THIS is Toronto's Comedy Festival.

Be part of an incredible comedy community that has been gathering every March in Toronto for 21 years! Connect with other comedy creators and showcase your work to TOsketchfest's audience of comedy lovers from across North America.

TOsketchfest26 returns March 4-15, 2026 with a full slate of live performances on multiple Toronto stages. The festival will kick off with the Premiere Screening of The Toronto Sketch Comedy Film Festival presented by Shozer. Get your team together, meet other comedy creators, and revel in the thrill of watching your work with a live and enthusiastic audience. Be there to walk the TOsketchfest Blue Shag Carpet at what has become a crowd-favourite tradition, and marquee kick-off event for Toronto’s longest-running comedy festival.

The Toronto Sketch Comedy Film Festival celebrates the best in short-form comedy on screen: solo character bits, commercial parodies, ensemble sketches, musical comedy, animation and micro-comedy (IG Reels and TikToks). If it’s short, and hilarious, we want to showcase the world’s best!

TOsketchfest is committed to creating a safe, welcoming and anti-racist space where all people are treated with respect and dignity. We strive for an atmosphere of respectful creative exchange, and positive personal and professional growth. We will not accept submissions that contain racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, or hateful language, imagery, or actions.

WHAT CAN I SUBMIT?

On FilmFreeway you can submit your filmed comedy shorts for the film festival presentation. Jurors will watch up to 7 minutes of every submission.

We are on the lookout for new digital sketch comedy shorts for a curated programme to be screened in front of a live audience, and then available on demand. We are looking for a wide variety of comedy shorts, musical comedy videos, animated shorts, web series spotlights, etc. - as long as the content was created after October 2024.

We are happy to accept digital submissions from anywhere in the world!

LIVE Artist Submissions are now closed.

TYPE OF CONTENT:

MICRO-SHORTS
Duration - :10 – 1:30
Send us your IG Reels, TikToks and bite size sketches

COMEDY SHORTS
Duration - up to 7:00
Send us your hilarious short-form sketches, characters, music and parodies

DATES, DEADLINES & FEES:

Micro-short (Deadline – NOV 21 @ 11:59PM ET) – $20
Micro-short (Extended – DEC 12 @ 11:59PM ET) – $25
Comedy Short (Deadline – NOV 21 @ 11:59PM ET) – $25
Comedy Short (Extended – DEC 12 @ 11:59PM ET) – $30

Do you have a show/sketch that's outside the box? Not sure if your work is a good fit? Reach out to us to discuss before completing your application with any questions or ideas. Please email ivan@torontosketchfest.com.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

TOsketchfest offers creators access to a free/low-cost professional development/learning series, including hands-on workshops, panels and networking events with in-person and online options for comedy enthusiasts.

Awards & Prizes

AWARDS & PRIZES

TOsketchfest Film Festival Awards includes the following:

Outstanding Comedy Short presented by Shozer
Outstanding Short Animation
Outstanding Performance
Outstanding Ensemble
Outstanding Musical Comedy
Outstanding Micro-short

More info:
https://www.torontosketchfest.com/the-festival/awards/

Rules & Terms


**APPLICATION DEADLINE** – Submission dates vary all ending at @ 11:59PM EST.
Please read carefully.

As stated above:

Regular Deadline: NOV 21
Extended Deadline: DEC 12

Submissions will be adjudicated by the Festival producers and an advisory panel of industry professionals. Artists will be notified of programming decisions by email by January 2026.

**APPLICATION FEE** – The processing fee for all applications vary. The submission fee is non-refundable, in CAD (Canadian dollars) and includes HST.

As stated above:

Micro-short (Deadline) – $20
Micro-short (Extended) – $25
Comedy Short (Deadline) – $25
Comedy Short (Extended) – $30

If the application fee is a barrier to your submission please feel free to reach out to Ivan Hutomo, Digital Producer, at ivan@torontosketchfest.com.

**ACCESSIBILITY** – Closer to the Festival dates, all selected entrants will be required to provide accessibility information about their content, for uses such as sensory descriptions and captioning files.

TOsketchfest is committed to increasing accessibility at every level of the Festival. If you require any accommodations for this submission process or would like to discuss accessibility further, please reach out to Ivan Hutomo, Digital Producer, at ivan@torontosketchfest.com.

**COPYRIGHT / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY**
The work you submit to the Festival may not violate or infringe any copyright, patent, privacy right, publicity right, trademark, service mark or any other personal or property right of any person or entity. By submitting an application to TOsketchfest you agree that you have paid and/or will pay in full all license fees, clearance fees, and other obligations, of any kind, arising from the exhibition of the Film in connection with the Festival.

If selected, I/we grant the TOSKETCHFEST the nonexclusive right to use my name, photograph, and likeness; and up to :30sec of submitted footage in connection with any and all publicity and promotional activities regarding the TORONTO SKETCH COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL.

**SUBMISSION GUIDELINES**
This festival is rooted in the traditions of sketch comedy. The content you submit must be scripted, and it must be comedic. Ensemble work, solo work, music, animation, digital shorts... these are all eligible as long as they are scripted. We will not accept improv or stand-up sets. If you have content that is outside the box (i.e. podcast or other audio, panel shows, partially-scripted/interactive) please contact us by email before submitting and application (ivan@torontosketchfest.com)

We accept applications from new, emerging, and established troupes, but your TOsketchfest submission should not be your first piece of work. You must have some history of live or online performance or digital content creation. We are actively seeking work from creators from equity-deserving groups.
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Again, if you have any questions about submitting to TOsketchfest26, please feel free to reach out to Ivan Hutomo, Digital Producer, at ivan@torontosketchfest.com

11 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Five Minute Funeral

    The festival was all around excellent. The programming was phenomenal and the event was such a great time. Thanks for having us!

    August 2025
    Helpful
  • Tommy Marshall

    Really, really strong slate of some seriously well produced and seriously funny shorts this year! Had a blast premiering my newest short Onlyfans with the fest, one of my favourite rooms to screen new work!

    March 2025
    Helpful
  • Cathy Tang

    It was my first time at TOSketchfest, and I can't wait to go back! Ivan and the team were incredibly hospitable and make me feel so welcome. Lots of classes, networking events, brunches, all that jazz and the venue also had a bar/cafe downstairs for casual hangouts. The team really does put a ton of work and heart into making this festival happen, and it shows!

    March 2024
    Helpful
  • Jade Yurich

    Having my film 'Got It' play at To Sketch Fest's film festival was an amazing experience! Getting the opportunity to be screened along with so many other hilarious films was a great honour! The entire format of the festival made it really easy to attend shows as an artist and the networking events for artists were a great way to build and foster new connections! Can't wait for the 20th anniversary next year and more of a great festival experience!

    March 2024
    Helpful
  • Heather Hawthorn Doyle

    This is an absolutely fantastic festival that I can highly recommend! They embraced our micro short "I Don't Want Him Either" giving us publicity during the festival and we were so honoured to be on their opening night. And then the best thing? Today I came home to a cheque from them because they revenue share! Love this festival!

    May 2022
    Helpful