The 2014 Sony PROduction Awards open the registration period

Sony's search for a new generation of creative talent opens internationally this time.

The 2014 Sony PROduction Awards open registration today, offering filmmakers from around the world the opportunity to showcase their talent. The competition offers students, professionals and film fans the opportunity to receive industry recognition and obtain the latest Sony technology, including Sony's NEX-FS700RH 4K-ready Super-35mm Exmor CMOS sensor NXCAM camcorder.

Now in its third year, the Sony PROduction Awards have become a global competition that aims to discover exceptionally talented filmmakers and give them the opportunity to develop their careers as professionals. Those who wish to participate simply have to create a short film (or use an existing one) of a maximum of 5 minutes in length and send it to the PROduction Awards website to compete in one of the three production categories: informative, creative or student. In the student classification, participants are invited to submit creative or informative short films, but they will be judged among their peers.

All short films received will be uploaded to the Sony PROduction Awards Arena, where the public will be able to see them and vote for their favorites. Participants will be able to send their works until March 10, 2014 and, from that day on, voting will open. Voting will close on April 7, 2014 and the five most popular short films in each category will be submitted to the verdict of a jury of experts, who will be in charge of choosing three winners, one in each category. The jury will be made up of a wide range of leading professionals who cover numerous fields of visual production.

Mohamed El-Sehrawy acknowledges that "winning last year was a fantastic experience that opened up a new world of opportunities for me. It is an honor to be welcomed as a jury, especially now that the competition is global. I think we are going to see some incredible talents this year."

The Sony PROduction Awards are a competition where creativity and technical ability are rewarded. Entries will be judged based on the skill with which they have been shot, taking into account the equipment used, whether it be a 35mm film camera or a mobile phone. The jury will also evaluate the creativity of each participant and the attractiveness of the idea, content, photography, direction and production.

One winner will be chosen in each category and will receive Sony's leading 4K-ready NEX-FS700RH NXCAM Super-35mm Exmor CMOS sensor camcorder and the latest in audio technology: Sony's UWP-D wireless microphone kit. You'll also have access to Sony's Ci platform for cloud-based video production and library storage, plus advertising to promote your work.

The winner in the student category will also win access to the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, where they will have the opportunity to use the state-of-the-art mobile professional audio and HD video recording and production facility. The name of the winners will be announced next April.

More information, here.

Jury

• Philip Bloom, director and director of photography in London
• Molly Clarke, documentary director and communications officer at the Rory Peck Trust
• Mohammed El-Sehrawy, winner of the Sony PROduction Awards last year
• Shane Hurlbut, director of photography and member of the ASC and AMPAS
• Nino Leitner, Australian cinematographer and filmmaker
• Den Lennie, founder of the F-Stop Academy
• Tony Marchant, screenwriter and playwright at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA)
• Emmanuel Pampuri, French producer and CEO of Les Machineurs
• Andrew Reid, editor of EOSHD.com, a blog specifically to help new filmmakers
• Sebastian Wiegartner, German cinematographer and filmmaker