The folks at the Washington, DC-based National Association of Broadcasters are sure working hard for your registration dollars for NAB2004 in Las Vegas, April 17-22. The organization’s latest initiative is the Individual Creative Excellence Awards, for those in the post and production fields.

Following reported attendance drops of 10% at the world’s largest electronic media show following the economic downturn of 2001, NAB recently announced the debut of the Post|Production World Conference as part of its next annual show. The ICE Awards will be presented at the new post powwow, recognizing ‘those who stretch creativity and craft outstanding works in production and post-production’.

The ICE Awards, put together along with U.S. digital media training center Future Media Concepts, is a bid by NAB to extend the reach of its shows. Canadian post houses have known the NAB trade show primarily as a massive technology showcase, and so if they have sent any staffers down, they have tended to be operations managers and engineers. The post conference, with its 160 sessions aimed at professionals and now the awards, extends the welcome mat to hands-on post practitioners as well.

There will be five finalists and one winner in each of six craft categories: editing, graphics and animation, audio production and sound design, producing and directing, interactive design, and videography and cinematography. These categories are subdivided into broadcast, non-broadcast and student levels, as well as other genre classifications. The panel of judges is made up of a wide range of industry professionals.

NAB says that eligible entrants can be from ‘any entity that uses the medium of digital art to produce exceptional work.’ Entry fees apply, with a reduced fee for the student category. March 4 is the deadline for entries, which can be processed on the website.

-www.nabshow.com