Now accepting submissions for VIFA 2026:

Welcome to the 7th Vienna International Film Awards! :-)

The Vienna International Film Awards (VIFA) is an annual film festival held in the beautiful city of Vienna with live screenings and our famous red carpet award ceremony.

VIFA is an IMDb qualifying film festival.

VIFA accepts short-films in various genres and categories from across the globe.

Our judges consist of international filmmakers and industry professionals.

To view the judges of our festival please make sure to visit us on:
www.viennainternationalfilmawards.com

Our festival is run by a small group of volunteers, film enthusiasts, and professional film judges.

The objective of VIFA is to provide support to independent filmmakers, help promote their talent and to give them the unique chance to present their work to industry professionals with vast experience in their field.

In case you still have any questions about our festival, please don’t hesitate to send us a message and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

VIFA 2026 CATEGORIES:

Best Actor

Best Actress

Best Cinematography

Best Costume Design

Best Director

Best Directress

Best Production Design

All Artisan/Technical Categories: Money Saver -> Get 3 submissions for FREE!

Best Artificial Intelligence (NEW!)

Best Action / Adventure

Best Animated

Best Comedy

Best Dance / Musical

Best Documentary

Best Drama

Best Experimental

Best Horror

Best Music Video

Best Romance

Best Science Fiction / Fantasy

Best Thriller

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VIFA 2026 AWARDS:

10 official selections in each category.

1 award winning film in each category.

The winning films will be screened in front of a live audience at our Screening Event in Vienna

The winning films will receive our official VIFA laurels and a certificate.

Austrian short films that make it into our official selection will receive a free one-year-membership with the Austrian Directors Association.

1) Films that are not in English are required to have English subtitles.

2) When submitting in multiple categories, please submit each category separately!

3) Duration 25 minutes and under.

4) Films must be 2023 or newer to be able to submit.

5) To submit a film you have to own all rights or have permission from the owner of the content to submit the film to us.

6) Student Films will require proof of student ID to qualify for the discounted rate. Any non-student films submitted into the category will be disqualified.

7) Only online submissions using FilmFreeway are accepted.

8) VIFA reserves the right to refuse acceptance of submissions deemed by the festival to be inappropriate and violating the Rules and Terms. Should you wish to question VIFA about the decision, you can contact us by email.

9) All fees are non-refundable.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Kimberly Olsen L.

    Happy to have participated! Thank you!

    May 2026
  • I wish the festival organizers great success and many victories, the filmmakers the creation of compelling films, and cinema-loving audiences many enjoyable screenings. <3

    March 2026
  • Luca Caserta

    Vienna International Film Awards is a well-structured and professionally managed festival with a top-notch film selection. It was a pleasure to be part of it. Thank you so much to the Jury for awarding an Honorable Mention to my short film, "The Reach"!

    January 2026
  • Thank TO this beautiful festival !!! Very proud to be selected and honored to receive an Honorable Mention for My Art Dance Film « Sly studio 16 » .

    January 2026
  • müsait olamadığım için festivalde bulunamadım. Keşke katılabilseydim. Tüm festival ekibine teşekkür ediyorum. Süreç başarılı bir şekilde yönetildi. Umarım bir sonraki festivalde Viyana da beraber oluruz.

    January 2026