Nonprofit Video Awards and Festivals: 2027 Directory

An award won't fund your programs, but it can help. A Telly or Anthem win gives your communications team third-party proof for board decks, grant narratives and donor emails, and it gets your film watched again. This directory lists awards and festivals that accept nonprofit and social-impact video, with the categories to enter, published deadlines and fees, and a link to each program's own rules.

Key facts

• 12 programs are listed, each checked on its official site on October 14, 2026.
• Deadlines open now: Webby Awards early deadline October 30, 2026; Communicator Awards early deadline November 13, 2026; Telly Awards early deadline December 11, 2026.
• Nonprofit-only discounts: Shorty Impact Awards ($100 off per entry for verified nonprofits) and Engage for Good's Halo Awards ($199 for nonprofits under $5M revenue).
• Free entries: Hermes Creative, AVA Digital and MUSE accept pro bono work for nonprofits free with a paid entry.
• Small-shop award: the Davey Awards only accept work from smaller organizations; nonprofits must have a budget under $15 million.
• Typical eligibility window: work produced or published in the last one to two years.

Fees and deadlines change every season. Always confirm on the program's site before you budget.

Major awards with nonprofit and social-impact video categories

1. Telly Awards

• Categories: Not-for-profit, Social Impact, Advocacy & Causes, Fundraising & Appeals, Public Service & PSA, Public Interest & Awareness and Cause Marketing, across Non-Broadcast, Online Commercials, Promotional Video, Social Video and Branded Content. The People's Telly includes Best Not-for-Profit.
• Next deadline: 48th season entries opened October 13, 2026; early deadline December 11, 2026.
• Fees: $215 standard and $315 campaign at the early deadline.
• Eligibility: work produced on or after January 1, 2025.
• Telly Awards categories

2. The Webby Awards

• Categories: Public Service & Activism (Video & Film, including an Organization/Institution category), Public Service, Social Impact & Activism (Social Video Short Form) and Best Social Impact Campaign (Advertising).
• Next deadline: 31st annual early deadline October 30, 2026; winners announced spring 2027.
• Fees: general single entry $525 early, $595 final.
• Eligibility: video first published in or after October 2025.
• Webby eligibility and guidelines

3. The Anthem Awards

Run by the Webby Awards' parent academy, Anthem is built for mission-driven work and is the closest thing to a "nonprofit Webby."

• Categories: Video Campaign or Series, Documentary or Film, Show or Video, Short-Form Video and Public Service Announcement, with a Non-Profit track and cause areas including Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate.
• Next deadline: the 7th annual opens in spring 2027. (The 6th ran April 7 to July 24, 2026.)
• Eligibility: video must be dubbed or subtitled in English.
• Anthem Awards categories

4. Shorty Impact Awards

• Categories: Short Form Video, Long Form Video, Vertical Video, Video Series, Documentary Short and Feature Film, plus a Non-Profit industry category and 24 cause categories such as Public Health, Human Rights and Environment & Sustainability.
• Timing: the 2026 cycle ran April 21 to August 27, 2026, with winners announced November 17, 2026. 2027 dates are not yet published.
• Fees: $399 early, $499 official, $599 late; verified nonprofits get $100 off each entry.
• Shorty Impact Awards

5. Cannes Lions: Awards for Good

• How it works: the Grand Prix for Good can't be entered directly. Gold Lion winners made for charities, NGOs and nonprofits are re-judged for it. Glass: The Lion for Change and the Sustainable Development Goals Lion are related.
• Eligibility: charities, NGOs, foundations and not-for-profit arts groups; government messages are excluded.
• Cannes Lions Awards for Good

Mid-priced creative awards (good odds, strong credibility)

6. Communicator Awards

• Categories: Non-Profit, Causes & Awareness, Public Service & Activism, Public Service and Environmental & Sustainability under Film & Video.
• Deadlines: early November 13, 2026; final January 29, 2027.
• Fees: $195 single and $255 campaign (early).
• Eligibility: work produced after January 1, 2025.
• Communicator Awards fees

7. Davey Awards

• Categories: Non-Profit, Public Service & Activism, Social Good and Social Issues across Commercials, Online Film & Video and Non-Broadcast.
• Eligibility: smaller organizations only; nonprofits must have a budget under $15 million.
• Fees: $235 single, $325 campaign. The 2026 season has closed; 2027 dates are not yet published.
• Davey Awards entry requirements

8. AVA Digital Awards

• Categories: Nonprofit (Short-Form Web Video and Long-Form & Streaming Video), Fundraiser, PSA Campaign and Pro Bono.
• Fees: $125 single, $195 campaign; pro bono work is free with a paid entry. Results are posted by February 1.
• AVA Digital categories

9. Hermes Creative Awards

• Categories: Audio + Video under Electronic Media.
• Fees: roughly $110 to $125 per single entry; pro bono work for nonprofits is free with a paid entry.
• Eligibility: work produced after January 1, 2024.
• Hermes Creative Awards

10. MUSE Creative Awards

• Categories: Cause / Awareness, Charitable, Fund Raiser, Nonprofit and Public Service & Activism under Video, plus Best Non Profit Campaign and a free Pro Bono category (up to three entries with a paid entry).
• Timing: runs two seasons a year; 2027 dates are not yet published.
• MUSE categories

Cause-focused awards and impact film festivals

11. SIMA: Social Impact Media Awards

• Categories: Impact Videos (2 to 20 minutes; fundraising and brand ads are not accepted), Documentary Shorts, Documentary Features, XR + Interactive and Impact AI.
• Fees: $25 to $35 for Impact Videos.
• Timing: SIMA 2027 submissions have closed; finalists are named January 13, 2027. Watch for the next call.
• SIMA Awards

12. Engage for Good Halo Awards

• Categories: Best Cause Marketing Initiative, Best Advocacy or Policy Initiative and others. These judge whole campaigns, so enter if video was central to a corporate partnership.
• Fees: $499 per category; nonprofits under $5 million in revenue pay $199.
• Halo Awards

How to choose where to enter

• Fundraising appeal or year-end video: Telly (Fundraising & Appeals), AVA (Fundraiser) and Communicator (Non-Profit). SIMA won't accept it.
• Documentary or impact film: SIMA, Anthem (Documentary or Film) and Shorty Impact (Documentary Short).
• Social-first campaign: Webby Social Video, Shorty Impact Vertical Video and Anthem Short-Form Video.
• Small organization, small budget: Davey (budget under $15M), Hermes and AVA pro bono entries, and the Shorty nonprofit discount.

How to write a stronger entry

1. Lead with results. Judges see hundreds of beautiful films. Tell them what yours did: views, donors, registrations, policy change. Our guide to measuring nonprofit video success shows what to track.
2. Enter the right category. One entry in the exact category beats three in loose fits.
3. Clear rights first. Check that music, footage and talent releases cover festival screening.
4. Caption everything. Anthem requires English dubbing or subtitles, and judges often watch on mute.
5. Plan the win. Line up a donor email, a social post and a board update for announcement day.

Looking for inspiration? Browse our nonprofit video examples and best fundraising video examples.

Make a video worth entering

Happy Productions makes award-ready films for nonprofits, foundations and NGOs, from fundraising appeals to documentaries. Our campaigns have earned more than 1 billion views, our clients include Kiva, Heifer International and Lions Clubs International, and our 20,000+ vetted storytellers film in 130+ countries. See our case studies and nonprofit video production services, or book a free consultation.