In the 1980s, the German and Austrian Filmservice regularly supplied driving schools, motor sports clubs, institutions, and schools with 8- and 16-mm films related to the automotive industry and road safety. Remember when films were shown at school, rolled up on metal film reels?
By the end of the decade, Europe had changed drastically, and the two companies were expanding. Contacts with other media distributors across Europe and in America were developed, and a network of partners was built up to form Filmservice International, which today has partners in 13 countries worldwide.
With the growth of cable and satellite TV, video, and DVD, as well as the dawn of the internet era, new distribution opportunities arose. In 1993, the chairman of Filmservice International, Rudolf Kammel, initiated a film and video festival exclusively for the automotive industry.
The concept was welcomed by car manufacturers, film producers, and advertising agencies alike. The first AutoVision Festival, held in Munich in 1993 during the Greger Racing Show, received 52 entries in nine categories. From 1995, at the invitation of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), the festival moved to Frankfurt am Main and took place during the much larger International Motor Show (IAA).
Held every two years to coincide with IAA Cars, the festival continued to grow. Entries increased as awareness of AutoVision spread worldwide. New categories covering the digital creative playground were added.
In 2005, the competition received 260 entries from around Europe and the USA, with the new website and interactive media categories proving the most popular.
In 2007, the festival received 301 entries and was extended by new categories including video blogs, podcasts and integrated multimedia applications.
In 2009, when the automotive industry was in the biggest slump ever, AutoVision faced one of its hardest years as well. Despite these difficulties, AutoVision could still welcome 238 entries from countries such as Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Italy.
For the first time in its history, the AutoVision Grand Prix went to a film from the online category: the innovative viral campaign “Minimalism” from MINI International in collaboration with "webguerillas GmbH" and the "Living Room Pictures" producing company.
Therefore in 2011 – when celebrating 125 years of automobile – an additional Grand Prix for Interactive & Multimedia was introduced.
In 2013, AutoVision welcomed prestigious participants, innovative and qualitative works from all over the world and could achieve a record number of entries in the long history of the festival.
2015 marked the beginning of a new era for our jury members. The opportunity to judge the entries online made it possible to welcome experts from all around the world to our jury.
In 2017, the OttoCar trophy was redesigned. Audi Russia was awarded the first Grand Prix for Interactive & Multimedia that went to Russia.
In 2019, the awards show took place at New Mobility World at IAA in Frankfurt for the first time. The production company Sila Sveta from Russia was awarded the Grand Prix for the second time in a row, this time for Lamborghini.
In 2021, AutoVision Festival was ready for a new start. A new name and a complete rebranding have been done to keep us the pole position in our industry.
For the first time in 2023, the “Agency of the Year” and “Production Company of the Year” were also awarded. With a total of 12 awards, the German agency Preuss und Preuss GmbH, the global lead agency for Mercedes-Benz Vans, was able to take home the “Agency of the Year” award.
In 2024 the AutoVision Awards took place against a backdrop of the automotive sector’s urgent commitment to global carbon neutrality. Hosted in Shanghai, China, for the first time, the 2024 Awards Ceremony on November 1 brought together industry leaders, automotive executives, and award representatives from around the world to foster dialogue on global communication and the internationalization of automotive brands.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to AutoVision Awards, the festival for mobility and creativity, in 2025!
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