Currently 20 active film and video grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Worldwide. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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CASA PIP is a residency program in Portugal founded and run by filmmakers. It encourages residents to slow down and play, providing filmmakers with the time, peace, space, and general "rulelessness" to move meaningfully forward on their work, whether it is a whole project or just the budding idea for one. The residency is free to attend. ELIGIBILITY: open internationally to filmmakers. There is a EUR 35 application fee. Deadline: July 31, 2026.
Grants from the AXS Film Fund supporting documentary and nonfiction new media creators, particularly those who identify as living with a disability and especially from underserved communities, though applications are welcome from all creators regardless of background. Uses the Nonfiction Core Application led by the IDA and Sundance Institute. PROJECT ELIGIBILITY: feature-length documentary films (45 minutes or longer; experimental nonfiction accepted) or nonfiction new media projects with a film/video component; projects in any stage of production; non-English projects must have English subtitles and the application must be completed in English. INELIGIBLE: fiction projects (including narrative fiction based on a true story); projects where applicants are hired, employed, or commissioned by another entity; incomplete applications or those missing supporting materials; late submissions. APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY: 18 or older; not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program; individual applicants (fiscal sponsors permitted); applicant must be the director or producer of the project. SELECTION CRITERIA: strength of proposal and artistic approach; feasibility; ethics and accountability; completeness; and meeting eligibility requirements. ACCESSIBILITY: alternative application methods available (email filmfund@axslab.org by 24 July 2026); an Application Assistance Stipend is offered for 2026 to allow applicants to hire an application assistant, available first-come, first-served (not guaranteed). TIMELINE: open call opens 1 June 2026 (12:00 AM EST); deadline 31 July 2026 (11:59 PM EST). Apply via SurveyMonkey Apply.
Kometa, a French literary and journalism magazine, awards fellowships to journalists, writers, and photographers documenting reality in contexts of war, censorship, or severe social and political tensions. Projects must be rooted in direct field experience and focused on contemporary rather than historical events. Projects already under a contractual agreement are ineligible. AMOUNT: €10,000 per Fellow, six Fellows selected. WHAT FELLOWS RECEIVE: one year of funding; publication of the completed project (partial or full) in Kometa; opportunity to contribute to the monthly newsletter; mentorship through editorial collaboration. 2026 FOCUS AREAS: disinformation and narrative wars; political and social changes in the Gulf. DEADLINE: 31 July 2026. APPLY via the Tally form (https://tally.so/r/J9XxMK), in French or English (about 30 to 45 minutes). Contact: fellows@kometarevue.com.
Cork International Film Festival, Ireland's oldest film festival, accepts fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental work across features and shorts, with Academy Award and BAFTA qualifying shorts strands. Late deadline for features, feature documentaries, international shorts, and documentary shorts is 31 July 2026 (Irish shorts have until 7 August 2026). Most strands require an Irish premiere. Fee waivers available on request.
The Doha Film Festival (Doha Film Institute), running 19-27 November 2026, is accepting submissions, which are open for SHORT FILMS ONLY (feature films are selected by invitation only). Submittable competitions: the International Short Film Competition (new, daring short-form work, all genres, maximum 20 minutes, MENA premiere required) and the Ajyal Film Competition short-film category (youth-focused films, maximum 20 minutes, Middle East premiere excluding North Africa, curated with a jury of young people aged 16-25). The Made in Qatar section is open to narrative and documentary short films connected to Qatar (Qatari national or resident writer/director/producer, majority shot in Qatar, or storyline centred on Qatar), requiring Qatar premiere status. The International Feature Film Competition (documentary and narrative, 60+ minutes, MENA premiere) is by invitation only and does not accept submissions. All non-English-language works must have English subtitles and a time-coded English dialogue list; as Qatar is bilingual, films must be accessible in Arabic and English (the Festival can provide Arabic subtitles). KEY DATES: short-film submissions open 10 May 2026; deadline for International Short and Ajyal Short Competitions is 1 August 2026; Made in Qatar deadline is 1 September 2026; invited filmmakers notified by 1 October 2026. No entry fee. Submit via the entry form with a private (password-protected) link to the film. Enquiries: entries@dohafilm.com.
Short film competition from Day Job Films created to give auteur directors full creative freedom, awarding a production budget of up to GBP 7,000 to make a short film with no producer interference or commercial agenda. Open to animation, live-action and documentary projects. Runs in three rounds: (1) a pitch deck outlining concept, story, key characters and visual style; (2) a full script for those who progress; and (3) an interview to discuss the vision and execution. A panel of industry professionals judges the pitch deck, script and interview, with at least one team member reading each pitch deck and script in full. The winner receives full creative control over the project. ELIGIBILITY: applicants can be from anywhere worldwide, but all production must take place in the UK; applicants must have a producer on board who is separate from the director/writer. Applicants may optionally include a plan for adapting the script into a feature-length film (this does not affect the outcome). Submissions open February 10, 2026 and close August 10, 2026. Enquiries: hello@dayjobfilms.com.
The Bloomberg Green Docs competition is open to all eligible filmmakers competing for a $25,000 grand prize for a short climate documentary. The call seeks films that explore our climate future and reveal the world we are making today: ecosystems being restored, tomorrow's zero-carbon communities being formed, and habitat extremes warning of cascading climate consequences. REQUIREMENTS: films must address the urgency of climate change and run under 10 minutes including credits. The jury awards a $25,000 grand prize, announced at the Bloomberg Green Docs Film Festival in New York City on 22 September 2026, where the top five documentaries will be screened. Check the official rules on the competition site for eligibility details. DEADLINE: submissions accepted through 14 August 2026.
Annual grants from the Altercine Foundation (Montreal) to support the production of a documentary project, awarding roughly CAD 10,000 and CAD 5,000 each year. ELIGIBILITY: the grant is aimed at filmmakers BORN AND LIVING IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH (Africa, Asia or Latin America) who want to direct a documentary in the language of their choice that respects the Foundation's aims. APPLICATION (in French, English or Spanish): an application form, a synopsis (max 5 pages) covering content, characters, theme, treatment and style, a Vimeo link to a previous completed documentary (subtitled/versioned in FR/EN/ES, or with a transcript) plus supporting visual material, a detailed production budget and financing plan including the grant, and ideally two support letters. Submit all documents as a single PDF (max 5MB) by email to altercine@videotron.ca. Deadline 15 August each year; decisions communicated before 31 December.
Future Vision XPRIZE is a sci-fi film competition challenging filmmakers to portray an optimistic, abundant future for humanity rather than a dystopian one. CHALLENGE: create a 3-minute sci-fi trailer that depicts a bold, original, hopeful vision of progress. PRIZES: USD 3.5 million-plus total; the grand prize winner gets USD 2.6 million-plus to turn their trailer into a feature film, plus over USD 1 million in prizes for runners-up. BACKGROUND: launched by the nonprofit XPRIZE and funded by Peter Diamandis, with Google and Range as partners; inspired by the optimism of Star Trek and intended to give storytellers a hopeful 'north star' for builders. ELIGIBILITY: open to all filmmakers globally. TIMELINE: competition launched 9 March 2026; submission deadline 15 August 2026; finals on 25 September 2026 in Los Angeles (finalists attend in person). APPLY: register and read the rules on the contest website at futurevisionxprize.com.
The GFX Challenge Grant Program, sponsored by FUJIFILM and running since 2021, awards 5 Global Grant Awards (USD 10,000) and 10 Regional Grant Awards (USD 5,000) to help aspiring creatives bring imaging projects to life. It is designed to nurture emerging and promising content creators, giving them the opportunity to create content on topics with significant meaning to them while gaining experience with FUJIFILM GFX System gear, including the GFX ETERNA 55 filmmaking camera. Proposed projects may be submitted as still photography or in movie format. AWARDS: both tiers include complimentary use of a GFX System camera body and two GF lenses for the duration of the project, plus mentoring and technical assistance from Fujifilm technicians and product experts. At the end of the production period in May 2027, recipients' final content is showcased on fujifilm-x.com, with a series of exhibitions planned in various countries. ELIGIBILITY: open to both amateur and professional photographers and videographers who are residents of the countries/regions listed in the Entry Submission section of the program page; not open to employees or officers of FUJIFILM and its subsidiaries. TO APPLY: combine three items into a single PDF: (1) the preformatted cover letter (downloadable from the program page); (2) the project proposal covering descriptive plan, objectives, evaluation and outcome measures, communications, how you will use the Fujifilm partnership and mentoring, schedule, and budget; (3) a portfolio for each individual involved. Proposals must be in English (optionally accompanied by a version in your own language; language proficiency is not judged). Entry period 16 June to 17 August 2026.
Drone film competition open worldwide to filmmakers aged 16+. Films must be at most 5 minutes (documentaries up to 10) with at least half the footage captured by drone; 12 categories including News/Documentary, Cinematic FPV, Single Take, and 360/VR. Regular deadline 27 July 2026; late deadline 17 August 2026. Entry via FilmFreeway.
The London Short Film Festival (24th edition) accepts short films of all genres under 45 minutes, with dedicated experimental and artists' moving image strands and an international category. Deadline reported as 18 August 2026; confirm exact tier dates and fees on FilmFreeway.
The Doc Society Climate Story Fund, run by Doc Society's Climate Story Unit, provides grants of up to USD 125,000 to support non-fiction projects in late production and the implementation of impact campaigns for both completed and in-production projects. The fund supports compelling independent media storytelling and impact strategies aligned with the Fund's mission around climate justice and biodiversity. This call has no set theme, welcoming applications across all areas aligned with the Fund's mission. Since 2021 the fund has distributed more than USD 4M to over 50 projects, with grantee work reaching distribution through outlets including BBC, POV, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Spotify, YouTube, and WhatsApp. WHAT YOU GET: up to USD 125,000 to support non-fiction projects in late production and impact campaigns. WHO IS ELIGIBLE: open to filmmakers of any nationality. DEADLINE: 24 August 2026. TO APPLY: see the fund page and apply via the Doc Society application. Questions: climate@docsociety.org.
Hiding in Plain Site is an international public art short film festival accepting film, video art, XR, and explicitly AI-generated or AI-assisted moving image works of 2 to 20 minutes, screened in public space. Free to submit; selected filmmakers receive a modest stipend whose amount is revenue-dependent and not yet confirmed. Deadline 10 September 2026.
PhotoVogue's global open call invites photographers and video makers to use image-making as a form of rebellion - to challenge indifference, disrupt conventions and expand visual storytelling. It asks not for a theme but for a position in relation to the world. Open to photography, video and multimedia projects across all genres (fashion, documentary, portraiture, fine art, experimental). Three artists share $12,000 in grants ($6,000 Outstanding Vision, $4,000 Vision, $2,000 Rising Voice for an emerging artist), with festival presentation, potential Vogue publication and portfolio reviews. ELIGIBILITY: open to all artists worldwide aged 18+; submissions are free; previous PhotoVogue applicants may submit a new project. SUBMIT: a series of up to 15 images, or images plus video for multimedia, and/or a 60-second trailer, via Picter. IMPORTANT: AI-generated works are NOT eligible. Open 14 May to 11 September 2026 (11:59 PM CET).
Scotland's leading short film festival marks its 20th edition in March 2027. International entries compete for the Bill Douglas Award for International Short Film; films must be completed after 30 September 2025 and run 40 minutes or less. Deadlines: earlybird 4 August 2026 (GBP 10), regular 22 September 2026 (GBP 14), late 27 October 2026 (GBP 18).
The New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles champions stories told with new technology and was among the first festivals to screen AI-generated content; it has a dedicated AR / MR / AI / TECH category. Open worldwide in all formats. Deadlines: 6 December 2026 (USD 80), 6 February 2027 (USD 85), final 6 April 2027 (USD 95).
The International Documentary Association runs an Emergency Assistance program that provides direct financial support to documentary filmmakers whose work puts them in imminent and extreme physical danger. Eligible filmmakers may request a one-time emergency grant between USD 500 and USD 5,000. IDA responds to all applications within 24 hours and handles them with strict confidentiality, with approved funds transferred in as few as five business days. Applicants need an existing risk assessment plan, a concrete safety plan, two references confirming the emergency, and a secure way to receive funds. The program launched as a pilot on March 9, 2026 and accepts applications on a rolling basis. For sensitive cases, applicants can contact emergency@documentary.org to share information over an end-to-end encrypted app such as Signal.
Pulitzer Center reporting grants supporting in-depth international journalism on under-reported global issues. Open to reporters, photographers, audio and video journalists, and documentary filmmakers worldwide. Grants cover the hard costs of reporting projects. ELIGIBILITY: professional journalists and visual storytellers anywhere in the world; both freelance and staff. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis via the Pulitzer Center grant portal.
Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival in Hawick, Scotland, is the UK's leading festival for experimental film and artists' moving image, a strong fit for experimental and research-based film work. Submissions for the 16th edition are open on FilmFreeway with a pay-what-you-can fee. Exact deadline unconfirmed; past editions closed late October to early November.