As programmers, we approach our curation with a great degree of care and responsibility; our reputation rests on the quality of our selections. Ultimately, the success of that curation is for our audience to judge. That said, when we look at the career trajectories of many filmmakers previously featured on Short of the Week, we are encouraged – and even reassured – that we’re on the right path

With this in mind, the clearest expression of our curatorial ethos is our annual celebration of the strongest work we have featured over the past twelve months: The Short Awards. These awards represent not just a moment of recognition, but a reflection on the breadth, ambition, and craft of contemporary short filmmaking. 

🗳️ Audience Choice Award: Click Here to Vote

The Short Awards have evolved significantly since their beginnings as an informal “Best of” list in 2007. In recent years, the introduction of a jury has further formalized the process, and we remain committed to developing the awards into the industry-recognized honor they have long aspired to be. While there is currently no in-person event accompanying the Short Awards – and therefore no opportunity to gather all nominees in a shared physical space – we hope that the acknowledgment itself carries weight. Being nominated by one of the world’s leading short film platforms is, we believe, a meaningful accolade.

From Oscar contenders to one-person productions, here are the nominees for the 2026 Short Awards:

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Short Awards Animation

Never ones to play favourites, we present our categories in alphabetical order – meaning animation, a long-standing favourite of the team 😉, always has the privilege of going first. As with all our nominations, our aim is to curate a selection that reflects the full breadth of the category, and animation is no exception.

This year’s five contenders for our Animation Short of the Year award span a wide range of styles, from stop-motion to traditional hand-drawn 2D, and explore an equally varied set of subjects – some serious, others delightfully, unapologetically silly.

The Animation Nominees:

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Short Awards Comedy

With the three core categories of our awards – Animation, Documentary, and Drama – firmly established, we always like to introduce a fourth category that reflects both the films we’ve championed throughout the year and the broader state of the world around us. Last year, buoyed by a particularly strong run of genre films in our programming, we introduced Genre as our fourth category for 2025, offering a welcome form of escapism at a time when reality felt especially bleak.

Unfortunately, the world has continued to burn—both literally and figuratively—and so this year we’re leaning into something a little lighter. Enter our Comedy Short of the Year award. If humor has been in short supply as we head into 2026, we hope these five films might help restore a smile or two. A brief word of warning, however: two of the five place a notable emphasis on urine within their storylines. You’ve been warned!

The Comedy Nominees:

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Short Awards Documentary

While documentaries often engage with weighty subject matter – as is also the case with the five nominees for our Documentary Short of the Year award, which explore themes of loss, identity, climate change, and more – that doesn’t make this category inherently downbeat. On the contrary, this particular quintet of shorts offers a deeply life-affirming viewing experience, approaching serious topics with a lighter touch that nonetheless leaves a lasting impact.

Together, these films celebrate both individuality and the inventive craftsmanship increasingly defining contemporary short-form documentary. Far from the conventional selections that dominate many awards lists, this group champions originality, formal experimentation, and bold emerging voices pushing the genre in exciting new directions.

The Documentary Nominees:

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Short Awards Drama

These awards give our team the opportunity to extend a little extra affection to some of the standout films featured on S/W over the past year, while also allowing us to articulate what truly matters to us in our curation. While entertainment is, of course, a key consideration, we are equally drawn to films that have something meaningful to say – works that linger beyond their runtime and invite reflection.

The five films shortlisted for our Drama Short of the Year award exemplify this balance. Collectively, they engage with themes of mental health, sadness, creativity, desire, and identity, forming an eclectic yet cohesive selection. Thoughtful without being heavy-handed, and emotionally resonant without losing sight of their craft, these films promise a richly rewarding experience for viewers willing to meet them halfway.

The Drama Nominees:

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Short Awards Jury 2026

Helping us choose the winner of our main prize – the Short of the Year award  – are three filmmakers with extensive knowledge of the short film world. With their filmmaking screened at the most prestigious festivals worldwide, winning numerous of their own awards along the way (including S/W’s Short of the Year in 2025) this trio of filmmakers certainly know what it takes to make a great short film.

Introducing the Jury

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WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON

And with that, we present the nominees for the 2026 Short Awards. Our jury is currently in the process of deliberation, and the winners will be announced in just over a week on Tuesday 17th February. If you’d like to weigh in, voting for the Audience Choice Award is now open and can be accessed below (voting closes on Monday 16th February):

🗳️ Audience Choice Award: Click Here to Vote

Finally, if there’s a film you feel warranted recognition but did not appear among the nominees, we encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments. Personal favorites often spark the most meaningful discussion, and we know that no shortlist can capture every deserving work.