Short Film
Short Film entries for the 2027 AACTA Awards are open.
Important change to Short Film judging:
Please be advised that short films will now be judged in three stages:
- Preselection phase: all entries will initially be considered by an independent jury panel comprised of highly experienced screen practitioners and industry professionals.
- Round 1 voting: a shortlist of entries will be presented to the entire AACTA membership for consideration, from which 6 nominees will be selected.
- Round 2: The nominees will be considered by the AACTA membership to decide the winner.
AACTA Award for Best Short Film
AACTA Award for Best Original Song†
AACTA Award for Best Soundtrack†
†Note: Candidates combined from Feature Film, Documentary, Television, Online Drama or Comedy, and Short Film.
Entries Open: Monday 6th July, 2026
Entries Close: Monday 3rd August 2026, 11:59pm AEST
Round 1 Viewing and Voting Period: 11th September 2026 - 6th October 2026
Nominations Announcement: TBC
Round 2 Viewing and Voting Period: TBC
$160 (Full)
$70 (Student)*
*You'll be required to enter an active student email address to access this pricing.
All Short Films submitted to the AACTA Awards must have been completed between 19th July 2025 and 18th July 2026. Whether a Production is complete is determined by the entrant.
To ensure the most comprehensive and inclusive field, AACTA reserves the right to extend the eligibility period. AACTA members will be notified of any changes.
For full eligibility requirements, please see the 2027 AACTA Awards Rule Book.
A minimum of two Award Candidates listed on the Entry Form must be current AACTA members. If you are only listing 1 person on the entry form, that person will need to be an AACTA member.
Valid forms of AACTA membership for this category are Professional, General and Youth. For more information on AACTA membership, visit our website here.
If you are unsure of whether you currently satisfy the membership requirement, or may fail to do so, please contact the AACTA Awards Department.