Pre-Nominations Open for 2021 AVN Awards

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—As the world is all too aware, 2020 has been a year of massive upheaval. Like so many other major events in entertainment, sports and other arenas, the AVN Awards and AVN Adult Entertainment Expo have moved to the virtual space for their upcoming incarnations due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has changed the way we all live and work. But the show must go on. And as long as there's upheaval underway, AVN is introducing a brand new award to top them all for the 38th annual ceremony. Making its official bow at the 2021 AVN Awards, taking place January 23 and presented by MyFreeCams, AVN proudly unveils the Grand Reel—our freshly-conceived pinnacle honor for adult cinema. Modeled after the Palme d'Or bestowed each year at the royally esteemed Cannes Film Festival, the Grand Reel is intended to definitively recognize the year's most outstanding achievement in adult motion picture creation.  That's not the only new addition, but before addressing the rest, the thing you're all here for—to submit your productions, websites, retail products and other work of the past year to be considered for the 2021 AVN Awards, any and all adult industry professionals are invited to do so using the AVN Awards Pre-Nomination Site, located at: submissions.awards.avn.com If you were approved to use the Pre-Nomination Site last year, you may use the same login to access the site for this year's submissions. If not, you must fill out the sign-up form to request access here. Pre-nominations are also now open for the 2021 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. For any questions about access to or use of the Pre-Nomination Site, email AVN Senior Editor Peter Warren at [email protected].  The Pre-Nomination Site will close at midnight on September 30, and there will be no extensions of the deadline. Note that once again, you may submit a maximum of FIVE (5) pre-nominations 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.  And speaking again of categories (listed in full below), there are a few more new ones making their debuts, starting with the duo of Best Cultural Appeal Production and Best Cultural Appeal Series or Channel. Also—for this year only (knock on wood!)—we celebrate the efforts many adult performers have put forth to continue providing content under the singular circumstances of COVID-19 with Best Quarantine Sex Scene.  For more clarification on these or any other cateogries, be sure to mouse over the question marks beside each one in the Pre-Nomination Site for detailed descriptions, or find them all here. Finally, be sure to carefully read through the following eligibility rules for the various types of categories in the Video & Web sector (Scene/Featurette, Full-Length Production, Series or Channel): Eligibility Term To be considered in any of the video categories, a production must be made available commercially between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020. 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. Any scene or featurette considered for a 2021 AVN Award will be void from future consideration thenceforth if included as part of any larger production released after September 30, 2020. 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 clip sites are not eligible.    Series or Channel Eligibility To be considered for a nomination in any Series or Channel 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 overall consideration of the series or channel. (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 NetworkAttn: Nominations9400 Penfield Ave.Chatsworth, CA 91311 The full list of categories for the 2021 AVN Awards follows (subject to change at AVN's discretion): VIDEO & WEB All-Girl Performer of the YearBest Actor – FeaturetteBest Actress – FeaturetteBest All-Girl Group Sex SceneBest All-Girl ProductionBest All-Girl Series or ChannelBest Anal ProductionBest Anal Series or ChannelBest Anal Sex SceneBest Anthology ProductionBest Anthology Series or ChannelBest Art DirectionBest BDSM ProductionBest Blowbang SceneBest Boy/Girl Sex SceneBest CinematographyBest Cultural Appeal ProductionBest Cultural Appeal Series or ChannelBest Director – ComedyBest Director – DramaBest Director – Foreign ProductionBest Director – Web Channel/SiteBest Double-Penetration Sex SceneBest EditingBest FeaturetteBest Female Mixed-Age ProductionBest Foreign Production Best Foreign-Shot All-Girl Sex SceneBest Foreign-Shot Anal Sex SceneBest Foreign-Shot Boy/Girl Sex SceneBest Foreign-Shot Group Sex SceneBest Gangbang SceneBest Girl/Girl Sex SceneBest Gonzo ProductionBest Gonzo Series or ChannelBest Group Sex ProductionBest Group Sex Scene Best Ingénue ProductionBest Ingénue Series or ChannelBest Leading ActorBest Leading ActressBest MakeupBest Male NewcomerBest MILF ProductionBest MILF/Female Mixed-Age Series or ChannelBest New Foreign StarletBest New Production BannerBest New StarletBest Niche ProductionBest Niche Series or ChannelBest Non-Sex PerformanceBest Oral ProductionBest Oral Sex SceneBest Polyamory ProductionBest POV Sex SceneBest Quarantine Sex SceneBest Screenplay – ComedyBest Screenplay – DramaBest Sexual Barter ProductionBest Solo/Tease PerformanceBest SoundtrackBest Special EffectsBest Star ShowcaseBest Supporting ActorBest Supporting ActressBest Taboo Relations ProductionBest Three-Way Sex Scene – B/B/GBest Three-Way Sex Scene – G/G/BBest Transgender Group Sex SceneBest Transgender One-on-One Sex SceneBest Transgender ProductionBest Transgender Series or ChannelBest Virtual Reality Product/SiteBest Virtual Reality Sex SceneClever Title of the YearDirector of the YearFemale Foreign Performer of the YearFemale Performer of the YearForeign Director of the YearGrand ReelMainstream Venture of the YearMale Foreign Performer of the YearMale Performer of the YearMILF Performer of the YearMost Outrageous Sex SceneNiche Performer of the YearTransgender Performer of the Year PLEASURE PRODUCTS Best Enhancement ManufacturerBest Fetish ManufacturerBest Lingerie or Apparel ManufacturerBest Lubricant ManufacturerBest Pleasure Product Manufacturer – SmallBest Pleasure Product Manufacturer – MediumBest Pleasure Product Manufacturer – Large RETAIL  Best BoutiqueBest Retail Chain – SmallBest Retail Chain – MediumBest Retail Chain – LargeBest Web Retail Store