The mission of the Empire Awards according to company marketing manager Courtney Arthur is “to celebrate and recognize adult DVD products and studios that go above and beyond the average adult production — not only is the content of the DVD considered, but also the video and audio quality, as well as the overall presentation of the movie on the DVD format.”
This year’s awards features two new categories: Best Amateur DVD and Best HD DVD.
The most nominated studios overall include Wicked Pictures with 22, Vivid Entertainment (including Vivid-Alt) with 15 and Digital Playground with 11 nominations. “Operation: Desert Stormy” was the most nominated adult movie with a total of eight nominations.
The company’s in-house reviewers, staff, select outside reviewers and prominent industry figures vote for Empire Awards winners.
The special viewers’ choice award is open to anyone who would like to vote. The nominees are: Digital Playground’s “Babysitters,” Pulpo Inc’s “Black Worm,” Wicked Pictures’ “Coming Home and “Operation: Desert Stormy,” Vivid Entertainment’s “Debbie Does Dallas…Again” and “Layout,” Hustler Video’s “InTERActive,” Zero Tolerance’s “Interactive Sex with Jenna Haze,” X-Play/Hustler Video’s “Not the Bradys XXX” and SexZ Pictures’ “Upload.”
The first Empire Awards were given out in Jan. 2001 on “The Tera Show” hosted by Tera Patrick.
