AACTA Awards

Overview

The AACTA Awards are Australia's national screen awards, presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) to recognize outstanding achievement in Australian film, television, documentary, online, and short-form content. The 2026 ceremony was held on the Gold Coast and presented by Foxtel Group. Bring Her Back dominated the film categories, winning 10 AACTA Awards from 16 nominations including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Lead Actress in Film (Sally Hawkins), Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, and Best Casting.

AACTA replaced the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards in 2012. The AFI Awards ran from 1958, making them one of the oldest national film awards outside Europe and North America. The transition to AACTA expanded the membership base, added categories, and moved the ceremony to a higher-profile broadcast format. Geoffrey Rush served as the Academy's founding president.

The full 2026 AACTA Awards Rule Book is available on the AACTA website.

Eligibility and Entry Fees

To be eligible for the 2026 AACTA Awards, a film must be a dramatized story of at least 60 minutes in duration, released publicly between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025. AACTA reserves the right to extend the eligibility period and notifies members of any changes.

Entry fees are tiered by production budget:

• Budget under $500K: $600
• Budget $500K to $2M: $1,150
• Budget $2M to $4M: $1,980
• Budget over $4M: $2,200

A minimum of 5 award candidates listed on the entry form must be current AACTA Professional members. If fewer than 5 candidates are listed, all must be current AACTA Professional members. The only valid membership type for film entries is AACTA Professional.

Entries for the 2026 AACTA Awards opened on June 12, 2025, and closed on September 29, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. AEST. Television, documentary, online, and short-form categories have separate entry windows.

Voting Process

Voting is exclusive to AACTA members across three membership tiers: Professional, General, and Youth. All members vote on nominees and winners across all major award categories. Technical Craft nominees across film and television are determined by all AACTA members, while Documentary Craft, Hair and Makeup, and Visual Effects or Animation categories remain with dedicated branches of accredited AACTA Professional members.

The voting timeline for the 2026 AACTA Awards:

• Round 1 (Nominees): October 3, 2025, to November 5, 2025 (major film categories); October 17 to November 17, 2025 (major TV categories)
• Nominations Announcement: December 6, 2025
• Round 2 (Winners): December 6, 2025, to January 5, 2026

Members view eligible entries via the AACTA TV platform and cast ballots during the specified voting periods.

Key Categories

Film

• Best Film and Best Indie Film
• Best Direction in Film
• Best Lead Actor in Film and Best Lead Actress in Film
• Best Supporting Actor in Film and Best Supporting Actress in Film
• Best Original Screenplay in Film and Best Adapted Screenplay in Film
• Best Cinematography in Film
• Best Editing in Film
• Best Sound in Film
• Best Original Score in Film
• Best Production Design in Film
• Best Costume Design in Film
• Best Hair and Makeup
• Best Casting in Film
• Best Visual Effects or Animation
• Best Original Song and Best Soundtrack (combined across feature film, documentary, television, online, and short film)

Television

• Best Drama Series, Best Miniseries, Best Narrative Comedy Series
• Best Lead Actor in a Drama and Best Lead Actress in a Drama
• Best Supporting Actor in a Drama and Best Supporting Actress in a Drama
• Best Comedy Performer and Best Acting in a Comedy
• Best Direction in Drama or Comedy and Best Screenplay in Television
• Best Direction in Nonfiction Television
• Technical craft awards for television: Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Production Design, Original Score, Sound, Casting

Other Categories

• Best Documentary (feature and program)
• Best Short Film
• Best Online Drama or Comedy
• AACTA International Awards (honoring the best international films)
• Audience Choice Awards (Favorite Film, Favorite TV Show, Favorite Australian)
• Longford Lyell Award (lifetime achievement)

History

The AFI Awards began in 1958, making them one of the oldest national film awards outside Europe and North America. The transition to AACTA in 2012 was led by Geoffrey Rush, who served as the Academy's founding president. The rebranding brought a larger membership base, expanded categories, and a more prominent ceremony.

Australian cinema has produced globally recognized filmmakers including Peter Weir, George Miller, Baz Luhrmann, Jane Campion, and Justin Kurzel. The awards have tracked Australian filmmaking from the Australian New Wave of the 1970s through the international breakthroughs of the 1990s and 2000s to the current era of streaming content and international co-productions.

The Best Asian Film category, introduced to reflect Australia's geographic and cultural ties to Asia, is unique among major national awards.

Business Impact for Filmmakers

For Australian filmmakers, an AACTA win provides the highest domestic recognition available and directly affects a film's performance on Australian streaming platforms, broadcasters, and theatrical re-releases. The awards also influence future funding applications through Screen Australia and state screen agencies, which consider awards track records when evaluating projects.

The AACTA International Awards provide Australian industry recognition of global cinema. The ceremony's international guests create networking opportunities connecting Australian filmmakers with international distributors, sales agents, and co-production partners.

Recent Results (2026 AACTA Awards)

• Best Film: Bring Her Back (10 total wins from 16 nominations)
• Best Drama Series: The Newsreader (4 wins from 12 nominations)
• Best Miniseries: Apple Cider Vinegar
• Best Documentary: Journey Home, David Gulpilil
• Best Short Film: I'm The Most Racist Person I Know
• Best Lead Actress in Film: Sally Hawkins, Bring Her Back
• Standout TV Production: Narrow Road to the Deep North (9 wins from 12 nominations)

Eligibility Quirks That Trip People Up

• Mistake: Assuming any Australian film released in the eligibility year automatically qualifies. Correct rule: The film must be a dramatized story of at least 60 minutes. Documentaries, short films, and online content enter through separate category pathways with different eligibility windows.
• Mistake: Listing any team member on the entry form. Correct rule: At least 5 award candidates listed on the entry form must be current AACTA Professional members. If fewer than 5 candidates are listed, all must be current AACTA Professional members. No other membership type qualifies for film entries.
• Mistake: Submitting at the wrong budget tier to save on entry fees. Correct rule: AACTA verifies production budgets. Entering at a lower tier than your actual budget risks disqualification. The four tiers are under $500K, $500K to $2M, $2M to $4M, and over $4M.
• Mistake: Missing the September 29, 2025 deadline for film entries. Correct rule: Television, documentary, online, and short-form categories have separate entry windows that differ from the film deadline. Check the specific deadline for each category.

Prestige Tier

The AACTA Awards sit at the top of Australia's screen industry hierarchy. No other Australian award carries equivalent domestic weight. Internationally, AACTA ranks below the Academy Awards (Oscars), BAFTA Awards, and Cannes prizes in global recognition. It sits alongside the Canadian Screen Awards and New Zealand Film Awards as a top-tier national award. For Australian filmmakers, an AACTA win carries more domestic commercial value than any international critics' prize. The AACTA International Awards category extends the Academy's reach to global cinema but does not carry the same weight as the domestic competition.

What Filmmakers Should Know

If you are an Australian filmmaker planning an AACTA submission, start by confirming your AACTA Professional membership status at least 60 days before the entry deadline. The membership requirement catches first-time entrants off guard. Budget your entry fee based on verified production costs, not estimates. The tiered fee system means a $500K production pays $600 while a $5M production pays $2,200. The key trade-off: AACTA recognition delivers maximum value for Australian distribution and funding applications but carries limited weight with international buyers who prioritize festival prizes and Oscar nominations. For films targeting both domestic and international markets, pair an AACTA campaign with a festival strategy that builds international profile. Screen Australia and state agencies track AACTA nominations when evaluating funding applications, so even a nomination without a win can strengthen your next project's funding case.

Watch

See Also

For understanding how national awards recognition influences distribution and financing decisions, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue projections for international markets, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For calculating the cost of an awards campaign against projected returns, use the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.