Edinburgh International Film Festival 2026 submissions window open
The largest film festival in Scotland will take place this August
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is laying the foundations for its 2026 edition with a call for submissions, which ends on Friday 17 April.
This year’s EIFF is set to take place from Thursday 13–Wednesday 19 August, building on the success of previous editions since its relaunch in 2024.
World Premiere films submitted will be eligible to compete for The Sean Connery Prize For Feature Filmmaking Excellence, which offers prize money of £50,000, and The Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence, which offers prize money of £15,000.
Last year’s EIFF welcomed 16,500 people through its doors, with venues including Filmhouse, Cameo, National Galleries Of Scotland, VUE Omni and a variety of pop-ups. Screening 43 new feature films from grassroots and international industries, the festival welcomed filmmaking luminaries as diverse as Thelma Schoonmaker, Ben Wheatley, Irvine Welsh and Eva Victor.
On the launch of 2025’s programme, EIFF’s director Paul Ridd said: ‘We hope the ripple effect for our films, for our filmmakers and for our audiences is felt year-round and all over the world.’
You can submit your film here.
Edinburgh International Film Festival, various venues, Thursday 13–Wednesday 19 August.