AWARDS CATEGORIES

ADVERTISING

Eligibility Period: January 1, 2026 – December 9, 2026
Submissions must have an initial commercial release after the previous year's submission deadline, and prior to the current year's submission deadline.
Release requirements: Commercially and/or publicly released includes, but is not limited to: theatrical distribution and broadcasting, network and cable television broadcasting, mainstream streaming platforms, video on demand services, and/or home entertainment distribution. Online release also qualifies.
Qualifying Credits: All Nominees must have performed in the role of Music Supervisor as defined by the Guild of Music Supervisors here. More than one Music Supervisor can be nominated for the same project if co-supervision circumstances are confirmed to qualify more than one Music Supervisor.
Required Screening Materials: Entire spot

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN ADVERTISING (SYNCH)

Presented for performance as a Music Supervisor in a single advertising spot. Achievement is awarded for innovation in the creative use of licensed, existing music in the context of an advertisement or other branded visual media. Entries submitted within this category should be no longer than 90 seconds in length.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN ADVERTISING (ORIGINAL MUSIC)

Presented for performance as a Music Supervisor in a single advertising spot. Achievement is awarded for excellence in the creation of original music within an advertisement. Submissions can include covers of existing compositions or original material. Entries submitted within this category should be no longer than 90 seconds in length.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN ADVERTISING (LONG-FORM)

Presented for performance as a Music Supervisor in a single advertising spot. Achievement is awarded for excellence in the creation of original or synced music within an advertisement. Entries submitted within this category must be above 90 seconds and under 8 minutes to qualify.

FILM & DOCUMENTARY FILM

Eligibility Period: January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026
Release requirements:

The film must have been released in a commercial theater in the United States for at least one week (seven consecutive days)
The film must have been released through a commercial streaming or VOD service - A fee-based service where a publicly accessible rental/purchase” or “subscription” was required

Qualifying Credits: All Nominees must receive on-screen credit as Music Supervisor, unless special circumstances are approved by the Awards Committee. More than one Music Supervisor can be nominated for the same project if co-supervision circumstances are confirmed to qualify more than one Music Supervisor. In-house Music Supervisors who are not accorded on-screen credit for a project, that also does not have a credited Music Supervisor, may submit for consideration.
Required Screening Materials:
- Entire film (Film & Documentary)
- Song file + clip of usage (Song For Film only)

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

Presented for performance as a Music Supervisor on a feature length film of any genre with a production budget OVER 65 million dollars. Achievement is based on the creative, technical and business contributions made to the film.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A HIGH-BUDGET FILM

Presented for performance as a Music Supervisor on a feature length film of any genre with a production budget UNDER 65 million dollars and above 35 million dollars. Achievement is based on the creative, technical and business contributions made to the film.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A MID-BUDGET FILM

Presented for performance as a Music Supervisor on a feature length film of any genre with a production budget UNDER 35 million dollars and above 10 million dollars. Achievement is based on the creative, technical and business contributions made to the film.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A LIMITED-BUDGET FILM

Presented for performance as a Music Supervisor on a feature length film of any genre with a production budget UNDER 10 million dollars. Achievement is based on the creative, technical and business contributions made to the film.

BEST SONG WRITTEN AND/OR RECORDED FOR A FILM

The song can be written for the film or be an imaginative cover of an existing composition. Song recording must be created specifically for the feature or documentary film. The use of an existing recording that has been previously released with no direct relationship to the film does not qualify. Nominated parties will include Music Supervisor(s), Songwriter(s), and Recording Artist(s). More than one song from a film can be nominated.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A DOCUMENTARY FILM

Presented for performance as a Music Supervisor on a feature length documentary film of any genre. Achievement is based on the creative, technical and business contributions made to the documentary. Awarded to the credited Music Supervisor(s).

TELEVISION & DOCUSERIES

Eligibility Period:
- Television: November 1, 2025 – October 31, 2026
- Docuseries: January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026
Release requirements: Commercially and/or publicly released includes, but is not limited to: theatrical distribution and broadcasting, network and cable television broadcasting, mainstream streaming platforms, video on demand services, and/or home entertainment distribution.
At least 50% of the season must air within the eligibility period. Series with exactly 50% of the season airing within the eligibility period may be eligible for either GMS Awards qualifying year, however that season may only be submitted once for consideration. We encourage you to submit at the time you feel is best for your project.
Qualifying Credits: All Nominees must receive on-screen credit as Music Supervisor in at least 50% of the episodes in a qualifying season, unless special circumstances are approved by the Awards Committee. More than one Music Supervisor can be nominated for the same project if co-supervision circumstances are confirmed to qualify more than one Music Supervisor. In-house Music Supervisors who are not accorded on-screen credit for a project, that also does not have a credited Music Supervisor, may submit for consideration.
Required Screening Materials:
- A minimum of two (2) representative episodes. We encourage you to share more. (Television & Docuseries)
- Song file + clip of use (Song For Television only)

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A TELEVISION DRAMA

Presented for achievements in the Music Supervision of a dramatic television series. Based on the creative, technical and business contributions made for the series body of work during the current eligibility period. Awarded to

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A TELEVISION COMEDY

Presented for achievements in the Music Supervision of a comedic television series. Based on the creative, technical and business contributions made for the series body of work during the current eligibility period. Awarded to the credited Music Supervisor(s) on at least 50% of the episodes in a qualifying season.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN REALITY TELEVISION

Presented for achievements in the Music Supervision of reality television. Based on the creative, technical and business contributions made for the body of work during the current eligibility period. Awarded to the credited Music Supervisor(s) on at least 50% of the episodes in a qualifying season.

BEST SONG WRITTEN AND/OR RECORDED FOR TELEVISION

Presented for an Original Song (including both music and lyrics) composed and/or an imaginative cover recorded specifically for the television series. The song must be audible, intelligible and presented substantially within the work. Nominated parties will include the credited Music Supervisor(s), Songwriter(s), and Recording Artist(s) who contributed materially to the overall creative direction and business administration of the song.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A DOCUSERIES

Presented for achievements in the Music Supervision of a documentary series. Based on the creative, technical and business contributions made for the series body of work during the current eligibility period. Awarded to the credited Music Supervisor(s) on at least 50% of the episodes in a qualifying season.

TRAILERS

Eligibility Period: January 1, 2026 – December 9, 2026
Submissions must have an initial commercial release after the previous year's submission deadline, and prior to the current year's submission deadline.
Release requirements: Commercially and/or publicly released includes, but is not limited to: theatrical distribution and broadcasting, network and cable television broadcasting, mainstream streaming platforms, video on demand services, and/or home entertainment distribution. Online release also qualifies.
Qualifying Credits: All Nominees must have performed in the role of Music Supervisor as defined by the Guild of Music Supervisors here. More than one Music Supervisor can be nominated for the same project if co-supervision circumstances are confirmed to qualify more than one Music Supervisor.
Required Screening Materials: Full Trailer

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A TRAILER (FILM)

Presented for achievement for the creative contributions to a single film trailer by a Music Supervisor. Entries submitted within this category must be over 45 seconds in length.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A TRAILER (SERIES)

Presented for achievement for the creative contributions to a single series trailer by a Music Supervisor. Entries submitted within this category must be over 15 seconds in length. Category includes TV Promos.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A TRAILER (VIDEO GAME & INTERACTIVE)

Presented for achievement for the creative contributions to a single video game or interactive trailer by a Music Supervisor. Entries submitted within this category must be over 45 seconds in length.

VIDEO GAMES

Eligibility Period: January 1, 2026 – December 9, 2026
Submissions must have an initial commercial release after the previous year's submission deadline, and prior to the current year's submission deadline.
Release requirements: Commercially and/or publicly released includes, but is not limited to: theatrical distribution and broadcasting, network and cable television broadcasting, mainstream streaming platforms, video on demand services, and/or home entertainment distribution. Online release also qualifies.
Qualifying Credits: All Nominees must have performed in the role of Music Supervisor as defined by the Guild of Music Supervisors here. Audio Director credits also qualify. More than one Music Supervisor can be nominated for the same project if co-supervision circumstances are confirmed to qualify more than one Music Supervisor.
Required Screening Materials: Media assets that best depict your work on the game soundtrack

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A VIDEO GAME (SYNCH)

Presented for performance as a Music Supervisor and awarded for excellence on a soundtrack for a Video Game using pre-existing music. Achievement is based on a soundtrack that truly enhances the overall mood and style of the game, while measuring creativity and strength in song selection. Nominations can be games that consist of licensed music only.

BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN A VIDEO GAME (ORIGINAL MUSIC)

Presented for performance as a Music Supervisor and awarded for excellence on a soundtrack for a Video Game. Achievement is based on a soundtrack that truly enhances the overall mood and style of the game, while measuring creativity and strength in original song creation and/or score impact. Nominations can be games that consist mainly of composed/original music. Nominated parties will include the Music Supervisor(s) and primary original music Composer(s).

Final Decision-Making Authority

Credits that DO NOT qualify for nomination include: Executive Music Producer, Associate Music Supervisor, Assistant Music Supervisor, Music Director, Music Coordinator, Music Clearance, and Music Licensing (amongst others).

All decisions related to the final eligibility of nominees and any other interpretation of any awards related rules, regulations, and eligibility of submissions will be at the sole discretion of the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards Committee.