Awards
Every year, outstanding new films compete for IDFA’s coveted awards. Explore the overview of all awards per competition as well as our cross-section awards and other prizes.
Awards in the International Competition
From the films selected for the International Competition, an international jury of five jurors will choose the winner of the IDFA Award for Best Film. The award is accompanied by a €15,000 cash prize. The jury also selects the winners of the IDFA Award for Best Director (worth €5,000), the IDFA Award for Best Editing, and the IDFA Award for Best Cinematography (worth €2,500).
Awards in the Envision Competition
From the films selected for the Envision Competition, an international jury of five jurors will choose the winner of the IDFA Envision Award. The award is accompanied by a €15,000 cash prize.
The jury also selects the winners of IDFA Award for Best Director (worth €5,000) and the IDFA Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution (worth €2,500).
Awards in the IDFA DocLab Competitions
Projects selected for the IDFA DocLab Competition program are eligible for one of the IDFA DocLab Awards that celebrate artistic excellence across immersive art, digital art, and interdisciplinary installations and performances.
Award in the IDFA Competition for Short Documentary
From the films selected for the IDFA Competition for Short Documentary, an international jury of three jurors will choose the winner of the IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary. The award is accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize.
Award in the IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary
From the films selected for the IDFA Competition for Youth Documentary, an international jury of three jurors will choose the winner of the IDFA Award for Best Youth Film. The award is accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize.
Cross-section awards
From the main competitions, Luminous, and Frontlight, an international jury will choose the winner of the IDFA Award for Best First Feature. This award is accompanied by a cash prize of €5,000.
Two international juries will choose the winner of the IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film (with a cash prize of €7,500) and the winner of the Beeld en Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award for Best Creative Use of Archive (with a cash prize of €5,000).
FIPRESCI Award
An international jury from the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) will choose the winner of the FIPRESCI Award. The award is accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize.
Other awards
IDFA Audience Award
The film that is most highly rated by festival audiences will win the VPRO IDFA Audience Award. All IDFA-selected films made in the past year are eligible.
IDFA Forum Awards
From the projects selected for IDFA Forum, an international jury of three jurors will choose the winner of the IDFA Forum Award for Best Project and the IDFA Forum Award for Best Rough Cut Project.
From the projects selected for IDFA DocLab Forum, an international jury of three jurors will choose the winner of the IDFA DocLab Forum Award for Best Project.
NPO Fund - Karen de Bok Talent Award
This prize is awarded to one of the projects in the IDFAcademy & NPO Fund Workshop. It consists of a grant of €25,000 for the development of the project and €5,000 for the production of a teaser.
IDFA Spotlight Award
Awarded at international festivals and markets throughout the year, this prize goes to talented filmmakers and promising documentary projects. The award consists of free travel and accommodation during IDFA in addition to accreditation and mentorship.
Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Documentary Stipend
With this stipend, the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds awards a documentary talent with a grant of €50,000 that allows the recipient to make a documentary film about a subject of their choice. The award is intended for a documentary filmmaker with a proven track record who has already earned modest recognition in the documentary field.
IDFA’s competition program is supported by Ammodo.
