The aim of the festival is to develop and deliver a sustainable world class film festival, which engages all stakeholders and achieves critical acclaim by presenting a unique program that inspires, challenges, and entertains an increasingly broad and diverse audience.

The festival presents awards as follows:

• Official Competition ($60,000 cash prize) for 'cutting-edge, audacious and innovative' feature films;
• Documentary Australia Award ($20,000, Academy Award qualifying);
• Sustainable Future Award ($40,000);
• Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films for Best Australian Fiction ($7,000, Academy Award qualifying),
• Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Australian Director ($7,000),
• AFTRS Craft Award for Best Practitioner ($7,000),
• Yoram Gross Animation Award for Best Australian Animation ($7,000, Academy Award qualifying),
• The Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award for Screenwriting ($7,000) and
• the Sydney Film Festival First Nations Award ($35,000).

Submission fees apply: 

• Australian Features - Fiction (over 40 minutes): $80.00
• Documentary Australia Award for Australian Documentary (any length): $45.00
• Dendy Award for Best Live Action Short (under 40 minutes): $40.00
• Yoram Gross Animation Award (under 40 minutes): $40.00
• Sustainable Future Award (any length): $45.00
• International Features (over 40 minutes): $95.00
• FLUX: Art + Film International Shorts (under 15 minutes): $55.00
• Freak Me Out International Shorts (under 15 minutes): $55.00
• Sydney Film Festival First Nations Award: no fee applicable
• Screenability program: no fee applicable

All fees are in Australian dollars and include appropriate taxes.

Please note: Submission fees cannot be waived.

Award category eligibility can be found on the FAQs.

• Email: info@sff.org.au