by FIlmInk Staff
St Kilda Film Festival Announces 2026 Award Winners
The St Kilda Film Festival (SKFF) has crowned the winners of its 2026 Top Shorts competition, with Writers in Love taking out Best Short Film and While We Still Have Time named Best Documentary, both earning Academy Awards® accreditation. The 15 award categories were presented at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony at St Kilda Town Hall on Sunday 14 June, hosted by Brian Nankervis.
The Top Shorts competition celebrates outstanding achievement across directing, screenwriting, cinematography, documentary, animation, acting and more, with prizes valued at over $40,000, including a $10,000 prize for Best Short Film. This year, St Kilda Film Festival received a record-breaking 960 submissions from across Australia. Winners were determined by a jury of festival alumni and screen industry experts.
In 2026, St Kilda Film Festival returned for its 42nd edition, presenting 190+ short films across 10 days and 5 venues, from the Palais Theatre to St Kilda Town Hall. Australia’s longest-running short film festival, SKFF continues to champion the short film format and the filmmakers who define it.
For more details about St Kilda Film Festival visit: stkildafilmfestival.com.au
Full list of award winners:
Best Original Score – Sponsored by AKG and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers
Alex Olijnyk – Pulp
James Mountain – Feral
Kenneth King – Fracture
Johnny Mackay – Question 57
Winner – Kenneth King – Fracture
Best Achievement in Sound Post-production – Sponsored by JBL and the Australian Screen Sound Guild
Kevin Chan, Liam Dennis – Fracture
Wade Keighran – The Shirt Off Your Back
Noah Kiely, Gus Threlfall, Keith Thomas – Headphones
Emma Bortignon – Writers In Love
Winner – Noah Kiely, Gus Threlfall, Keith Thomas – Headphones
Best Achievement in Editing – Sponsored by Roar Digital and Adobe
Christine Cheung – Writers In Love
Rob Draper – Australian Made
Sarah Panzetta – Question 57
Phoebe Taylor – The Shirt Off Your Back
Winner – Phoebe Taylor – The Shirt Off Your Back
Best Achievement in Screenplay – Sponsored by Cinema Nova and the Australian Writers’ Guild
Rob Draper – Australian Made
Ben Bouvier-Farrell, Hugh Delaney – Question 57
Annelise Hickey – Stranger, Brother
Grace Malouf – Writers In Love
Winner – Annelise Hickey – Stranger, Brother
Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking – Sponsored by CitiPower
Faceless
Bringing His Spirit Home
See Saw
Bush Boots
Winner – Bringing His Spirit Home
Best Achievement in Cinematography – Sponsored by Panavision and the Australian Cinematographers Society
T. Oxford – Fracture
Devamanikandan Kannaya Somu – Interview With A Hero
Aaron McLisky – Feral
Jaclyn Paterson – The Shirt Off Your Back
Winner – Jaclyn Paterson – The Shirt Off Your Back
Best Young Actor – Sponsored by City of Port Phillip
Eden Wendt – The Shirt Off Your Back
Blye Hawk – The Shirt Off Your Back
Samson Uili – Stranger, Brother
Conor Weir – VANDALS
Tobias Cichero – VANDALS
Tamaki Simpson – Hafu
Sara Sekiya – Hafu
Winner – VANDALS – Conor Weir and Tobias Cichero
Best Actor – Sponsored by Chameleon Casting
Hattie Hook – Safe Hands
Brandon McClelland – Writers in Love
Roxie Mohebbi – Writers in Love
Will McDonald – Boy on Fire
Nat Damena – Question 57
Winner – Nat Damena – Question 57
Best Animation – Sponsored by Deakin University
Trading Cards
The Fling
The Fractured
Mission: WASH DISHES DON’T DIE
Winner – The Fling
Best Documentary – Sponsored by Shaun Miller Lawyers
Bringing His Spirit Home
While We Still Have Time
River Town People
Dark Matter
Winner – While We Still Have Time
Best Director – Sponsored by the Australian Directors’ Guild and the Australian Film Television & Radio School
David Robinson-Smith – The Shirt Off Your Back
Annelise Hickey – Stranger, Brother
Celeste Diep – Interview With A Hero
Sarah Giles – Writers In Love
Winner – Celeste Diep – Interview With A Hero
Innovation Award – Sponsored by VicScreen
Dark Matter
The Fling
INFINIT3
Parasomnia
Winner – INFINIT3
Best Achievement in Production Design – Sponsored by City of Port Phillip
Cloe Jouin – Transcendence
Nathan Evans – Interview With A Hero
Elena Lyons-Dawson – The Fling
Imogen Walsh – Headphones
Winner – Imogen Walsh – Headphones
Best Youth Short Film – Sponsored by JMC Academy and City of Port Phillip
Senescence – Isabella Theophanous-Maddison
Manca – Emile Burford
Print-Friendly – Mitchell George Netes
Winner – Emile Burford – Manca
Best Short Film – Sponsored by City of Port Phillip
Trading Cards
Writers In Love
Feral
Fracture
Stranger, Brother
Winner – Writers In Love
