The 2026 AES Nashville Student Recording Competition

Category 3: Sound for Visual Media focuses on audio recordings crafted to enhance visual storytelling across various platforms. Whether it’s for narrative or documentary films, commercials, video games, or any digital visual content, this category celebrates the synergy between sound and picture. No original audio from the source video is allowed to remain in the submission.

• Your work should enrich the visual experience, incorporating elements like dialogue, sound effects, and musical scores. These can come from direct production sound, libraries, synthesized sounds, or original recordings by the participant.
• The audio must be deliberately designed to accompany the video content, ensuring a cohesive viewing experience.
• Submissions should not include music videos, live concerts, or studio session videos where music is the sole focus. Instead, each entry must feature significant non-musical sound elements — think dialogue, sound effects, character voices, object sounds, or environmental ambience.
• Video game projects can present raw gameplay audio laid over captured video, or showcase adaptive audio implemented through audio engines/middleware, combined with video.
• While creativity in sound production is encouraged, the competition primarily evaluates excellence in audio recording and production. The compositional aspects of your submission are considered secondary.
• Craftsmanship in recording, editing, and mixing sounds to complement visual media is paramount.
• A blend of dialogue, music, foley, ambience and sound design is encouraged.
• All editing and mixing must be done by the entrant(s).
• Entries are limited to a 5-minute runtime.
• Submission must not be mastered.

What to Submit:

• You must submit a stereo mix. Initial judging will be based on the stereo mix.
• You may also submit an optional immersive mix for use later in the judging process.
• The stereo submission must be a .mov or QuickTime video file with 48kHz, 24 bit audio.
• For optional immersive audio (up to 7.1.4), submit a loudspeaker channel-based mix as individual mono files that will sync with video when imported to the same start time in a DAW.
• Ensure your video file will play on Mac OS, and can be imported into ProTools Studio.

File Naming:

Your filenames should be:

• Stereo Audio: [AES Member Number]-Cat[3]-Audio.wav
  • Example: 0123456-Cat3-Audio.wav
  • Documentation: [AES Member Number]-Cat[3]-Document.pdf
  • Example: 0123456-Cat3-Document.pdf

• Immersive Mono Speaker Channels:

[AES Member Number]-Cat[3]-[Speaker Channel].wav

• • Example: 0123456-Cat3-LFE.wav
  • Follow this channel naming convention for immersive files:
  • L, R, C, Lfe, Lss, Rss, Lsr, Rsr, Ltf, Rtf, Ltr, Rtr.

Submissions must be submitted to the Dropbox link provided after registration, in an unzipped folder containing all media and documentation. No zipped folders.

Announcement Date: Finalists will be announced 3-4 weeks prior to the start of the AES Convention. The judging panel holds the discretion to determine the number of finalists.

Submission Guidelines:

• Each student is allowed one recording per category, with a limit of two submissions in total.
• The Director of the Recording Competition and other selected professionals will categorize submissions into their respective categories. While participants may indicate their preferred category, the final decision based on recording and musical style, will be determined by the Education Committee. This decision is final.
• Submissions must be anonymous, and organized by AES member number to be forwarded to the judges for evaluation.
• The criteria used for judging decisions are detailed within the category descriptions and available on the AES website.

Competition Program and Presentation: During the AES Convention, the Student Recording Competition will feature a program that includes:

• Student Presentations:
  • In-Person Participants: Must give a presentation about their work (5 minute maximum), explaining their recording process and artistic decisions.
  • Remote/hybrid finalists will be required to record a video presentation (5 minute maximum) and submit it for playback at the convention.
• Playback of submissions: Each finalist’s entry will be showcased to the attendees and judging panel.
• Feedback Session:
  • In-Person Participants: There will be a 5 minute live feedback period with the judges, where they will offer constructive critiques and insights.
  • Remote/hybrid participants: You must be able to log into a live Zoom meeting at the time of the competition session for a 5 minute live feedback period with the judges.

A maximum of one remote entry will be selected as a finalist in each category.

Authorship of your submission, just as in the case of academic articles, is of the utmost importance. While it is presumed that you may have worked with numerous individuals (producers, musicians, etc.), this work should be considered your own to claim and present (what would be considered the primary author of a paper). In many disciplines, including our own, collaboration is the norm and issues of authorship can be controversial. However, please understand that all engineers credited must have been involved throughout a majority of the production process.

If you worked with several individuals who deserve to share in the credit of the project, you may include their names as collaborators. However, note that only one individual may submit the project (as there is only one primary engineer / author of the work). As well, please understand that all individuals listed as collaborators must meet all competition eligibility guidelines.

It is not required that all student collaborators be part of the same/single audio program, however, all collaborating engineers music be AES student members, and it is the responsibility of the submitter to communicate information about the finalists to their team-members.

To allow for multiple certificates to be made for all student collaborators, please be sure to include all student collaborator information in the submission form. While the Competition may sometimes be able to duplicate prizes for co-presenters, it is not always possible, and winning entries should anticipate only one set of prizes.

Each contestant is required to submit detailed documentation alongside their audio mixes to provide insight into their recording and mixing process. This documentation is crucial for understanding the methodology and technical approach taken during the project’s creation.

Documentation Guidelines:

• Language: All documentation must be submitted in English.
• Length and Content: Specific methodologies, techniques and signal chains can be shared via various methods of documentation. Documentation should be between 4 to 6 pages and 800 to 1200 words, inclusive of all session documentation, photographs, screenshots and illustrations. Any content beyond this limit will not be reviewed by the judges.
• Templates: Students should feel free to use standard session documentation templates recommended by the AES Technical Committee and the Recording Academy’s Producers and Engineers Wing. These templates ensure consistency and comprehensiveness in presenting your project. More information can be found at the link below.
• Visuals: You may include up to 8 photographs, screenshots or illustrations to support your documentation.
• Format: Documentation must be in PDF format, submitted in a unzipped folder along with the audio files, adhering to the competition’s submission guidelines.

• Category Suggestion: Please include a suggested category on the first page.

Anonymity Requirements:

• Your documentation should be entirely anonymized, using only your AES member number for identification.
• Refer to individuals involved in the project (e.g., performers, composers, technicians) by their first names and the initials of their surnames.
• Do not disclose recording, mixing, or mastering locations, or any details that could hint at your institution/university affiliation. This is to ensure the competition’s fairness and impartiality.

Failure to adhere to these documentation and anonymity guidelines may lead to disqualification from the competition.

Judging Overview: Entries will be anonymously reviewed by judges 5-6 weeks before the convention, offering them ample time for a thorough evaluation in their preferred listening environments. The ambition and difficulty of projects will be considered, with particularly challenging entries potentially earning extra points. It’s worth keeping this in mind when selecting your project for submission.

In the event of an overwhelming number of entries in a category, entries will be pre-screened by the Competition Director, or other AES representatives who are audio professionals. A select number of entries will then be sent to the judges for feedback and award determination.

Evaluation Criteria – Categories 1-2: Recording

• Quality of recorded tracks and mix
• Tonal balance, tempo, timing, and musical dynamics
• Dynamic range, track levels, and balances
• Panning, creative processing, soundstage, and spatial qualities

Evaluation Criteria – Category 3: Sound for Picture

• Quality and creativity of soundtrack components
• Appropriate foley, sound design, ambiences
• Quality of dialogue recordings and editing
• Effectiveness in supporting and enhancing the visual narrative and emotional impact

Finalist Presentations: During the convention, finalists will have the opportunity to showcase their recordings. We encourage you to prepare slides or graphics illustrating your recording setup and production process. This is your chance to share any previously anonymized information with attendees.

Interactive Feedback: Judges may provide comments and ask questions before finalizing their decisions. Details on the locations and times for these Recording Presentations will be available in the convention’s Technical Program.

Communication: Please note, all judge feedback, critiques, and finalist presentations must be conducted in English. This ensures clarity and inclusiveness in the evaluation and feedback process.

In the Student Recording competition, recognition is based on merit. Finalists can earn Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Honorable Mention certificates based on the quality of their work. Judges may award multiple certificates in each category, reflecting the possibility of numerous exceptional projects. Awards are flexible, with any mix of Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Honorable Mentions possible. Additionally, it’s conceivable that some categories may not have entries reaching these levels of recognition. Judges are not required to select finalists for every category, emphasizing our focus on celebrating excellence and fostering a supportive, collegial atmosphere among student participants.

Our awards recognize recordings that stand out not just among student projects but hold their own in the professional realm. Here’s what we’re listening for:

• Gold: This top honor goes to recordings that hit an extraordinary mark both artistically and technically. If your submission could not only compete but potentially win awards in the commercial market, you could be looking at a Gold.

• Silver: Silver awards highlight recordings that achieve excellence on both the artistic and technical fronts. These submissions are strong contenders in the commercial marketplace, showcasing the high caliber of your work.

• Bronze: Bronze recognizes very good recordings that meet professional standards and demonstrate potential for success in the commercial arena.

Prizes as a Token of Appreciation:

Awards from the AES serve primarily as a prestigious acknowledgment of exceptional student work. Prizes, while a bonus, are a way of extending our congratulations. These may include audio equipment, software, and various other items, reflecting the support and intent of our generous sponsors.

Distribution Details:

• Authority: The Director of the Recording Competition has the final say in prize distribution.
• Considerations: Decisions are based on:
• The quantity and value of prizes
• Sponsor intentions
• The number and recognition level of awardees
• The finalist count

Recipient Note:

Prizes complement, not replace, your honorary certificates, symbolizing significant achievement.

Sponsorship and Prize Handling:

• • Commitments: Prize availability hinges on manufacturer generosity.
  • Participant Responsibility: Winners at the convention may need to manage the logistics of prize receipt, which for international students could mean arranging shipment to avoid taxes or customs issues.
  • Remember, the true reward is the recognition of your outstanding accomplishments by the AES. Prizes are just the cherry on top!
  • Finalists will be required to submit account names for software companies before the convention, in order for the companies donating prizes to deposit licenses.

Please note these are made with the OLD category numbering system, but are still accurate and exemplary to what is expected in terms of content.

Category 1 Documentation Examples:

Click here to view the 1st example

Click here to view the 2nd example

Category 2 or 3 Documentation Examples:
Click here to view the 1st example

Click here to view the 2nd example