2025 AIDC Awards: Call For Entries

SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN

The 5th annual AIDC Awards are set to celebrate outstanding completed works of new Australian documentary and factual content across six categories, with a presentation to be held on the closing night of AIDC 2025, Wednesday 5 March 2025, at ACMI in Melbourne / Naarm. 

Submissions are now being taken in the following categories:

Best Feature Documentary

Best Documentary/Factual Series

Best Documentary/Factual Single

Best Short-Form Documentary

Best Audio Documentary 

Best Interactive/Immersive Documentary

The AIDC 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.

PRIOR AIDC AWARD WINNERS

Prior winners of AIDC Awards include some of the most compelling and memorable productions to emerge from the industry in the last four years.

Best Feature Documentary
This Is Going To Be Big (2024), Wash My Soul in the River’s Flow (2023), I’m Wanita (2022), The Australian Dream (2021)

Best Documentary/Factual Series
Never Let Him Go (2024), The Australian Wars (2023), See What You Made Me Do (2022), Miriam Margolyes Almost Australian (2021)

Best Documentary/Factual Single
Rebel With a Cause: Oodgeroo Noonuccal (2024), Still We Rise (2023), Our African Roots (2022), Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky (2021)

Best Short-Form Documentary
Marungka tjalatjunu (Dipped in black) (2024), Eden Alone Surpasses Thee (2023), Freedom Swimmer (2022), My Body Says (2021)

Best Audio Documentary
House of Skulls (2024), The Greatest Menace: Inside the Gay Prison Experiment (2023), Tender: Roia Atmar (2022), The Eleventh (2021)

Best Interactive/Immersive Documentary
Turbulence: Jamais Vu (2024), Night Creatures (2023), Gondwana (2022), Mt Resilience (2021)

“A TESTAMENT TO THE EXCEPTIONAL CRAFT OF OUR AUSTRALIAN NONFICTION STORYTELLERS”

“Now in its fifth year, the AIDC Awards has established itself as a leading industry-recognised awards program for excellence in Australian documentary and factual storytelling,” said AIDC CEO / Creative Director, Natasha Gadd.

“Every year, we are seeing so many impressive projects submitted for each category – a testament to the exceptional craft of our Australian nonfiction storytellers. We’re looking forward to celebrating what is shaping up to be an incredible year and no doubt our Awards Jurors will have a hard task ahead to select the nominees and awards recipients across all categories for the AIDC 2025 Awards!”

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Submissions for AIDC Awards categories are open now, and will close Wednesday 6 November 2024 (or 13 November 2024 with late fee).

Delegates who attended AIDC in 2024 as a Leading Lights recipient are eligible to receive a 50% discount on the Best Short-Form Documentary submission fee. 

Visit the AIDC Awards page for more information regarding category criteria and guidelines and to submit a project. 

AIDC AWARDS

Each category is assessed by an independent jury comprising experts in their field. The 2025 AIDC Awards Presentation will take place on Wednesday 5 March 2025, the closing night of AIDC 2025. 

A first look at the AIDC 2025 program, including the announcement of key international speakers and industry guests, will be released on Wednesday 30 October 2024.