Five $1,000 grants for short documentary films

Audience Awards supports our PRO filmmakers by funding films. We know that a great short film can open doors for your career, and that's one of the ways we are here to help!

We invite our PRO filmmakers to submit a video featuring an upcoming short documentary project to receive one of five $1,000 micro-grants.

The top five project submissions will each receive a $1,000 grant to go towards completing your short documentary. We will facilitate an online lab with fellow grant recipients and documentary pros to discuss your projects and give feedback. The goal is to help you create the best short documentary you can. 

To apply, upload your documentary short film, trailer or teaser video. The submission close date is currently Sept 10, 2018. Submissions will close when we receive 500 submissions. That may be before (or after) Sept 10, so make sure to submit your project now. 

HOW WE DETERMINE THE GRANT RECIPIENTS: Once you successfully upload and submit your project to this grant opportunity on our site, your film is reviewed by our screeners for admittance. You will receive notice if your submission is accepted or rejected before jury & audience voting opens.

On the voting open date, your project submission video is juried by our preliminary jury panel and the global audience. From this first round, the top 5 submissions with the most votes and the top 5 preliminary jury-selected submissions advance to the finals round. If audience selections are preliminary jury selections, the prelim jury will select additional submissions so that there are 10 projects in the finals round. From the 10 project submissions in the finals round, our industry jury panel will select the 5 grant recipients.

A note on audience voting: If you want your friends and family to vote for your film, share away. Audience voting greatly increases your views & exposure for your film and career, but social sharing is not necessary to win. The jury ultimately chooses the finalists and winners of the grants.

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Become a PRO member of Audience Awards and submit to every opportunity for free. Up to 20GB a week of upload space + 4K/1080p uploads. PRO members receive opportunities to license and monetize their films. PROs are connected to brands looking to hire local filmmakers. Other opportunities for PRO filmmakers include production funding for feature documentaries, narratives, and animations. $14/month or $140 paid annual (2 months free). Go PRO here: https://theaudienceawards.com/upgrade.

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AUDIENCE AWARDS provides filmmakers with the opportunity to gain exposure & accelerate your careers. We are committed to providing a stage for diverse, emerging talent and your creative work. Our democratized platform celebrates the power of storytelling and provides you with the tools to build an audience. Films submitted to opportunities on our site are juried by industry professionals and the global audience. The top films win prizes and screen at festivals around the world. Our PRO filmmakers have the opportunity to monetize and license their content and connect with production funding for their projects.

SUBMISSIONS DUE BY

Submissions Closed

VOTING OPENS

Sep 11, 2016 at 12:00pm MDT (America/Denver)

VOTING CLOSES

Sep 11, 2016 at 12:00pm MDT (America/Denver)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Sep 24, 2018 at 12:00pm MDT (America/Denver)

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FINAL ROUND PRIZE DESCRIPTION

$1,000 grants for short documentary films

FINAL TEAM AWARDS

1st Place Jury Award: $1,000 Grant

2nd Place Jury Award: $1,000 Grant

3rd Place Jury Award: $1,000 Grant

4th Place Jury Award: $1,000 Grant

5th Place Jury Award: $1,000 Grant

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ENTRY FEE

$140 (or enter for FREE when you upgrade to pro. Learn More!)