Vulcan Award

The CST Award for Best Artist-Technician (PRIX CST de l’Artiste Technicien) is an independent film award created in 2003. It rewards the work of a technician for his or her collaboration in the creation of a film from the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. It is awarded by a special jury, appointed by the Superior Technical Commission of Image and Sound (Commission Supérieure Technique de l’Image et du Son or CST).

History
In 1951, the CST created the Technical Grand Prize (Grand Prix Technique) of the CST, awarded during the Cannes Film Festival. That prize existed until 2001.

In 2003, Pierre-William Glenn, president of the CST, struggled to once again have a prize awarded to a technician during the Cannes Film Festival. Thus, the Vulcan Award of the Technical Artist was born as a part of the festival roster and approved by the festival's president Gilles Jacob.

In 2019, it was renamed the « CST Award for Best Artist-Technician ».

Since 2021, the CST has also been awarding the CST Award for Best Young Female Film Technician, to highlight a young female head of station in French cinema.

The trophy
The actual trophy is awarded to the winner in Paris, during a special evening following the festival.

It is inspired by an image from Jean-Luc Godard's movie Le Mépris (Contempt) (1963) and represents a movie camera with analog and numeric elements.