The Iowa Motion Picture Awards recognize outstanding creative and technical achievement in Iowa’s moving image production industry in all its forms -- Program Categories and Craft Categories.
ENTRY DEADLINE: February 1, 2026
IMPORTANT NOTE: It has been the policy of the Iowa Motion Picture Association to accept films that are up to two years old. You may also submit films previously submitted, provided they are entered into new categories.
Nominee films will be screened at the Fleur Cinema & Cafe located at 4545 Fleur Dr, Des Moines, Iowa, the last week of May 2026. The screening schedule will be announced by March 31, once the nominees are announced.
Winners will be recognized at the 35th Anniversary Iowa Motion Picture Awards Gala Ceremony. There are two levels of recognition, the Award of Achievement and the Award of Excellence.
An entry's score is determined by calculating the average score awarded by all judges assigned to the category.
Award Determination:
A nominated entry has achieved an average score of 60%. To be nominated for an Iowa Motion Picture Award is a major accomplishment, and all nominees will be recognized at The Iowa Motion Picture Awards Gala.
In each category, the nominated entry with the highest score is awarded The Award of Excellence if the threshold of 85% has been reached. This is the highest honor bestowed by The Iowa Motion Picture Association. The Award of Achievement, which recognizes a significant success in media production, is awarded to the nominated entry with the next highest score.
*Should a category have only one nominated entry, the Award of Excellence will be awarded if the entry has an average score of at least 85% (80% for Student Categories). An Award of Achievement will be issued if the entry scores above 70% but below 85% (80% for Student Categories)
Student categories may include an Honorable Mention Award for the third-place entrant. The Iowa Motion Picture Association wishes to recognize and encourage the efforts of student media producers.
