Filmmakers have two weeks left to submit their films to the 73rd Sydney Film Festival with entries closing on 27 February 2026.
Returning to cinemas across Sydney from 3-14 June 2026, Sydney Film Festival (SFF) is one of the world’s longest running and most prestigious film festivals. SFF screens bold new features, documentaries and shorts from around Australia and the globe.
In 2026, filmmakers have the chance to compete for a substantial prize pool of $200,000 across a range of award categories, including the esteemed Sydney Film Prize ($60,000), the Documentary Australia Prize ($20,000), the largest environmental film prize in the world, the Sustainable Future Award ($40,000), and the First Nations Award ($35,000) which offers the largest cash prize globally for First Nations filmmakers.
The only Australian FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations) accredited Festival, SFF is an Academy Award qualifying Festival, and provides a major platform for films in the Asia-Pacific Market. Filmmakers can join an esteemed community of filmmakers that descend on Sydney each year to present their films, which in 2025 included Palm d’Dor winner Jafar Panahi, Academy Award Best Picture Nominee Kleber Mendonça Filho, Australian legend Cate Shortland and many more.
“For more than 70 years, Sydney Film Festival has been a stage for filmmakers to share bold visions with audiences eager for discovery,” said Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley. “Each year the Festival presents stories that entertain, challenge and inspire, and we look forward to the remarkable films that will shape the 2026 program.”
The 2026 Festival will once again accept submissions for the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films, Australia’s longest-running short film competition. Prizes include:
- Dendy Live Action Short Award for best Australian short film ($7,000)
- Rouben Mamoulian Award for best Australian short film director ($7,000)
- Yoram Gross Animation Award for best Australian animated short film ($7,000)
- AFTRS Craft Award recognising excellence by a craft practitioner in an Australian short film ($7,000)
- Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award for Screenwriting presented to an emerging screenwriter from one of the ten shortlisted films ($7,000)
International short films are also invited to submit under categories, including:
- FLUX: Art+Film (under 15 minutes) for films that test the boundaries of cinema and art
- Freak Me Out (under 15 minutes) for all things strange and scary
Feature films and documentary submissions of any length are open across the Festival program, including:
- Australian Features (Fiction)
- International Features
- Documentary Australia Award ($20,000)
- Sydney Film Festival First Nations Award ($35,000 courtesy of Truant Pictures)
- Sustainable Future Award ($40,000 courtesy of donor support)
- Screenability Program for filmmakers living with disability
All feature-length films selected for the Festival are also considered for inclusion in the Official Competition, competing for the Sydney Film Prize ($60,000).
Submissions are open via FilmFreeway and will close on 27 February 2026 for all categories, including international and Australian productions., the Dendy
Awards for Australian Short Films, the Documentary Australia Award, and more.
Before entering, filmmakers are strongly encouraged to review eligibility requirements, including premiere status. Submission fees apply to all programs and awards, except for Screenability and First Nations programs, which are fee-waived.
DEADLINE
Submissions close 27 February 2026.
SUBMIT: filmfreeway.com/SydneyFilmFestival