Nomination Eligibility Rules

For the 2027 awards cycle

The following rules apply to submissions for the 2027 AVN Awards and GayVN Awards.

Eligibility Term & Qualifying Platforms

To be considered in any of the Video categories, a release must be made available commercially between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026 via at least one of the following qualifying methods or platforms:

• Membership site — Defined as a website owned by, or operated under license from, the studio, producer, or parent corporation holding the publishing rights and all associated documentation for the library of content bearing the site’s name (and/or those of any companion sites or subsites), and offering unlimited access to all content it houses for a monthly paid membership fee.
• VOD/streaming site — Defined as a third-party website carrying productions from at least 60 active producers or production brands—specifically, producers or brands with their own direct-to-consumer membership platforms—and offering monthly paid memberships and/or à la carte rentals, purchases, or redeemable minutes to access content. This does not include creator sites or sites exclusively offering user-generated content.
• DVD — Must be available through a wholesale distributor and stocked by at least three major online retailers, meaning retailers carrying DVD titles from a minimum of 60 active producers or production brands.
• Subscription-based broadcast network — A pay cable or satellite channel.

Furthermore, in categories recognizing full-length movies and series, a minimum of two qualifying release methods or platforms is often necessary for a submission to be considered eligible, as outlined below.

Movie/Series Eligibility

To be considered for a nomination in any category recognizing full, multiple-scene projects,* the movie or series in question must contain a minimum of three (3) full and distinct sex scenes and have a total running time greater than 60 minutes. In addition, it must meet one of the following criteria:

1. If released via DVD, the minimum three qualifying sex scenes must not have been previously released via any other qualifying platform earlier than the first date of the last awards eligibility term—October 1, 2024.
2. If containing fewer than six qualifying sex scenes and not released via physical (DVD) format, the movie or series must be released on a minimum of two qualifying digital or broadcast platforms, with at least three of those sex scenes presented in an assembled format under a unifying title via one or more of those platforms during the current eligibility term, and not previously released via any other qualifying platform earlier than the first date of the last eligibility term—October 1, 2024.
3. If released solely via one qualifying digital or broadcast platform without prior release via any other qualifying platform, the movie or series must contain at least six qualifying sex scenes, all released within the current eligibility term.

Movies and series released in the form of assembled volumes on any qualifying platform will, by default, be attributed with the title and company credits under which those volumes were released.

* In addition to any category with “Movie or Series” in the title, the rules in this section apply to Best International Picture, Best Star Showcase, and Grand Reel.

Scene/Featurette Eligibility

To be considered for a nomination in any sex scene or featurette category, the work in question may be released as a standalone segment and/or as part of a larger project released via any qualifying platform, in accordance with the following guidelines:

• Standalone release — The scene or featurette must be solely and originally released as its own self-contained work during the current eligibility term.
• Part of a larger project — The project must be released during the current eligibility term, and the scene or featurette must have been originally released via any qualifying platform no earlier than the first date of the last eligibility term—October 1, 2024—and not previously considered for AVN Awards contention.
• Featurette definition — To qualify as a featurette, a work must have a narrative framework and must not exceed a total running time of 60 minutes if it contains more than two sex scenes. Likewise, any narrative work with fewer than three sex scenes and/or a running time of 60 minutes or less will be considered a featurette for classification and attribution purposes.

Any sex scene or featurette independently released both as a standalone work and as part of a larger project prior to or on September 30, 2026 will, by default, be considered part of the larger project for attribution purposes.

Other General Rules & Restrictions

• Any work considered for the 2027 AVN Awards will be void from any future AVN Awards consideration if released via any qualifying platform after September 30, 2026.
• Content released solely via creator sites—sites exclusively offering user-generated content on a revenue-sharing basis—does not qualify for consideration in the AVN Awards category groups outlined above.

Record-Keeping Requirements

Producers must maintain 2257 records for any content submitted for AVN Awards consideration. In addition, any content submitted must have legitimate release-date information posted or easily obtainable, falling within the current eligibility term through the qualifying platform or platforms carrying it.

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Questions about eligibility may be directed to awards@avn.com.