PRESS RELEASE
Tropfest — the world’s largest short film festival — is set to make its spectacular return to Centennial Park, Sydney, on Sunday 22 February 2026, with internationally acclaimed and Academy Award nominated actor and producer Margot Robbie leading the charge as Jury President.
Presented by CommBank and powered by YouTube, Tropfest 2026 marks a bold new era for the iconic festival. Filmmakers from across Australia and around the world will once again have the chance to showcase their talent on the big screen, with entries officially opening on 1 December 2025. The event will also be livestreamed globally on the Tropfest YouTube Channel.
“It’s a true privilege to welcome Margot Robbie home to lead the Tropfest Jury in 2026,” said Tropfest Founder & Director, John Polson. “Her remarkable body of work, both in front of and behind the camera, perfectly reflects the creativity, courage, and ambition we’re championing in Tropfest’s next chapter.”
Margot Robbie added: “Tropfest has long been an important launchpad for filmmakers. It’s where creativity meets opportunity, and I’m incredibly excited to help celebrate and support the next wave of storytellers.”
Thanks to CommBank’s support, aspiring filmmakers will compete for a share of $100,000 through the newly established CommBank Tropfest Emerging Filmmakers Fund, created to champion the next generation of Australian storytellers. The first, second and third prizes will be valued at $50,000, $30,000, and $20,000 respectively, with CommBank actively encouraging winners to use these funds to further develop their careers. In addition, winners will receive exclusive technology bundles from Google to support their creative work, along with other prizes.
Returning to the festival’s long-held roots, filmmakers must create a new short film, seven minutes or less, that incorporates the iconic ‘Tropfest Signature Item’ (TSI) to ensure films all films are made specifically for the festival. The 2026 TSI is: “Hourglass”. Finalist films will be selected from hundreds of entries to have their world premiere at the live, free-to-the-public event with the winners announced live on the night.
The re-launch of Tropfest sees it transition to a not for profit. The Foundation will be led by a visionary board of cultural leaders including Tropfest Foundation Chair Sarah Murdoch, actor & producer Bryan Brown, Tropfest Founder John Polson, NRL & Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys, and TTG CEO Richard Weinberg.
The festival’s return comes with a host of new pivotal partnerships, reaffirming Tropfest’s place at the heart of Australia’s creative landscape. Partners include: Presenting Partner CommBank, Powered-by Partner YouTube, Official Airline Partner Qantas, Media Supporting Partner Nine Entertainment and Official Venue Partner Greater Sydney Parklands, proudly supported by the NSW Government and Destination NSW. Other partners include: Fraser Suites Sydney, Holding Redlich, Lumina and NixCo.
From 1 December, Tropfest entrants will need to submit directly via YouTube, with entries closing on Thursday January 8, 2026. More information at www.tropfest.com.
Want to get a taste of Tropfest before February? Head over to Tropfest’s YouTube channel and see the extensive library of previous finalists and winners.
In addition to the Tropfest YouTube Channel, fans can follow @tropfest on socials for festival details and regular updates on all things Trop!
Tropfest History: Launched in 1993 by Polson, Tropfest was started “by accident” with a screening for 200 people at Tropicana Caffé in Darlinghurst, Sydney showing Polson’s self-described “pretty average” short film “Surry Hills: 902 Spring Roll”.
Since those humble beginnings, Tropfest quickly grew to become the largest platform for short films in the world, with hundreds of films submitted each year. Previously, audiences of up to 100,000 have been recorded at the live events where 16 finalist films are screened to the public, making Tropfest one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest cultural icons. With broadcast and online audiences including the official Tropfest YouTube channel, this number has now swelled to millions across the globe.
Notable alumni of Tropfest include leading actors, directors and others working in Australia and internationally such as Nash Edgerton (“Deadline”, “The Square”, “Mr Inbetween”), Joel Edgerton (“Monkeys”, “The Great Gatsby”, "Red Sparrow"), Bruna Papandrea (“Paris Texas”, “Big Little Lies”, “The Last Anniversary”, “Nine Perfect Strangers”, “The Undoing”), Rebel Wilson (“Bargain!”, “Pitch Perfect”), Murray Bartlett (“Muffled love”, “The White Lotus”, “The Last of Us"), David Wenham (“The Red Dress”, “Spit”), Robert Connolly (“Rust Bucket”, “The Dry”, “Balibo”), Emma Freeman (“Lamb”, “Love Me”, "Stateless”), Alethea Jones (“Lemonade Stand”, “High Potential”, “Queen America”, “Fun Mom Dinner”), Genevieve Clay-Smith, director and co-founder of Bus Stop Films (“Be My Brother”), Damon Gameau (“Animal Beatbox”, “That Sugar Film”, “Future Council”), Patrick Hughes (“The Lighter”, “The Expendables”) Abe Forsythe (“Shock”, “Wolf Like Me”, “Little Monsters”), Gregor Jordan (“Swinger”, “Two Hands”, “Ned Kelly”), Adam Zwar (“Wilfred”, “Rush”), Jason Gann (“Wilfred”, “Kenny”), Justin Kurzel (“Meeting Misty Rain”, “Snowtown, “Macbeth”, “Nitram”), Mia Wasikowska (“September”, “Alice in Wonderland”, "Jane Eyre”), Sam Worthington (“A Matter For Life”, “Avatar”), Xavier Samuel (“September”, “Adore”, “A Few Best Men”), Patrick Brammall (“Shock”, “Offspring”, “Colin from Accounts”) and Harriet Dyer (“The Mother Situation”, “Colin From Accounts”, “Love Child”).
Since its inception, Tropfest has successfully staged 29 Main Events in Sydney as well as countless smaller satellite events across the USA, China, Africa, Southeast Asia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and many more.
The support and involvement of film personalities has been a major drawcard of the festival since the beginning, with Australian and international celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Samuel L. Jackson, Baz Luhrmann, Keanu Reeves, George Miller AO, Ewan McGregor, Rose Byrne, Naomi Watts, Sam Neill and dozens more judging, attending and supporting past Tropfests. The full judging line-up for 2026 will be revealed soon.