2026 Entry Rules, Regulations and Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility, Rules & Terms
• Only Canadian filmmakers, producers and distributors are eligible and are invited to submit their original work to the 2026 Yorkton Film Festival competition for the Golden Sheaf Awards.
• Canadian productions 60 minutes and under will be accepted, exception (Best Feature Documentary and Best Feature Drama/Comedy, which must be over 70 mins.). A Canadian production is defined as any production which:
i. As been Certified by the Canadian Audiovisual Certification Office (CAVCO) as a “Canadian film or video production.”
OR
ii. Recognized as an audiovisual treaty coproduction by the Ministry of Heritage. OR
iii. Directed and produced by Canadians and its copyright is owned by Canadians.
• All entries must have been completed in the period between February 01, 2024, and January 31, 2026, and not have been entered in a previous Golden Sheaf Awards competition.
• Films that premiered at other festivals or were broadcasted before February 01, 2024, are not eligible to enter.
• A single production cannot compete in multiple main entry categories. It is eligible to be entered in one main category only. Exceptions: -
i. If your production is part of an anthology series where episodes are produced by different production companies, then each production company may submit their work as a standalone entry. A separate entry form and fee are required for each entry.
ii. If you are also entering your production in the Technical Award category, any of the Accompanying categories and or Craft categories. (Additional fee applies).
Rough cuts can be entered with the understanding that the file submitted will be used throughout the adjudication process and the film cannot be submitted in future years.
The final decision regarding interpretation of the rules and regulations including the eligibility of any production for admission into the competition will be the responsibility of the festival.
Fees and Entry Deadlines
• Early bird until end-of-day Dec. 12th, 2025
• Regular until end-of-day January 31st, 2026
• Early bird -Student Production until end-of-day Nov, 07th, 2025
• Regular – Student Production until end-of-day Dec. 12th, 2025
All main entry category submissions(expectations: Commercial, Outstanding Colour Grading and Best Non-Fiction Podcast categories) will be automatically considered for the Special Awards (Ruth Shaw Award- Best of Saskatchewan and Best of Festival) where applicable, (no additional fee is required).
Refunds
•Entry fees must be submitted with the production at time of entry.
•All entry fees are non-refundable. This policy applies to all entries, regardless of the circumstances including those that may be disqualified for any reason.
How to submit
• All festival submissions are handled through FilmFreeway.
• Entrants are responsible for the technical quality of their submissions. Entries which cannot be adequately judged because of technical problems prior to upload/submission will be deemed ineligible
• Recommended video specs for export:
Bit rate: 8Mbit.
Codec: H.264
Resolution: 1920x1080p, or 1280x720p
Frame rate: 23.98, or 29.97 fps
Audio: 48khz 2 channel, stereo audio
Entries & Nominations
All entrants will be notified of selection status via FilmFreeway. Nominations in the main categories will be available in late March while nominations in the accompanying and
craft categories and the Kathleen Shannon award will be available in April via our website, www.yorktonfilm.com
Screening and Yorkton Film Festival Bursary.
Nominees who are attending the festival are given priority for screenings. To help cover costs, filmmakers may apply for limited bursaries to cover registration to the festival. Note, this will be at the discretion of the festival. We also happily provide letters of reference to help with travel grant applications.
Adjudication
Qualified jurors, selected by the festival, will judge the entries. Awards may not be given in categories where, in the opinion of the jurors, the entries do not merit distinction. In the case of entries of three or less in any category, the festival reserves the right to collapse that category.
YFF On Demand Screening Centre
All productions submitted will be available for screening during the festival, and at the on-demand screening centre during the film festival.
DVD Tour and Festival Library
• A program of Golden Sheaf award productions may be taken on tour to other Canadian centres, following the festival. If your production is selected, it may be included in these special festival-run screenings.
• All productions submitted will be archived in the festival library for viewing by the public (no rental fee will be charged).
Rights and Clearances
•By entering a film(s) for consideration to the YFF, the entrant is confirming that they own or control the film’s copyright and are duly authorized to submit the film to the YFF.
•The entrant agrees to grant the YFF use of their production in the manner indicated above.
•The YFF reserves the right to copy and use any materials (photographs, film stills, trailers, and film clippings) for non-commercial public promotions, at no additional cost.
•The entrant hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the YFF from any financial liability or obligation incurred by entrant in connection with the submitted film(s).
For more information visit www.yorktonfilm.com
