Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2026

Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2026 is now open for entries!

Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2026 : The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, recently opened for entries is a prestigious and inclusive program that offers exceptional opportunities for creators and filmmakers from around the world.

➜ Short description

The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards now is calling for entries.

The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards is an internationally recognized short film competition that seeks to discover, nurture, and celebrate emerging filmmaking talent worldwide.

The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards contest rewards outstanding filmmakers in five categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Animation, Student, Future Format.

Fiction

This category awards one winner and a shortlist of up to 10. Submissions must be between 5 to 20 minutes in length and be narrative-led to convey an original fictional story or event. Dramatized factual subjects should be entered into this category rather than Non-Fiction.

Non-Fiction

This category awards one winner and a shortlist of up to 10. Submissions must be between 5 to 20 minutes in length and be predominantly factual in content. Archive footage, documentary footage, reenactments and animation are eligible, but dramatized factual subjects will not qualify and should be entered into another category.

Animation

This category awards one winner and a shortlist of up to 5. Submissions must be between 2 to 20 minutes in length and include at least 75% of animated footage to qualify for this category.

Student

The Student category rewards filmmakers studying a film course at a registered institution at a diploma or degree level worldwide. This category awards one winner and a shortlist of up to 5. Institutions that make up the shortlist are selected by continent to ensure a diverse range of global talent. Entries can be of any genre. Submissions must be between 5 to 20 minutes in length.

Future Format

This year’s brief calls for films created specifically for vertical viewing (9:16 aspect ratio). The competition awards one winner and up to five commended entries. Entries can be shot on any device and can be of any genre. Submissions must be between 2 to 5 minutes in length.

Entries must be completed works created between 1 January 2024 and 16 December 2025.

The shortlisted filmmakers from the Fiction, Non-Fiction, Animation, Student categories and the Future Format category winner are flown to Los Angeles for an industry-immersive program.
V Winning films receive significant online promotion, providing filmmakers with global visibility and credibility.

➜ Who may enter?

This competition is open to artists and independent filmmakers worldwide. Student entries IS limited to those actively enrolled in higher education film courses at diploma or degree level .

➜ Prize:

Winners in the Fiction, Non-Fiction, Animation and Student categories receive return flights and accommodation to attend an awards ceremony and exclusive four day workshop at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, along with a $5,000 USD cash prize plus a Sony camera and lens (Student winners also receive camera equipment for their institution); the Future Format category winner receives similar travel, ceremony and workshop benefits along with a $2,500 USD cash prize and camera equipment; shortlisted (and commended for Future Format) filmmakers also participate in the workshops and ceremony and receive certificates, trophies and online promotion.