What does BAFTA stand for? The full name is the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, a charity in the United Kingdom that supports and celebrates screen work. It is best known for the BAFTA awards, the British honors for film, television and video games.
When a news story says an actor "won a BAFTA," it means they received one of the academy's awards, a bronze colored trophy shaped like a theater mask. The same letters name the organization itself, which also runs training, talks and programs for people entering the screen industries.
Quick facts
Stands for
British Academy of Film and Television ArtsType
Acronym, said as one wordHow to say it
"BAF-tuh"Based in
London, with branches for Scotland and WalesStarted
1947 as the British Film Academy; the BAFTA name dates from 1976Awards for
Film, television, games and children's mediaPlural
BAFTAs, as in "she has won two BAFTAs"
BAFTA stands for five words: what does BAFTA stand for in full?
| Letter | Word |
|---|---|
| B | British |
| A | Academy |
| F | Film |
| T | Television |
| A | Arts |
Notice that the small words "of" and "and" are skipped. That is normal for acronyms, which usually keep only the main words. Because the letters form a sayable word, people pronounce it "BAF-tuh" instead of spelling out B A F T A. Why some letter names are spoken and others spelled out is covered in acronym vs abbreviation.
How the academy got its name
The organization began in 1947 as the British Film Academy, founded by a group of filmmakers. In 1958 it joined with a guild of television producers and writers, and the combined group was called the Society of Film and Television Arts. It took the name British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1976.
So the T for television was added as the small screen grew, and the games awards came much later still. The acronym never changed to include games, which is why video game winners also say they won a BAFTA.
The BAFTA awards
The academy holds several award ceremonies each year, and news reports often just say "the BAFTAs" for whichever one is in the headlines.
- Film awards: the best known ceremony, held in London early in the year, with categories for acting, directing, writing and technical work.
- Television awards: for drama, comedy, news, factual programs and performers.
- Games awards: for video games, including design, music and storytelling.
- Children's awards: for screen work made for young audiences.
Separate BAFTA Scotland and BAFTA Cymru ceremonies honor work from Scotland and Wales.
On a film poster: "Winner, 3 BAFTAs, including Best Film." This means the British academy's members voted the movie the winner in three categories.
The mask trophy
The BAFTA award is a sculpted theatrical mask on a base. It was designed in the 1950s by the American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe and is still the shape used today. When people refer to "the mask," they mean this trophy, and photos of winners holding it up are a familiar part of awards coverage.
Saying and using BAFTA
Write it in capitals: BAFTA. Some British outlets write Bafta, with only a capital B, since they treat long acronyms said as words like names. Both are understood. Put a in front of it, never an: "a BAFTA winner," "a BAFTA nominee."
- "The series won a BAFTA for best drama."
- "He was BAFTA nominated for his first role."
- "She is a BAFTA member and votes in the film categories."
- "The game picked up two BAFTAs."
BAFTA and other screen letters
Awards coverage leans on other short forms as well. Three you may spot in the same article:
- BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation, a public broadcaster that has aired many of the ceremonies.
- CGI: computer generated imagery, a common topic in visual effects categories.
- VOD: video on demand, how many nominated shows reach viewers.
For more well known letter names from daily life, visit the famous acronyms section.
Questions people ask
What does BAFTA mean?
BAFTA means the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. People also use the word for one of its awards, as in "she won a BAFTA."
How do you pronounce BAFTA?
Say it as one word, "BAF-tuh." Hardly anyone spells out the five letters.
Is BAFTA the British version of the major American film awards?
It plays a similar role in the United Kingdom, honoring the year's best films with a vote by academy members. The two are run by separate academies and use different rules and trophies.
Does BAFTA give awards for video games?
Yes. The academy holds a games awards ceremony each year, even though games are not part of the acronym.
Is it written BAFTA or Bafta?
The academy writes BAFTA in capitals, and that is the safest choice. Some British news outlets use Bafta, treating it like a name.