The AIDC Awards were established in 2021 to recognise outstanding completed works of new Australian documentary and factual content across six categories.
The Awards recognise the exceptional talent and expertise of Australian content creators across long and short-form documentary and factual content, as well as audio documentary and documentary storytelling through new and emerging media.
In 2027, the original six categories were expanded to seven, now including:
- Best Feature Documentary
- Best Documentary Series
- Best Factual Series
- Best Documentary / Factual Single
- Best Short Documentary
- Best Audio Documentary
- Best Digital First Documentary
PREVIOUS AIDC AWARDS
- 2026 AIDC Award Nominees and Winners
- 2025 AIDC Award Nominees and Winners
- 2024 AIDC Award Nominees and Winners
- 2023 AIDC Award Nominees and Winners
- 2022 AIDC Award Nominees and Winners
- 2021 AIDC Award Nominees and Winners
SOUTHERN LIGHT AWARD
AIDC also presents the annual Southern Light Award, a $5,000 cash prize presented to an Australian industry professional for their outstanding contribution to nonfiction screen, digital and/or audio media. To learn more about the prize, visit the Southern Light Award page.
Submissions are required to meet the category definitions outlined in the 2027 AIDC Awards Submission Guidelines (see below) and to adhere to the below requirements:
- Pay the submission fee for the category in which you are entering (see the How to Submit section for more information).
- Be able to demonstrate a public release – a premiere in Australia or internationally – between 1 February 2026 and 1 February 2027.
- Show that at least one key creative (producer, director, writer) on the production is an AIDC member. An AIDC member is an Australian resident who attended AIDC 2026 or has purchased an AIDC Membership. To purchase a membership visit AIDC Membership.
- Demonstrate one Australian citizen or permanent resident as a key creative.
For full eligibility criteria, as well as a definition of each AIDC Award category, please refer to the following:
To submit an entry for the 2027 AIDC Awards please complete the relevant application form below:
Best Documentary / Factual Single
Best Digital First Documentary
- Regular Closing Date: 11.59pm (AEDT) Sunday 22 November, 2026
- Late Closing Date: 11.59pm (AEDT) Wednesday 25 November, 2026
Submission Fees
- Best Feature Documentary – $198 (Late Submission – $298)
- Best Documentary Series – $198 (Late Submission – $298)
- Best Factual Series – $198 (Late Submission – $298)
- Best Documentary / Factual Single – $98 (Late Submission – $148)
- Best Short Documentary – $48 (Late Submission – $78)
- Best Audio Documentary – $98 (Late Submission – $148)
- Best Digital First Documentary – $48 (Late Submission – $78)
Submission fees are inclusive of GST.
A sample of the submission questions can be found in the 2027 AIDC Awards Submission Guide (.pdf) (.docx).
For any enquiries about the Awards submission process, please email awards@aidc.com.au
PLEASE NOTE: Prior to submitting a project for an Award you will be asked to set up your free MY AIDC account. Simply follow the prompts and a verification link will be sent to your email address for you to activate your account. (Please check your junk or spam folder if you have not received a verification email). You should be automatically redirected to sign in with your account details.
If you have already created a MY AIDC account, click MY AIDC | LOG IN in the AIDC website header to access your dashboard.
Select the appropriate Awards cateogry form and complete the form. Once you have completed the form and made payment (if required) you will receive a confirmation email and a link to your tax receipt (it’s recommended that you check your spam or junk mail account if you do not receive these details via your nominated email address). If you do not receive this email within 24 hours, please contact info@aidc.com.au.
Each category of the 2027 AIDC Awards is assessed by an independent jury comprising experts in the field.
Jury members will be announced in the coming months.
Jurors for all categories will deliberate across the following criteria:
- Originality of the subject
- Creative treatment of the subject
- Quality of the storytelling (including emotional engagement)
- Integration of craft & technical elements (editing, sound, design, etc.)
Categories that receive a high volume of submissions may also be reviewed by an AIDC appointed Pre-Selection Committee who will provide a long list for the Awards Jury in each category.
AIDC’s 2027 Award nominees will be announced mid-February 2027.