.
• The Golden Statuette (2012-Present): When the AACTA Awards began, a new statuette was created. It is a golden trophy that shows a human figure shaped like the Southern Cross constellation, a famous symbol of Australia.

The new statuette was designed by sculptor Ron Gomboc. It is made of 22-karat gold and sits on a base of tiger iron, a special gemstone from Western Australia. Each base is unique, just like the talented person who receives it.

An interesting rule about the statuette is that it always belongs to the AACTA. Winners can keep it for life, but they are not allowed to sell it.

The Awards Ceremony

The AACTA Awards are presented at two main events each year.

• The AACTA Awards Luncheon: This is a formal event where awards for short films, documentaries, and technical skills like editing and sound are given out.
• The AACTA Awards Ceremony: This is the main event, where the biggest awards for feature films and popular TV shows are presented. It's a glamorous party that is broadcast on television for everyone to watch.

For many years, the awards were held at the end of the year. But since 2012, the ceremony has been held in January to celebrate the best work from the previous year.

Past AACTA Ceremonies

Here is a list of some of the major winners from past AACTA Awards ceremonies.

See also

In Spanish: Premios AACTA para niños

• List of television awards
• Cinema of Australia