Vienna Shorts Festival

About the Festival: VIENNA SHORTS is the international short film festival in Vienna. The presentation of short films and the exchange about them are the main focus. The festival is organized by the association Independent Cinema and shows about 300 productions in under 30 minutes. The competition is structured in four categories, for each of which separate entries can be submitted. Other sections include portraits and thematically curated programs. VIENNA SHORTS is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards® (Oscars), the European Film Awards (EFA), the British BAFTA Awards as well as the Austrian Film Award and awards prize money of approximately EUR 30,000 annually. The festival sees itself as a political and fair film festival, which is committed to responsible and transparent dealings with filmmakers and all those involved, as well as ecologically sustainable conduct.

2026 Call for Entries (Archive)

The 23nd edition of VIENNA SHORTS will take place from May 26 to May 31, 2026. The festival presents short cinematic works in the cinema and online. The festival sees itself as a political and fair film festival, which is committed to responsible and transparent dealings with filmmakers and all those involved, as well as ecologically sustainable conduct.

Eligibility criteria:

• Films of all genres and formats up to a length of 30 minutes and with a completion date after January 1, 2025, can be submitted for the four competitions of VIENNA SHORTS 2026.

Competitive section:

Entries can be submitted in four competition categories:

• Fiction & Documentary (devoted to international short fiction and short documentary films);
• Animation Avantgarde (devoted to international animation and experimental film);
• Austrian Competition (dedicated to national productions);
• Austrian Music Video Award (given to the best national music video).

International productions can be submitted for the two competitions Fiction & Documentary and Animation Avantgarde. For the Austrian Competition and the Austrian Music Video Award, only productions by Austrian directors or producers are eligible, or works that were (partially) produced in Austria or mainly financed by Austrian entities. The festival reserves the right to assign films to a category other than the one they were originally submitted for.

The VIENNA SHORTS Awards are endowed with EUR 1.500,- to 6.000,- each, depending on the competition. Several prizes are awarded per competition. In addition, special prizes and audience prizes are awarded. Prizes are awarded in all categories by expert juries.

Non-competitive section:

Submissions are also possible for non-competitive festival sections. Films of all genres and formats up to a length of 45 minutes and with a completion date after January 1, 2024, are accepted for this.

• Late Night Movies – Non-competitive Section
• International Music Videos – Non-competitive Section
• The Films for Children category seeks short films for people up to 12 years of age
• The Films for Young People category seeks short films for people over 12 years old

• Submission via FilmFreeway
• Deadlines: 5 January 2026 (regular), 31 January 2026 (late) - fees apply

ARCHIVE

2020 Festival Coverage:

• Animation Avantgarde Programme
• Buy your online ticket (available in Austria only)

NB: 2027 Festival Dates are tentative