Frequently
Asked Questions

The Gemini Awards honour the best in Canadian television as determined by members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and other industry professionals.

This will be the 25th anniversary of the Gemini Awards. This year’s Awards show will be broadcast live from Toronto, Ontario on Saturday November 13, 2010 on Global and Showcase.

Shows that aired between May 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010 qualify for the 25th Annual Gemini Awards.

For a series, 50% of a season must be aired within this qualifying period.
For all other programs (ie. Mini-series, documentary programs), the first broadcast must be within this qualifying period.

There are 107 Awards that celebrate achievements in Program, Performance, and Craft categories.

Shows and individuals are submitted for nominations by their production company. Individuals may also enter themselves for consideration with the permission of the show’s producer.

All entries are subject to the Rules and Regulations of the Gemini Awards. These rules and regulations are reviewed annually by a Committee that is comprised of industry professionals. Click for a copy of the rules and regulations [pdf]

Nominations are determined by a jury process – there is a jury for each and every category. These juries are comprised of 5 to 7 Academy members and other industry professionals with an expertise in a specific field.

The nominating juries for each category review all of the submissions in their designated category. There is a maximum of 5 nominations per category – as you can imagine, there are a lot of great Canadian TV shows out there and great Canadian talent behind those shows so the competition is intense! Jury members are tasked with diligently reviewing all of the entries according to a set of criteria. They discuss and debate and then vote for the nominations by secret ballot. The balloting process is audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Each entry, whether it be a show, a performer, or a craftsperson, is judged alongside the other entries in its category. Shows, performers, and craftspeople are eligible only in certain applicable categories and if a show is not entered in a particular category, it obviously cannot be nominated!

Each category’s nominations are determined by a jury comprised of individuals – Academy members in the Television branch and other industry professionals – with expertise in a particular field. For example, juries for the Editing categories are comprised primarily of editors, the juries for Direction categories are comprised primarily of Directors – in other words, a jury comprised of peers. Jury members are selected by a Jury Chair and are screened by the Academy for any possible biases.

Awards are determined much in the same way that nominations are. Performance and Craft categories are voted on by Academy members with expertise in that particular field. In other words, actors vote for Acting categories, writers vote for Writing categories, etc.

Each voting member of the Academy’s TV branch is eligible to vote for the Program categories – including Best Dramatic Series, Best Comedy Program or Series, Best Cross-Platform Project.

The Gemini statuette was designed by award-winning designer and artist Scott Thornley.

Cut from solid brass and mounted on a wooden base, the Gemini symbolizes the relationship between the individuals and disciplines behind the work and the image on the screen, as well as the partnerships behind and in front of the camera.

The Gemini Statue weighs 7 kg (15 lbs) and stands 29 cm high by 17 cm wide (11 1/4 inches high by 6 1/2 inches wide).