AIDC 2025 Southern Light Award Nominations Open
Celebrating Australian Documentary & Factual Industry Luminaries
We are excited to formally open nominations for the 2025 AIDC Southern Light Award, celebrating Australian documentary and factual industry luminaries.
Debuting in 2024 and expanding the scope of the AIDC Stanley Hawes Award (presented from 1997 – 2023), the Southern Light Award is a $5,000 cash prize given by AIDC to an Australian industry professional for their outstanding contribution to nonfiction screen, digital and/or audio media.
Current AIDC members can make nominations via a short form on the AIDC Southern Light Award web page. The winner is decided via secret ballot by the AIDC Board of Directors.
The 2025 Southern Light Award recipient will receive a $5,000 cash prize from AIDC and be invited to speak at the AIDC Awards Presentation on Wednesday 5 March 2025.
The inaugural recipient of the Southern Light Award in 2024 was award-winning producer and factual television trailblazer Karina Holden, Head of Factual at Northern Pictures, and key creative and executive on breakout series such as Love on the Spectrum, Employable Me, and Go Back to Where You Came From.
“It is a thrill to be recognised by AIDC with the inaugural Southern Light Award,” said Ms Holden on receiving the award.
“I consider the most important work we do as documentary filmmakers is to shine a light into places where we reveal new truths and illuminate unheard stories.”
To learn more about the award eligibility criteria and the nomination process, visit the Southern Light Award page.
KARINA HOLDEN, RECIPIENT OF THE 2024 SOUTHERN LIGHT AWARD | PHOTO: WILLIAM HAMILTON-COATES