Creative Wollongong Short Film Competition and Festival
Presented in partnership with Screen Illawarra, the Creative Wollongong Short Film Competition provides opportunities for emerging and professional filmmakers to hone and showcase their craft by entering a short film.
There are three categories: Open, 12 - 18 years and commissioned and pitched films.
Mirroring a Tropfest tradition, all entries are required to hero the same ‘signature item’. In past years, this was a banana, a bike helmet, and water. This year, each entry needed to add the key feature of birds - which can be included as an object, an overall theme, or something else!
Competition entries have now closed.
Creative Wollongong Short Film Festival
Don't miss our free community film festival on Saturday 7 March 2026 at the Wollongong Botanic Garden as part of Sunset Cinema.
The Creative Wollongong Short Film Festival will showcase the best entries from the Short Film competition along with commissioned films, all referencing this year's signature theme item - birds.
Short Film Commissions
| Short film commission recipient | Producer | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| Elkie Chadwick, Milly James and Michael Theo / Firebird | Eye Candy Productions | Wollongong City Council |
| Ruth Larner / Mama Bird | Relativity Films | Wollongong City Council |
| Jane Fullerton-Smith / Bin Day | Moonlander Media | Wollongong City Council |
| Vlad Zokitch / Birdwatcher | Who & Why Media | Wollongong City Council |
| Glenn Hanns / Mimick | Sketchbook TV | Wollongong City Council |
| Rose Newland / Faye | Ten Alphas | NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water |
| The Tides Project (Barnardos and Gawura, Multicultural NSW) | CoEqual | Wollongong City Council Coastal team in conjunction with Shellharbour Council |
| Bus Stop Films | Bus Stop Films | Wollongong City Council |
About the competition
Prizes
A total of $5,000 in cash and industry training prizes are up for grabs.
Judging panel
We are thrilled to confirm the judges for the Creative Wollongong Short Film Competition 2025/26:
- Vincent Sheehan, award-winning film and television producer (Fisk, Mullet, Jasper Jones)
- Yael Stone, actor and activist (Orange is the New Black)
- Ian Collie, one of Australia's most experienced producers (Colin from Accounts, The Twelve)
- Skye Netting, emerging cinematographer and recent graduate from AFTRS.
Thank you to our supporters
Supported by Sunset Cinema, the Guardians of the Grassy Woodlands project led by the Illawarra Ecosystems and Threatened Species Team, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Coequal, Bus Stop Films, ITeC Academy, TAFE NSW , TEN ALPHAS, Yours & Owls, Illawarra Film Society, Moonlander Films, Relativity Films, Sketchbook TV , Who & Why Media and Eye Candy Film Productions.
Past winners
In 2024, the hero item of the competition was 'water'.
The inaugural Creative Wollongong Short Film Festival was held at Lakeside Reserve on 7 September 2024 and featured the "best of" entries from the 2024 competition, hosted in partnership with Screen Illawarra, Shellharbour City Council and the NSW Government.
The winners shared in $6,000 worth of prizes, short courses and equipment hire from Australian Film Television and Radio School, Ten Alphas, Wollongong Camera Hire and SF3.
Best film
| Category | Winners |
|---|---|
| Ages 12 to 24 |
|
| Ages 25+ |
|
| Commissioned films |
|
Best performance
| Category | Winners |
|---|---|
| All ages |
|
| Commissioned films |
|
Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Creative Wollongong Short Film Competition, which was bike-themed to celebrate the 2022 UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong.
| Category | Winners |
|---|---|
| 8 to 12 years |
|
| 13 to 19 years |
|
| Best performance |
|