Aphrodite Film Awards

We are an official IMDb event, and all finalists and winners can list their title on our page:

https://www.imdb.com/es-es/event/ev0006129/

*** There are no quarterly public screenings for our film awards, so we do not affect your other submissions or your premiere status.

Aphrodita Film Awards (2026)

The Aphrodite Film Awards (NYCAFA) are a quarterly and annual competition celebrating films from all over the world with awards in different categories and genres.
Films, photography, and music are accepted.

Our mission is to recognize and celebrate the best independent cinema the world has to offer, while helping to boost the careers of promising filmmakers by providing a platform through which their talent can be recognized.

Every three months, our jury will award the best films through private screenings. There will be recognitions in multiple categories. There are no quarterly public screenings for our film awards, so we do not affect your other submissions or your premiere status.

There will be awards in several Main Categories, and each participant may add Additional Categories to increase their chances of winning, but each work and each submission must have its own entry fee.

Winners of all quarterly editions will advance to the annual competition.

All selected entries from each quarterly edition will receive official laurels and a 50% discount coupon for distribution services with our partner.

All finalists and winners from each quarterly edition will receive official laurels, inclusion of the award on IMDb, a 100% discount coupon for distribution services with our partner, and automatic entry into the “Best of the Year” competition as an Annual Official Selection (2026).

All winners of the “Best of the Year” competition will receive official laurels, an official certificate (digital format), and the Aphrodite Trophy during the Awards Ceremony. If you are unable to attend the ceremony, you may receive your trophy by paying the shipping costs.

Rules & Terms

Works in a language other than English must have subtitles. Works in progress are accepted.
Projects may be from any of the last five years.

Every three months, our jury will award the best independent filmmakers through private screenings. Each work may be submitted to as many relevant categories as applicable to increase the chances of winning.

The jury may grant Honorable Mentions to filmmakers who do not necessarily become winners. Our jury will select projects with potential for possible distribution with our partner.

By submitting your film, please note that you grant us permission to use director photographs, behind-the-scenes images, posters, trailers, and other promotional materials from the film. These materials may be used to promote our event, website, social media, and any other festival-related media.

The Aphrodite Film Awards (NYCAFA) obtain the right to use an excerpt from any submitted film, as well as its trailer, for promotional purposes of the festival.

Each participant may add Additional Categories to increase their chances of winning, but each work and each submission must have its own entry fee.

Films will not be available online. We promote selected films by uploading their trailers, teasers, posters, and production stills.

Submission fees are non-refundable.

Main Categories Available in Monthly editons (All Genre):

Best Feature Film
Best Animation Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Experimental Feature

Best Short Film
Best Under 5 Minute Short Film
Best Animation Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Experimental Short

Best Music Video
Best Commercial
Best Trailer

Best Photography
Best Piece of Music

Additional Categories:

Best Drama (Additional Category)
Best Comedy (Additional Category)
Best Horror (Additional Category)
Best LGBT (Additional Category)
Best Action (Additional Category)
Best Thriller (Additional Category)
Best SCI-FI (Additional Category)
Best Romantic Comedy (Additional Category)
Best Crime Film (Additional Category)
Best Fantasy Film (Additional Category)
Best Film Noir (Additional Category)
Best Western (Additional Category)
Best Silent Film (Additional Category)

Best Editing (Additional Category)
Best Original Music Score (Additional Category)
Best Cinematography (Additional Category)

Best Producer (Additional Category)
Best Screenplay(Additional Category)

Best Director - Ficction (Additional Category)
Best Director - Animation (Additional Category)
Best Director - Documentary (Additional Category)
Best Director - Experimental (Additional Category)
Best Director Student (Additional Category)

Best First Time Filmmaker (Additional Category)

Best Actress (Additional Category)
Best Actor (Additional Category)

Best AI-Generated Work

Overall Rating

Quality

Value

Communication

Hospitality

Networking

Tom Lop

Extraordinary film festival. I highly recommend you submit your film to this amazing film festival. They are an amazing judge of character, creativity and integrity. Thanks for selecting WordLotto for Best TV Series.

February 2024

Helpful
Amore Psiche

Not great communication, not great clarity on their official website

January 2024

Helpful
Joseph Villapaz

My film was selected back for Jan-Jun 2023, but haven't gotten any updates or seen any on the website since then. I emailed them before the New Year but still haven't gotten a response. The Official Selection 2023 link doesn't work, but if you select 2022 and in the web address change 2022 to 2023 the Official Selection for 2023 appears and my film is listed. Seems like they're having some issues so I recommend taking this into consideration before submitting.

January 2024

Helpful
Andrea Jean Plamondon

Thank you for choosing Only Eden as a Semi Finalist in your Festival!

October 2023

Helpful
Levi Wise Kenneth Catoe Jr.

Wonderful competition so grateful to have been a part :)

August 2023

Helpful

Add to List

Dates & Deadlines

April 14, 2026
Opening Date
May 15, 2026
May
June 17, 2026
June
July 15, 2026
July
August 14, 2026
August
September 17, 2026
September
September 30, 2026
Notification Date
November 1, 2026
Event Date

Categories & Fees

Best Fiction Feature Film
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- June
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- July
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- August
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- September
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
Submit Now
Best Fiction Short Film
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- June
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- July
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- August
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- September
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
Submit Now
Best Documentary Feature Film
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- June
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- July
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- August
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- September
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
Submit Now
Best Documentary Short Film
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- June
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- July
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- August
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- September
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
Submit Now
Best Animation Feature Film
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- June
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- July
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- August
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- September
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
Submit Now
Best Animation Short Film
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- June
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- July
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- August
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- September
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
Submit Now
Best Experimental Feature Film
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- June
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- July
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- August
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
- September
- Standard: $30
- Gold Members: $22.50
Submit Now
Best Experimental Short Film
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- June
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- July
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- August
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- September
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
Submit Now
Best Under 5 Minute Short Film
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Web / TV Series
- May
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- June
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- July
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- August
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
- September
- Standard: $20
- Gold Members: $15
Submit Now
Best Commercial
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Music Video
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Trailer
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Photography (Photography Contest)
Main Category All styles are accepted
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Piece of Music (Only Music)
Main Category
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Director – Ficction (Additional Category)
For this submission to be valid, you must first send it to a main category.
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Director – Animation (Additional Category)
For this submission to be valid, you must first send it to a main category.
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Director – Documentary (Additional Category)
For this submission to be valid, you must first send it to a main category.
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Director – Experimental (Additional Category)
For this submission to be valid, you must first send it to a main category.
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Director Student (Additional Category
For this submission to be valid, you must first send it to a main category.
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best First Time Filmmaker (Additional Category)
For this submission to be valid, you must first send it to a main category.
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Actress (Additional Category)
For this submission to be valid, you must first send it to a main category.
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best Actor (Additional Category)
For this submission to be valid, you must first send it to a main category.
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now
Best AI-Generated Work
- May
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- June
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- July
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- August
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
- September
- Standard: $10
- Gold Members: $7.50
Submit Now

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Tom Lop

Amore Psiche

Joseph Villapaz

Andrea Jean Plamondon

Levi Wise Kenneth Catoe Jr.