Vimeo, the video-hosting service, has opened submissions for their second Vimeo Festival and Awards, which "celebrates the most creative and original videos online and the individuals that make them". Vimeo will award grants of $5,000 to all of the category winners as well as awarding a grant of $25,000 for the Grand Prize winner. There are 13 different categories, each of them to be judged separately, including categories for experimental and lyrical films (click on the links for a description and criteria of each category). An independent jury will judge the entries, which will include the category winners from last edition as well as two industry experts per category. Submissions are open until next February 20, 2012.

You can read a small interview to Jeremy Boxer, director of the festival, in the DINCA blog.

The winners of the previous edition were:

Experimental: “oops” by Chris Beckman
Narrative: “Thrush” by Gabriel Bisset-Smith
Documentary: “Last Minutes with ODEN” by Eliot Rausch
Music Video: “Liars ‘Scissor’” by Andy Bruntel
Animation: “Between Bears” by Eran Hilleli
Original Series: “Break-ups The Series” by Ted Tremper
Motion Graphics: “TRIANGLE” by Onur Senturk
Captured: “Fluid Sculpture”by Charlie Bucket
Remix: “BREAKDOWN the video” by Kasumi

Vimeo will accept submissions from December 13, 2011 through February 20, 2012 for a $20 (U.S.) fee per video ($5 for Vimeo Plus and PRO members) at www.vimeo.com/awards. Entrants can submit any original work that premiered anywhere online between July 31, 2010 and February 20, 2012 or has never been premiered before. All entries must comply with the Official Rules of the Vimeo Festival + Awards. For more information on the Vimeo Festival + Awards, please visit www.vimeo.com/awards.