Enter the Vimeo 2012 Awards

The video sharing site Vimeo is encouraging filmmakers around the world to enter its 2012 awards with big prizes - not to mention plenty of exposure - up for grabs. Four new categories have been added and the winner of each will take home $5,000. Meanwhile the Grand Prize winner will be rewarded with a £30,000 grant. It will all be part of Vimeo's online film festival which takes place in June.

The 2010 competition saw winners produce some stunning work, such as Onur Senturk's surrreal effects film Triangle (above), which was top dog in Motion Graphics. For 2012, one of the big new categories will be Advertising which is likely to draw huge numbers of entrants from agencies and studios around the world who will vie for the gong. The other new categories include Fashion, Action Sports and Lyrical which will nestle alongside Animation, Remix, Documentary, Music Video, Experimental and so on.

Last year's winners, such as Eran Hilleli who won in Animation for Between Bears (above), have been invited to co-judge the 2012 awards. They'll be joined by a stellar line-up of industry pro judges making this year's awards that touch more prestigious. Design heavyweight and D&AD winner David Droga will be judging in Advertising. British photographer Nick Knight will be overseeing Fashion, Phillip Bloom will judge Lyrical, while skater/entrepreneur Stacy Peralta takes care of Action Sports.

You have between now and 20 February 2012 to submit your films. If you're a Vimeo Pro member this will cost just $5 per entry, but if you aren't you can still enter at $20 per flick. Last year there were 6,500 entrants in total, narrowed down to nine big winners. Check out the trailer for the awards.

During late February or March, keep an eye on the Vimeo Awards site where shortlists in each category will be announced and visitors will be able to vote on their favourites. The voting will be a component in the selection process the judges use to choose the winners. With these new categories, and judging by the stunning work which won last year, it will be a lively and significant event when the prizes are awarded in June.

Good luck to all who enter.