In 2026, the Irish Film Festival Australia (IFF) will stage our first Short Film Competition as part of the festival season. The competition is open to fiction and documentary with all genres welcome - drama, comedy, animation, experimental and anything in between.

The Irish Film Festival Australia is a not-for-profit cultural event, brought to you by passionate industry professionals and supported by Irish artists, filmmakers, cultural institutions, the Irish expat community, a champion team of volunteers and supporters, and thousands of film-lovers across Australia.

Established in 2015 through the vision of Drogheda-born Enda Murray, the festival has grown to encompass 5 cities and a national online audience. We now find ourselves as the biggest Irish-Arts festival in Australia!

We’ve premiered Irish-language films, introduced audiences in Australia to early career artists (such as Barry Keoghan, Eve Hewson, Lola Petticrew and Éanna Hardwicke) and featured ground-breaking dramas, drop-dead funny comedies, toe-curling horrors, thought-provoking documentaries and family-friendly films in an annual celebration of Irish culture, language, music, and history.

Awards & Prizes

The winning six films will be screened as part of the festival's Irish-Australian Short Film Competition Program.

Prizes will be awarded to the Best Australian-Made Film and the Best Internationally-Made Film.

Rules & Terms

To qualify for our 2026 Irish-Australian Short Film Program, the submitted film must:

• Have themes, storylines, characters or locations relating to Ireland or the Irish diaspora, OR
• Have a principal participant (director, producer or actor) who has Irish heritage

• Be an original work and meet all eligibility requirements regarding music and copyright
• Be less than 15 minutes in length INCLUDING credits
• Have been completed after January 1st 2024 (incl.)
• Be presented in their original versions with English language subtitles or commentary where necessary
• Be uploaded in MP4 format (resolution of 1920X1080 px, at least)

The entrant agrees that images and clips from their film may be used by IFF in promotional activities across IFF’s website and social media.

By entering the Irish-Australian Short Film Competition, you undertake that you will observe the rules of the competition.

Official Festival selection will be publicly announced in September 2026. Successful entrants will be notified via FilmFreeway. Details of selected films will also be posted on our website. 

The judges’ decisions are final.

COPYRIGHT
• Filmmakers are responsible for securing all copyright clearances and music rights.
• Filmmakers must disclose any use of AI in the production of their films.