Ministry of Information & Broadcasting invited applications for the Best Web Series (OTT) Award on Tuesday.
The inaugural edition of the award will be introduced with the 54th edition of the International Film Festival of India to be held in Goa during November 20 – 28, 2023.
The Award will recognize and reward exceptional talent that has realized its potential due to the opportunities provided by the OTT space in India.
In keeping with India’s growing creative economy, the award will also aim to incentivize and create investment opportunities in India’s OTT sector by providing avenues to content creators and OTT platforms to showcase their work, exchange knowledge, and foster international relationships through the International Film Festival of India (IFFI),” the ministry said in a release.
Application procedure and eligibility
To be eligible for the award, the web series has to be originally created/shot in any Indian language. It has to be an original piece of work commissioned, produced, co-produced, licensed, or acquired with the purpose of releasing only on the OTT Platform. All episodes of the entry (web series/season) should have been released on an OTT platform between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022, the ministry stated.
Further, the web series/season under application must have a total runtime of at least 180 minutes, have a minimum of three (3) episodes, have each episode of duration 25 minutes or more, and be tied together under the same title or trade name, it added.
Those who are eligible should submit the entry through the prescribed online entry form, which is available at the Award website: https://bestwebseriesaward.com/.
The entries can be submitted online till 6 PM on 25th August 2023. In addition to the online submission, the stamped and signed hard copy of the submitted online application along with its adjoining material must be received by 31st August 2023.
In the event that 31st August 2023 is declared a holiday, the next working day will be considered as the final date for receipt of the application.
Components of the award, prize money, and jury
The award for the Best Web Series will be presented to one web series for its artistic merit, storytelling, technical excellence and overall impact.
In order to select the winners, there shall be a two-tier system, a Preview Committee, and a Jury.
The jury would comprise eminent film/web series professionals/personalities acclaimed in the field of web series, cinema, and other allied arts from across India. The preview committee and the jury would be constituted by the Ministry of I&B.
A cash Prize of Rs 10 lakhs will be awarded, to be shared equally among the Director(s), Creator(s), and the Producer(s) / Production house(s) / OTT Platform, the ministry said.