The Producers Certification Mark is only available for use by Producers who have been submitted to the PGA and been evaluated and certified as having met the PGA’s producing standards on a particular motion picture. The Producers Certification Mark is not a membership mark. It is a certification mark that is owned by the PGA and licensed to a Producer for their work on a particular feature-length motion picture based upon that Producer having performed a major portion of the producing functions on that motion picture in a decision-making capacity. To apply for use of the Producers Certification Mark, the motion picture’s copyright owner or other person or business entity legally authorized to designate the producing credits that appear onscreen in the motion picture’s release within the United States must complete a Notice of Producing Credits Form. The Producers Certification Mark may be used only following a determination issued by the PGA granting the Producer the right to use “p.g.a.” behind their name. Any unauthorized use of the Producers Certification Mark is not permitted and may result in legal action.

As a threshold matter, only individuals credited with a “Producer” or “Produced By” title in the onscreen principal credits of a motion picture are eligible for consideration to use the Producers Certification Mark. In addition to receiving the requisite credit an individual must demonstrate that they performed, in a decision-making capacity, a major portion of the producing functions on the submitted motion picture. In order to assess whether a Producer has met this standard, the PGA collects detailed information related to each Producer’s contributions, both from the Producers themselves, and from the key creative and logistical department heads and crew members involved in the making of the film. The determination regarding whether a Producer will be licensed the Certification Mark is based on a thorough review of all information collected taking into account the unique circumstances of the motion picture and the quality and quantity of contributions made to each of the four phases of production – development, pre-production, production and post-production. For details related to Producers Certification Mark standards and guidelines, please see the PGA Rules and Procedures.

The process starts when the rights holder or someone authorized by the rights holder submits a Notice of Producing Credits Form through the PGA's website. This form requests that applicants list all individuals who are credited as "Producer" or "Produced By" in the onscreen principal credits of the motion picture and key creative and logistical department heads and crew members involved in the production. PGA staff members administer the process by contacting each Producer listed to ascertain whether they wish to be considered for use of the Producers Certification Mark. Participation is voluntary -- Producers must confirm their participation by submitting an Individual Producer Eligibility Form or indicating in writing their desire to be considered. The Producers are asked to respond to over thirty (30) different multiple-choice questions regarding their contributions to each of the four phases of production. Examples of the information solicited in the PGA’s confidential and proprietary Producer forms include, without limitation,: 1) in development, did the Producer conceive of the underlying concept or select the material on which the production is based; 2) in pre-production, did the Producer approve the final budget and shooting script; 3) in production, did the Producer supervise the day-to-day operation of the shooting company and of all talent and crafts; and 4) in post-production, did the Producer consult with the director, editor, studio, network, and/or financing entity on the editing of the production? The Producers are also asked to respond to approximately nine (9) free response questions, one of which calls for a full written account of their producing contributions to the film and the producing contributions of each of their fellow Producers. The PGA also contacts key creative and logistical department heads and crew members for confidential information about their involvement with the Producers, using a Verification of Producer Involvement Form. The key creative and logistical department heads and crew members are asked to comment on their working relationship with each of the Producers and posed questions specific to their film credit (i.e., questions posed to the Director are different than questions posed to the Editor). There are between 12 and 22 key creative and logistical department heads and crew members forms, depending on the type of film submitted for review (i.e., animation, documentary, theatrical motion picture, or televised/streamed motion picture). PGA follows up with the Producers and department heads, as needed, to secure additional information.

The information is reviewed, and determinations are rendered, by trained staff and experienced producers who serve as arbiters in accordance with our rules. If a Producer is denied the right to use the Producers Certification Mark, they have the right to appeal that determination to a panel of three experienced producers who did not participate in the initial determination and are vested with the full authority to uphold or reverse the initial determination. These arbiters are not employees of the PGA, but are independent colleagues who evaluate the totality of the information before rendering a final determination.

The Producers Mark Certification process is overseen by a team of lawyers and paraprofessionals who ensure that the process is consistently applied, and that sufficient data has been collected for each motion picture before a determination is rendered.

The rules, standards, questionnaires, and processes also are regularly reviewed by the PGA’s Producers Mark Task Force, a group of experienced working producers who also serve as arbiters for the Producers Mark Certification process. The Task Force examines feedback received about the Certification rules, forms and process and makes recommended adjustments, as necessary, to ensure the Producers Certification Mark sufficiently reflects the industry standard it is designed to protect.

The p.g.a. Certification Mark may be used in the Motion Picture’s credits, advertisements, and other promotional materials. The PGA also shares its final determinations with IMDb, who then uploads the Certification Marks to its publicly available motion picture title pages.

The PGA prohibits the unauthorized use of the Producers Certification Mark. When unauthorized use is discovered, the PGA promptly sends a cease and desist letter to inform the offending party of the misuse and to request corrective action. The PGA expressly reserves the right to pursue legal action against anyone who misuses the Producers Certification Mark or otherwise abuses the PGA’s process. The PGA also reserves the right to rescind any license to use the Producers Certification Mark upon receiving verifiable evidence, at any time, that an individual who previously was licensed the Producers Certification Mark has engaged in misrepresentation or omission of material information during the Producers Certification Mark process.

No. You do not need to be a member of the PGA to submit to or participate in the Producers Mark certification or awards eligibility determination process.

No. At this time, the Producers Certification Mark may be licensed for use only in feature-length motion pictures, animated motion pictures, documentary motion pictures, or televised/streamed motion pictures intended for commercial distribution.

No, as long as you notify the PGA that you want the motion picture to be included on the Producers Guild Awards ballot at the time that you submit the motion picture for the Producers Certification Mark. On the Notice of Producing Credits Form, after you have selected that you are submitting the motion picture for the Producers Certification Mark, you will be asked whether you also would like the motion picture to be included on the Producers Guild Awards ballot. If you select “yes,” then the motion picture will be included on the ballot in the calendar year that the motion picture is released, provided that the motion picture has met all other eligibility requirements as indicated in the applicable PGA rules and procedures. There is a processing fee for inclusion of the motion picture on the Producers Guild Awards ballot as indicated, below.

• Theatrical Motion Picture - $600
• Animated Motion Picture - $600
• Documentary Motion Picture - $150
• Streamed Television Motion Picture - $600
• All Other Television Programs - $500

You will be prompted to pay this processing fee via secure credit card or by check after you submit the Notice of Producing Credits Form online. If you are paying by check, please make your check payable to the “Producers Guild of America” and immediately submit payment to the following address:

Producers Guild of America
c/o Awards Department
11150 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 980
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Yes. If the PGA has rendered a Producers Certification Mark determination with respect to a motion picture, that determination is binding for purposes of the Producers Guild Awards with respect to all “Producers” or “Produced Bys” that were eligible to be considered during the Producers Certification Mark or awards eligibility determination process. The PGA’s Producers Certification Mark determination may be relied upon by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and other awards organizations in deciding which producers may be deemed eligible for their awards.

The motion picture should be submitted for the Producers Certification Mark as late as possible in the post-production phase so that the PGA may gather as much information about the entirety of the production as is possible, but at least SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS prior to the date the credits will lock, be shot or otherwise be finalized. Please note that because the Guild requires a minimum of two to three weeks from the date it has received sufficient feedback from Producers and key creative and logistical department heads and crew members to render an initial determination, processing times can extend to EIGHT WEEKS or longer. As such please consider your crew’s failure to respond in a timely manner when scheduling your submission. Please also note that due to the high volume of submissions we receive, we cannot expedite any submissions. While we always endeavor to render a determination by the film’s credit lock date, we cannot guarantee that we will have our determination by the requested date.

Please see the Timeline page to view the submission deadlines for each category.

If you previously submitted your motion picture for the Producers Certification Mark and you indicated on the Notice of Producing Credits Form that you would like your motion picture to be included on the Producers Guild Awards ballot (and assuming that your motion picture has met all other applicable eligibility requirements), you do not need to re-submit your motion picture for awards consideration.

Please see the Timeline page to view the eligibility periods for each category.

To review all eligibility requirements for your motion picture or television program, please review the applicable PGA rules and procedures.

You should not include the same contact information for multiple individuals because this process is highly confidential, and we must be able to communicate directly with the listed Producers or crew members.

Yes. Please include the credits for each episode of the season(s) that you are submitting.

Exception: if you are entering your program in the Live Entertainment/Talk/Variety/Sketch/Standup Television category and your program has more than 30 episodes, please submit the credits for only a few episodes falling within the eligibility period.

Please submit the most updated draft of the onscreen credits with the Notice of Producing Credits Form. For motion pictures, please be sure to submit the most updated draft of BOTH the main and end credits.

No. Your participation in the Producers Certification Mark or awards eligibility process is voluntary; however, if you decline to participate, you will not be permitted thereafter to be considered for Producers Certification Mark or awards eligibility. As set forth above, the PGA’s Producers Certification Mark/awards eligibility process may be relied upon by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and other awards organizations in deciding which Producers may be deemed eligible for their awards.

Yes, all Producers seeking evaluation for the Producers Certification Mark or awards eligibility must create a login in order to be considered. Please save your login username and password for future access.

No. The information that you include on your form will be kept strictly confidential for the Producers Certification Mark or awards eligibility purposes only and will not be shared with any other member of your production. The Producers Certification Mark /awards eligibility determination process depends upon honest and thorough responses from Producers and other key creative and logistical department heads and crew member. If the forms are given to an arbitration panel for consideration, the names of those individuals credited on the production will be redacted and replaced with unique identifiers. Please see the producersguildawards.com Privacy Policy for more details.

Yes. After submitting your form online, you should receive an email informing you that your form was received. If you do not receive this confirmation email, your form may not have been successfully submitted. Please contact the PGA Administrator (awards@producersguild.org) with any questions.

Yes, PDF versions of the forms are available upon request; however, all forms must be completed online in order to maintain the security and confidentiality of our process. Please note, the forms are not to be treated as a “checklist” in pursuit of a Producers Certification Mark or awards eligibility determination. The process and forms are proprietary and may be used only in the context of gathering the requisite feedback in the context of the specific film under evaluation.

Yes. The form provides you with sufficient space to submit a thorough and honest written statement in the free response section of the form. If you feel that you would like to supplement or change your statement please contact the PGA Administrator at awards@producersguild.org.

For motion pictures, a Producer with an eligible title must demonstrate that they have performed a major portion of the producing functions on the production in a decision-making capacity and has met all other eligibility requirements. For television productions not falling within the televised/streamed motion picture category, please review the applicable PGA rules and procedures for further information.

EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 13, 2023, ALL PARTNERSHIP APPLICATIONS WILL BE TEMPORARILY PUT ON HOLD WHILE THE PGA PRODUCING PARTNERSHIP PANEL REVIEWS AND UPDATES THE PARTNERSHIP CRITERIA. KINDLY REVISIT OUR WEBSITE IN THE COMING MONTHS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON CRITERIA AND APPLICATION FORMS.

The PGA Administrator will send a determination letter to each of the credited Producers and the person who submitted the motion picture or television program at the email addresses provided to the PGA.

The PGA will undertake the process to ascertain which Producers are eligible for producing honors late in the awards season, oftentimes after the motion picture or television program nominees have been announced. If your motion picture or television program has been nominated for a Producers Guild Award and you have not yet been contacted by the PGA, please contact the PGA Administrator at awards@producersguild.org.

Yes. A Producer may request an appeal of the PGA’s initial determination. The request should be made via the “Request Appeal” button located on the Producers Certification Mark or Awards Eligibility Determination within seven (7) calendar days of receiving the determination. Please see the applicable PGA rules and procedures for further information and contact the PGA Administrator at awards@producersguild.org if you have additional questions.

Yes. A credited Producer who was included on the Notice of Producing Credits Form for the production may request that the PGA reconsider its initial determination. The request must be made via the “Request Reconsideration” button located on the Awards Eligibility Determination within seven (7) calendar days of receiving the determination. Please see the applicable PGA rules and procedures for further information.