by FilmInk Staff
Entries are now open for the 2027 AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Group
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced that entries are now open for the 2027 AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Group. The Academy is, once again, calling on Australia’s screen community to submit the productions, performances and crafts that have defined the past year in screen storytelling.
The AACTA Awards will return to the Gold Coast in February 2027 for a fourth consecutive year, continuing to shine a spotlight on the best of Australia’s screen industry. Over the past three years, the Awards have welcomed some of the global screen industry’s most celebrated talent, including Margot Robbie, Henry Cavill, Ron Howard, Simon Baker, Robbie Williams, Sarah Snook, Brian Cox, Anna Torv and more.
For nearly 70 years, the AACTA Awards have recognised the artists, practitioners and productions that define Australian screen culture. Past recipients have included Cate Blanchett, Chris Hemsworth, Catherine Martin, David Gulpilil, Sam Neill, Rose Byrne, Deborah Mailman, Sophie Wilde, Leah Purcell, Danny and Michael Philippou, and many more, reflecting the Awards’ enduring connection to Australian and international screen talent.
The 2027 AACTA Awards will also include updates to several television categories, including clearer recognition for comedy acting and changes to how reality, entertainment and factual entertainment programs are considered. AACTA’s film awards remain unchanged for 2027 as the Academy continues to honour excellence across Australian cinema.
Updates to selected AACTA Awards television categories:
The AACTA Award for Best Comedy Performer has been retired and replaced with two dedicated comedy acting categories: Best Lead Acting in a Comedy and Best Supporting Acting in a Comedy. The changes better recognise the breadth and depth of Australian comedic acting talent while aligning these categories with the Academy’s broader acting categories.
The Best Reality Competition Program category recognises the evolution of competition-based reality television into one of Australia’s most ambitious production genres. By distinguishing large-scale competition formats from studio entertainment and factual programming, the category provides a clearer framework for assessing unscripted television.
Content previously eligible for Best Reality Television Series will now be considered, where appropriate, within the Best Reality Competition Program or Best Factual Entertainment Program categories.
The AACTA Award for Best Factual Entertainment Program has evolved into the home for Australia’s most engaging non-fiction entertainment, bringing together the best in lifestyle and factual programming under a single, broader category. The award now celebrates programs that entertain audiences through real people, real places and real experiences and reflects the diversity and competitiveness of the Australian factual entertainment space.
The Best Comedy Entertainment Program category has also been incorporated into Best Entertainment Program, ensuring programs are assessed within the most relevant contemporary category.
In 2027, AACTA looks forward to once again bringing together leading Australian and international screen talent to celebrate, promote and elevate Australian storytelling on a global stage.
The Australian Academy will announce more on the AACTA Award ceremonies, AACTA Festival and AACTA Screen Careers Expo in the coming months. For more information on the 2027 AACTA Awards, please visit www.aacta.org.
