THE WORLD'S LARGEST SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

Tropfest is where bold stories meet big audiences, where emerging filmmakers have the chance to become established voices and even household names, and where audiences witness the future of cinema unfold in real time.

For more than 30 years, Tropfest has identified hidden talent, touched millions, and set countless careers in motion.

Now, after six years away, Tropfest returns with a new era of creativity, diversity, and innovation, inviting Australians, and audiences worldwide, to join us again: on screen, behind the camera, and in the crowd.

A large crowd of people sitting on the grass at an outdoor concert or festival during sunset. There's a stage with a large screen and lighting, with trees and clouds in the background.

BIGGER, BOLDER, BETTER THAN EVER!

THE MAIN EVENT

SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2026
FROM NOON

Centennial Park,
Sydney Australia

Nighttime outdoor concert with large crowd, stage with bright purple and pink lights, trees illuminated in yellow and purple, city skyline visible in the background.

Aspiring filmmakers will be in the running for a host of major prizes, including a share of $100,000 through the newly established CommBank-Tropfest Emerging Filmmakers Fund.

First prize $50,000
Second prize $30,000
Third prize $20,000

Tropfest and CommBank actively encourage winners to utilise these amounts towards career development and their next projects.

In addition to the prizes above aspiring filmmakers will be in the running to win a host of BIG prizes, including a special Google tech bundle.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks as Tropfest announces other prize categories, though the biggest “prize” at Tropfest has always been the incredible opportunity to tell your story in front of tens of thousands of people – even hundreds of thousands via our YouTube global livestream – including many who can quite literally fast-track your career.

Tropfest isn't just a film festival, it’s a powerful launchpad for up and coming storytellers.

THE TSI

TROPFEST SIGNATURE ITEM

As has been Tropfest tradition since it began, every entry must feature the “Tropfest Signature Item” (known as the TSI) to show that the film was made specifically for the festival. The Tropfest 2026 TSI is “Hourglass” - a symbol of time, creativity, and the magic that can happen in just a few minutes.

Four people sitting on beige chairs on an outdoor stage during sunset, engaged in conversation. The group includes two men and one woman holding microphones, and another man in a blue suit with a pink tie. The background shows a crowd, trees, and a sky with scattered clouds.

Why “Hourglass”?

It’s more than just a prop

Time is precious. An hourglass reminds us that every second matters — just like in a short film, where every frame counts.
New beginnings. Flip the hourglass, and you start again. Just like each filmmaker flipping convention, telling a story in a new way.
Dualities. Two halves, one flow. Past and future, despair and hope, silence and sound. Themes that beg to be explored on screen.
The magic of minutes. Tropfest films are short, but powerful. An hourglass is proof of what can unfold in a small window of time.

How you use the hourglass is up to you. It can be literal or symbolic, hidden in the background or central to your story. What matters is that it’s there — and that it helps spark your creativity. We can’t wait to see how you play with time.

Remember too, you never need to make the TSI obvious if you don’t want to. There will be a section in the entry form asking you to identify where the TSI appears in your story. As long as our pre-selectors can spot it, you’re good to go.

A smiling woman with blonde hair and a bearded man with curly hair and glasses, standing together outdoors against a pink backdrop with partially visible text.

In partnership with YouTube, Tropfest is launching two new initiatives.

The first is the YouTube Creator Collective x Tropfest, a digital skilling and development program for filmmakers and creators, launching this October.

The second, set to launch in February 2026, will celebrate the art of storytelling in the lead-up to the main Tropfest event. This initiative will include talks, workshops and masterclasses spanning every facet of filmmaking - from writing and production design to AI and beyond.