Motion Design by House in Motion
Why We Built the Stage — and Why It Still Matters
When people think about awards, they often imagine trophies lined up on a shelf — symbols of success, validation, and recognition.
But for me, the journey with awards has always been more complicated.
Over the years, I was fortunate enough to win multiple awards — so many that it started to feel almost embarrassing. I’d end up hiding them in my closet, jokingly calling them “The Gay Awards,” because — quite literally — they lived in the closet. Not out of shame, but because they felt disconnected from the actual soul of the work: the process, the collaboration, the creativity.
Still, even through that complicated relationship, I always encouraged my teams to submit their work.
Recognition matters. Not for the ego — but for the craft.
A Frustration that Sparked a Movement
In 2012, while I was at NBCUniversal, our NBC News 2011 Presidential Election Look was nominated for an Emmy. I knew it wouldn’t win. The other nominees were primarily visual effects-driven projects — brilliant work, but in an entirely different creative language than what we were doing in Motion Design.
That frustration lit a fire.
In the spring of 2013, I began writing letters, making calls, setting up meetings — advocating for the creation of a dedicated category for Motion Design at the Emmys.
At the time, there was only one category: Graphics and Art Direction. It was like making a toaster compete against a kitchen blender — two fundamentally different things lumped together simply because there wasn’t a deeper understanding of our field.
There were real conversations about separating VFX from Motion Design.
But that’s when an even bigger issue became clear: Motion Design is too broad, too varied, too beautifully unruly to fit into just one box.
How could you fairly compare a news package to sports graphics, or a gaming trailer to a feature film title sequence? The range. The budgets. The timelines. The intent. Completely different worlds.
That’s when I realized: Even if the Emmys did create a category, what Motion Design needed was its own platform.
It needed its own stage.
Building a Platform by/and for the Motion Design Community
That’s how The Motion Awards™ were born — not as a vanity project, but as an act of service.
I wanted to create a space where Motion Design could be celebrated in its own context, without forcing unfair comparisons. Where news graphics could shine on their own terms, apart from film sequences, advertising work, or gaming intros. A place where excellence was measured not by popularity or volume of submissions, but by the quality of the craft.
From the beginning, we set the bar high.
We partnered with the same manufacturer that creates trophies for the Emmys, the MTV Awards, the Golden Globes, and others. And I fought hard against using a sexless figurine.
Motion Design is about movement — not static form.
The trophy had to reflect that. Flow. Energy. Motion itself.
We refused to do gold, silver, or bronze.
You either stood at the pinnacle of your category — or you didn’t.
No second place. No diluted recognition.
We built a two-round judging system involving a diverse, global jury of respected voices. And perhaps our most controversial decision:
No Top 5 Rule.
Unless the work met a rigorous score threshold, it wouldn’t be nominated — even if that meant only two or three nominees per category, or sometimes none at all.
We weren’t here to hand out participation trophies. We were here to honor the work that truly moved the field forward.
A Global Community, A Shared Standard
The Motion Awards were created from a place of love, love, and love:
- Love for Motion Design.
- Love for the people who pour their hearts into this craft.
- Love for a global community that deserves a platform as serious, as prestigious, and as thoughtfully constructed as any other creative field.
That spirit of community is what makes this year particularly special. We’re proud to announce new collaborations with three incredible global festivals:
Motion Plus Design, Digital Design Days, and MOUVO.
These partners represent the very best of Europe, Asia, and the Americas — and together, we are building bridges, not borders.
In an era that often rewards disconnection and competition, we are choosing collaboration. Because when we lift each other up, the entire field rises with us.
Celebrate with Us
Year after year, the projects submitted to The Motion Awards continue to surprise us — work from every corner of the world, pushing boundaries, challenging expectations, and setting new standards. It reminds us why we built this platform in the first place.
Because Motion Design deserves nothing less.
—
Carlos El Asmar
Founder, Motionographer® & The Motion Awards™
P. S.
To celebrate this season of renewal — and the global partnerships now in bloom — we’re offering a special 20% submission support for a limited time.
If you missed the early bird deadline, this is your chance to soar again.
Use code: SPRINGFORWARD20
Valid through: May 30TH
Submit your work: motionawards.com</a