Directory of Festivals and Award Ceremonies for Canadian Short Form Series
Given the perpetually increasing offer of quality productions, ‘discoverability’ remains one of the main challenges that short form series creators face. What can creators do to make sure their projects stand out from the competition? Among the options that are available to creators, they may enter their work in national and international competitions.
To help creators see clear through all of this, here’s a directory of competitions for which Canadian productions are eligible.
Note: Contact us to inform us of any other festival or award ceremony for which Canadian short form series are eligible and that is not listed here.
An initiative of the Independent Production Fund with the collaboration of the Canada Media Fund.
CANADA
BLOOD IN THE SNOW FILM FESTIVAL
Location: Toronto, ON
Festival held in: November
Description: The Blood in the Snow Film Festival is a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror, genre and underground cinema that exists to challenge social boundaries, explore artistic taboos and support and exhibit independent Canadian genre media artists. BITS takes place in Toronto, Ontario and brings together audiences, media coverage, community partnerships and the filmmaking industry to exhibit and celebrate Canadian genre film. BITS began in 2012 and was registered as a not-for-profit in 2015.
Location: Toronto, ON
Gala held in: March
Entry deadline: Usually in September
Description: The Canadian Screen Awards recognize excellence in film, television and digital media production.
Note: Limited to original English-language versions of Canadian productions that are considered as ‘Canadian content’ as defined in the guidelines of the CRTC and the CAVCO. Fiction and non-fiction. Interactive and linear projects in distinctive categories.
JUST FOR LAUGHS COMEDYPRO – BEYOND THE BOX: PLAYING IT SHORT
Location: Montréal
Festival held in: July
Entry deadline: Usually in May
Description: The professional component of the Just For Laughs Festival offers the possibility to pitch humoristic webseries to a panel of industry experts.
Details: Must first present an application including a bible, a pilot, and a budget. The application and pitch must be presented in English. Episode length limited to a maximum of 15 minutes. The winner is selected during the event and receives a complimentary one-year membership to the IAWTV, 2 tickets to attend the next IAWTV Awards as well as a free trip (flight, hotel and festival pass) to the Just For Laughs Festival.
Location: Vancouver, BC
Gala held in: June
Entry deadline: Usually in February
Description: The Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British Columbia is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate and promote the achievements of the British Columbia film and television industry through the presentation of an annual awards program – the Leo Awards.
Details: Open to British Columbia productions only. A single award is presented, i.e., Best Webseries.
Location: Montréal, QC
Gala held in: December
Entry deadline: Usually in February
Description: Les Olivier publicly rewards artists and craftspeople who work in the field of comedy.
Details: ‘Humoristic web capsule, column or sketch’ category.
Location: Montréal, QC
Festival held in: September – October
Description: Montréal Digital WebFest is a non-profit organization which is proud to present the fourth edition of its festival dedicated to the promotion of national and international web series, and to contribute worldwide in development of the digital entertainment market.
All creators and producers who wish to participate in the competition can already submit their web series via https://filmfreeway.com/festival/montrealdigitalwebfest
Join us, the fourth edition of Montreal Digital WebFest will take place from September 30 to October 2, 2021!
Details: International productions of all genres.
Location: Montréal, QC
Gala held in: May
Entry deadline: Usually in February
Description: The Numix competition rewards digital media excellence in Québec.
Details: Limited to the productions of Québec-based companies. Awards presented in multiple categories (communication and promotion, cultural production, game production, webseries production, entertainment and media). New category in 2017: ‘Start-ups: Webseries.’ Productions entered must be in French or English or translated to one of these languages.
Location: Montréal, QC
Gala held in: September
Entry deadline: Usually in February
Description: The Prix Gémeaux celebrate excellence in French-language television in Canada.
Details: Limited to original French-language versions of Canadian productions. Awards presented in multiple categories according to genre (fiction, humour, variety, public affairs, magazine, sports, documentary, youth and performance). Interactive and linear projects in distinctive categories.
Location: Banff, AB
Festival held in: June
Entry deadline: Usually in March
Description: The Rockie Awards are BANFF’s flagship program celebrating excellence in television and digital content from around the world. Hundreds of television and digital programs compete for a coveted Rockie Award, presented at a ceremony each year at BANFF.
Details: Fiction and non-fiction. Open to Canadian and international productions. Productions that are not in English must be dubbed or subtitled in English.
Location: Toronto, ON
Festival held in: May
Entry deadline: Usually in March
Description: The IWCC (Independent Web Creators of Canada) holds the T.O. WebFest to support, connect, promote and celebrate independent content creators from Canada and around the world. The T.O. WebFest is a three-day festival that includes panels, workshops, networking, screenings, installations, awards and special events.
Details: Open to Canadian and international productions. The festival awards the best webseries in the following categories: comedy, drama, documentary and factual, science fiction and fantasy, action and thriller as well as interactive experiences. Productions that are not in English must be dubbed or subtitled in English.
Location: Montréal and Toronto (in alternation)
Festival held in: May
Entry deadline: Usually in February
Description: The YMA Awards of Excellence ceremony is the sole celebration of the excellence, talent and creativity of the people who produce digital content for young English- and French-speaking Canadians.
Details: Limited to youth productions. The productions must be considered as ‘Canadian content’ as defined in the guidelines of the CRTC and the CAVCO. ‘Award of Excellence: Best TV Series or Webseries’ category.
UNITED STATES
Location: Austin, TX
Festival held in: October
Entry deadline: July
Description: The climate of storytelling is changing. Scripts are no longer bound to the confines of a feature length movie or 42 minute television episode. With the emergence of online content platforms, digital series, webisodes, and everything else you can find on the world wide web, barriers have been broken and the doors are wide open for new media and innovative formats. And with more opportunity comes more talent and more stories ready to be celebrated.
Details: This competition accepts both filmed and written submissions in an effort to find talented voices who can adapt their vision to emerging digital platforms. AFF will select a winner in both the written and produced categories that display the strongest voice and greatest potential for establishing a digital series.
Location: Duluth, MN
Festival held in: October
Entry deadline: Usually in June
Description: If instead of making a film, you’ve created a story that is episodic or narrative in structure (aka, a TV show, webseries or podcast) and you want to showcase it to industry executives, agents, and producers you have limited options. There are thousands of film festivals but they do not accept shows.
So, you take it to Catalyst: a 501c3 nonprofit community of creators, executives, agents and fans discovering the best new programming created on independent (aka, non-network) budgets.
Location: Washington, DC
Festival held in: April
Entry deadline: Usually in January
Description: The DC Web & Digital Media Festival showcases the best of the web by rewarding the best webseries and digital projects. The festival’s goal is to entertain, educate and promote innovative forms and diverse voices in the new media landscape.
Details: Two awards presented for webseries: Best Webseries, Best Script.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Gala held in: May
Entry deadline: Usually in February
Description: The IAWTV Awards celebrate the best in digital entertainment. Established for digital content creators by digital content creators.
Details: Awards presented in multiple categories according to genre (drama, comedy, factual, animation, documentary, educational, variety and information shows). Awards are voted on by the digital entertainment professionals who comprise the IAWTV membership.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Festival held in: February
Entry deadline: Usually in December
Description: The Indie Series Awards celebrate the best in independently produced and scripted entertainment created for the web.
Details: Awards presented for webseries in the drama and comedy genres only.
Location: Miami, FL
Festival held in: September
Entry deadline: Usually in April
Description: The Miami WebFest is an international webseries festival that is intended as a ‘window on the future’ of new media.
Details: Only webseries and video clips are eligible. Awards presented in multiple categories according to genre (comedy, drama, action, documentary, video clip, etc.).
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Festival held in: June
Entry deadline: Usually in April
Description: The New Media Film Festival is a celebration of the intersection of new technology and storytelling that aims bring together cutting-edge technology, innovative storytelling, and world-renown talent to Los Angeles.
Details: One webseries category. All genres are eligible.
NEW YORK FESTIVAL’S TV & FILM AWARDS
Location: New York, NY
Festival held in: April
Entry deadline: Usually in October
Description: The New York Festival’s World’s Best TV & Films competition honors programming in all lengths and forms from over 50 countries. Dedicated to both the television and film industries, categories mirror today’s global trends and encourage the next generation of storytellers and talent.
Details: The television and film categories are divided into two main groups: there is a group for submissions which are distributed/transmitted and a group for submissions which are exhibited/screened. The festival rewards digital productions in the following categories: comedy, drama, educational, entertainment, music, news, special events, and sports. Productions that are not in English must be dubbed or subtitled in English.
Location: New York NY
Festival held in: November
Entry deadline: Usually in May
Description: Le NYC Web Fest brings together digital producers from around the world and creates an organic space where they can showcase their talent, network with other artists, and learn from industry professionals.
Details: Awards presented in multiple categories according to genre. Awards for the best international project and the best foreign-language project.
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Festival held in: June
Description: In its second year, Santa Monica Webfest will be showcasing the very best in short form digital content from around the world. The festival will be taking place in June of 2021 in one of the most picturesque beach communities on the planet. Participants should make sure to pack both their camera and sunscreen.
Attendees will be greeted warmly on opening night with a signature SMW cocktail and encouraged to socialize during our meet & greet networking party. Experience the gorgeous sunset, feast on delicious barbeque and get to know your fellow content creators in a relaxed and open atmosphere.
Santa Monica Webfest will have numerous screening blocks in a theatrical setting ensuring film makers see not only their own “Official Selection” on the big screen but those of other equally talented creators. Attendees’ all access passes will allow them to experience as many screenings as they would like.
Informative seminars will also be held throughout the weekend to assist and expand attendees’ knowledge bases in areas such as marketing and promotion, financing and the exploration of practical filmmaking techniques with industry experts.
The Santa Monica Webfest will close off a jam-packed weekend with a red carpet awards gala. Festivalgoers and guests alike will celebrate excellence in each genre category. The festival will showcase not only spectacular short form content but also those individuals exceling in their specific field of expertise with numerous craft awards.
Location: New York City, NY
Festival held in: October
Description: Stareable Fest is the premier annual indie TV and web series festival in the US and the new home for digital creative talent in the TV industry.
Location: New York, NY
Festival held in: May
Entry deadline: Usually in January
Description: The Webby Awards honor excellence on the Internet and are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), a 1,000+ member judging body.
Details: Fiction and non-fiction. The Webby Awards honor excellence in six major media types: Websites, Film & Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Social, Mobile Sites & Apps, and Podcasts & Digital Audio. The Webby Awards present two honors in each category: the Webby Award and the Webby People’s Voice Award. Productions that are not in English must be dubbed or subtitled in English.
EUROPE
Location: Bilbao, Spain
Festival held in: October
Description: Webseries celebration in Bilbao, Spain with the best panels, international industry judges and over 40 awards, providing a lot of opportunities for filmmakers, including press contact, distribution deals and in-kind prizes. We also have a part which is the Bilbao Web Market, that is the first fair/market which is specifically dedicated to the web series, oriented to professionals that want to make deals during the festival. The activities include a co-production Forum, Case Studies, Project Pitching, One to One meetings, Screenings, Producer’s Round Tables.
GENEVA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Festival held in: November
Entry deadline: September
Description: Founded in 1995, the Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF) is Geneva’s oldest film festival and one of the first in the world to include television in its programs. A crossroads of genres and disciplines, a place to experiment, meet people and party, it features every year, for ten days, films, series, interactive installations and virtual reality works attended by some 40,000 festivalgoers. The largest venue in Switzerland dedicated to immersive arts, GIFF has become a major European event in this field.
At the heart of the event is the Geneva Digital Market, a unique event in Switzerland dedicated to audiovisual innovation. Industry professionals and theoreticians from all over the world meet to discuss and exchange ideas on what makes the audiovisual industry of today and what it will become in the future.
INTERNATIONAL EMMY KIDS AWARDS @MIPTV
Location: Cannes, France
Festival held in: April (during the MIPTV)
Entry deadline: usually in February
Description: The International Digital Emmy® Award is an American award presented yearly by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in programming and added-value content.
Details: Projects submitted must have been created and designed outside of the United States to encourage audience interaction or digital distribution (e.g., mobile phone, Internet, interactive television, etc.). An award is presented for digital projects.
Location: Marseille, France
Festival held in: October
Entry deadline: Usually in April
Description: The Marseille Web Fest is the international festival of fictional webseries. This festival aims to organize a competition between an official selection of international digital series decided by a jury of international professionals as well as to facilitate encounters between creators, producers and broadcasters in the new content market.
Details: Fiction only. All digital series submitted must be subtitled in French (for the general public) and/or in English (for international jury members).
Location: London, United Kingdom
Festival held in: October
Entry deadline: Usually in September
Description: The UK Web Fest is the largest regional festival in the United Kingdom and the country’s second largest digital festival.
Details: Fiction and non-fiction. Short films are not eligible. Awards presented in multiple categories according to genre (drama, comedy, thriller, horror, science fiction, documentary). Productions that are not in English must be dubbed or subtitled in English. The winners and 10 officially selected webseries will have the opportunity to showcase their content on http://webfliks.tv/, a new streaming app and website only for partnered webseries.
Location: Berlin, Germany
Festival held in: September
Entry deadline: Usually in June
Description: Webfest Berlin is the first international festival in Germany dedicated to presenting, recognizing and advancing short-form digital series from around the world.
Details: Fiction and non-fiction. Jury and people’s awards. Awards presented in multiple categories according to genre (drama, comedy, animation, science fiction, fantasy, horror, action/thriller, and suspense). Productions that are not in English must be dubbed or subtitled in English.
ASIA AND OCEANIA
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Festival held in: November
Entry deadline: Usually in August
Description: The NZ Web Fest is New Zealand’s festival for online content, webseries, shows, YouTube channels, fiction, factual, and anything in between. If it was made for online, it’s probably eligible for consideration.
Details: Fiction and non-fiction. Awards presented in multiple categories according to genre (animation, youth, drama, etc.). Award for the best international webseries. Productions that are not in English must be dubbed or subtitled in English.
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Festival held in: August
Entry deadline: Usually in May
Description: Founded in 2015, the Seoul Webfest in South Korea is the very first web series festival in Korea & Northeast Asia and the only webfest in Asia. We are looking to 2021 and the 7th Seoul Webfest! Our goals for 2021 are to expand the festival so it can become a viable provider of quality content on an international scale. Our intention is to create a place that nurtures and cultivates upcoming creators. We invite you to a new paradigm of festival where you can take part in screenings, network parties, a red carpet gala, an award show, and a Fam tour to gain access to distributors, filmmakers, writers, producers, funding etc.
LATIN AMERICA
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Festival held in: March
Entry deadline: Usually in January
Description: Unique in America, since 2015, it is a regional meeting place for all the news that takes place in the world of the audiovisual industry, encouraging it to develop through its national and international business rounds, such as thus also training professionals in the environment, through talks, panels and workshops.
In the area of training and education, the festival holds a federal clinic for young people that empowers and enriches new filmmakers from all over the country, as well as audiovisual workshops held in neighborhoods, granting new tools of trade and expression to the inhabitants of the City of Buenos Aires.
In this way, our structure and organization allow us to accompany audiovisual creators in their different stages of production and implementation of projects, creating a specialized and competitive market.
We consider that the realization of the International Series Festival of Buenos Aires is a cultural bridge at the regional level with the rest of the world.
Entirely free and open access, the Buenos Aires Series was founded and is organized by a group of friends from the audiovisual industry, film, communication, and cultural management.
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Festival held in: November–December
Entry deadline: Usually in September
Description: The Rio WebFest is Brazil’s largest international festival devoted to web creations.
Details: Awards presented in multiple categories according to genre (comedy, drama, action, documentary, video clip, etc.). Special cash prizes. The winning webseries will be selected for an all-expenses paid trip to the Marseille Web Fest. This festival also represents the final round of the Web Series World Cup, an international webfest contest created by Joël Bassaget, web series blogger for the French newspaper Libération.
Last update: April 2017