Competition & Awards

George Lucas Award (Grand Prix)

The George Lucas Award (Grand Prix) will be selected from out of the Official Competitions (International, Asia
International, Japan), Non-Fiction and Animation categories.

Jury

Official Competitions supported by Sony

We are happy to collaborate with Sony as a sole supporter of the official competition, which acts as a path to the Academy Awards® Short Film category. Sony has long supported the dreams of creators as an entertainment company powered by the latest technology.

International Competition
Best Short Award

An official competition program that screens short films from every corner of the world, with the exception of Asia and Japan.
The winning film will be eligible for an Academy Awards® nomination in one of the short film categories the following year.

Prize:600,000 yen

Asia International Competition
Best Short Award

An official competition program of international short films that presents works from throughout Asia, with the exception of Japan.
The winning film will be eligible for an Academy Awards® nomination in one of the short film categories the following year.

Prize:600,000 yen

Japan Competition
Best Short Award

An official competition that presents short films from Japan.
The winning film will be eligible for an Academy Awards® nomination in one of the short film categories the following year.

Prize:600,000 yen

Governor of Tokyo Award

This award will be given to the films awarded Best Short in both the Asia International and Japan Competitions.

Audience Award

Audience members will vote to give the award to one winner from the each of the main competition categories listed.

Prize:200,000 yen

Best Actor Award

Winners will be selected from each of the three official competitions (International, Asia International & Japan Competition).

Official Competition supported by Sony

Click here for link to:Official Competition supported by Sony

https://www.shortshorts.org/sony/en/

Other Competitions

Competitions and Projects with various themes.

Non-Fiction Competition

In 2018, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of SSFF & ASIA, we established the brand new “Non-fiction Competition.”Being an Academy Awards® accredited short film festival has allowed us to present this competition, which will let the audience experience the power of visual images.

Non-Fiction Competition
Best Short Award

This is an award given to the best film selected from the nominees.
The winning film will be eligible for an Academy Awards® nomination in one of the short film categories the following year.

Prize:600,000 yen

Animation Competition

Started in 2011 in collaboration with Digital Hollywood Co., Ltd., which operates IT-related and digital content human resources development through their schools, universities, and graduate schools. They have produced a large number of creators in the domestic and overseas content industry.
We look for a wide range of animated short films! The Best Short Award Winner will be eligible for nomination at the annual Academy Awards ® the following year.

Animation Competition
Best Short Award

This award will be given to the best film in the Animation Competition chosen by the 3 jury memebers, together with Digital Hollywood Co.,Ltd. and the Committee for Short Shorts.

Prize:600,000 yen

Smartphone Film Competition supported by Sony’s Xperia Best Short Award

This competition called out for short films within 25 minutes & shot with a smartphone from around the world. Supported by Xperia, a smartphone made with Sony’s latest technology, this new competition was established with a goal to expanding the range of visual expression and opening new challenges for filmmakers to create a new visual style unique to smartphones. The very high interest of creators in shooting on smartphones has resulted in more than 900 submissions from around the world, the largest number ever for a new competition of the SSFF & ASIA.

Smartphone Film Competition supported by Sony’s Xperia
Best Short Award

This is an award given to the best film selected from the nominees, chosen by the 3 jury memebers.

Prize:600,000 yen

Cinematic Tokyo Competition

Established in 2017, the Cinematic Tokyo Competition introduces short films that take “Tokyo” as their subject. It shows the many attractions that Tokyo has to offer.

Cinematic Tokyo Competition
Best Short Award

This award will be given to the best film in the Cinematic Tokyo Competition.
The Governor of Tokyo Award is also given to this film.

Prize:1000,000 yen

U-25 project

Established in 2019. In order to support young Japanese or Japan-based filmmakers, we called for short films of less than 5 minutes, produced by directors under 25 years old.

Best Short Award

This award will be given to the best film in the U-25 Project.

Prize:100,000 yen

Book Shorts Award

Literary Award that links with short films. A project for the public to submit short stories written based on fairy tales, legends, folk tales, and novels.

Best Award

Best Award　Awarded to one work among all the entries.　The winner will be awarded 500,000 JPY as well as an opportunity for the work to be adopted into a short film.
Prize: 500,000 yen and an opportunity for the work to be adopted into a short film

Prize:500,000 yen

Musical Short Film Pitch Competition

AMUSE INC., a company creating and providing high quality entertainment not only in Japan but also outside of the country, is collaborating with SSFF & ASIA. With the aim of supporting works that cross international borders, prize money will be offered to an authentically interesting pitch that deserves to be realized. The competition is calling for entries of any genre from creators such as filmmakers, producers, writers or musicians who have brilliant ideas of musical short films.

Amuse Musical Award
(Best Pitch)

The winner will be awarded 300,000 JPY as well as the chance to realize the pitch with AMUSE INC.

Prize:300,000 yen

BRANDED SHORTS

This is a category for movies that are produced with the goal of communicating with customers, and promoting the brands of companies and organizations, otherwise known as branded movies.

International Competition
Branded Shorts of the Year

Award given to the best BRANDED short film from outside Japan chosen based on eight criteria: essentiality, ability to change perceptions, shareability, strength of message, viewership retention, originality, timeliness, and memory retention.

National Competition
Branded Shorts of the Year

Award given to the best Japanese BRANDED short film chosen based on eight criteria: essentiality, ability to change perceptions, shareability, strength of message, viewership retention, originality, timeliness, and memory retention.

HR Competition
supported by Indeed HR Award

Award given to the most engaged short film based on the criteria of Purpose, Corporate Appeal, Message, Sustained Viewing, Originality, and Memory Retention chosen from branding perspectives that lead to recruitment.

Deloitte Digital Award

Deloitte Digital and Committee for Short Shorts will select Deloitte Digital Award, with theme of “fusion of digital and humanity” under the following criteria: Purpose, New, Design, Human Experience and Engagement.

Visual Tourism Award,
Japan Tourism Agency Commisioner’s Award

Among tourism promotional films, movies, and videos produced in all 47 prefectures in Japan, the Visual Tourism Award, Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner of Tourism Award will be given to the most creative, promotional, and topical work, based on the perspective of tourism promotion.

Other Awards

Biogen Award

Biogen has continued to provide ethical pharmaceuticals for neurological diseases based on its vision of “Make Impossible Possible in Neuroscience”. Among the films to be screened, the Biogen Award will be presented to a film that powerfully conveys the theme of “Make Impossible Possible”.

Prize:300,000 yen

HOPPY HAPPY AWARD

The “Be HAPPY with HOPPY Award” will be chosen from among the nominated short films by Japanese directors that best embodies Hoppy beverage’s theme of being “HAPPY with HOPPY.” The winning works will be screened at “HOPPY HAPPY THEATER” which will open in June.

Prize:500,000 yen

Supplementary Prize: In addition, the director will be given the opportunity to direct a short film produced by Hoppy Beverage and SSFF & ASIA.

MILBON BEAUTY AWARD

This award is given to the short film that best embodies “beauty” from among the selected films.
The winning film will be shown on “MILBON BEAUTY MOVIES”.

Prize:500,000 yen

Shibuya Diversity Award

This award will be given to a work chosen from a selection of films that picture diversity and inclusion, which are part of the educational activities to spread the fundamental plan of Shibuya City.

Save the Earth!
Minister’s Award,
the Ministry of the Environment

This award is given to the work with the strongest message on environmental issues out of all the works selected for the competitions.

Prize:500,000 yen

Save the Earth!
J-WAVE Award

This award is given by a panel of J-WAVE listeners to the work with the strongest message on environmental issues.

Prize:500,000 yen

Global Spotlight Award

Selected by the Committee for Short Shorts, this award is given to the creator or artist of a short film that inspires a broad audience and receives widespread, global attention.