Where to Submit Your Short Film (2026 Guide)

You have a finished short film and a list of places you could send it. Festivals, online showcases, streaming platforms, TV channels, your own YouTube or Vimeo page. They want different things, they ask for different rights, and the order you approach them in matters. This guide sets out the main kinds of place to submit a short film, what each one asks of you, and the questions to ask before you sign anything.

1. Film festivals

Festivals are where programmers, press and other filmmakers see new work, and a good selection opens doors. Most festivals take entries through online festival submission platforms, and most charge an entry fee per festival.

What they want: often a premiere. Many festivals won't accept a film that is already online publicly, so a festival run usually comes first.
What it costs: entry fees add up fast. Pick festivals whose past programmes look like your film rather than entering everything.
What to keep: a simple spreadsheet of deadlines, fees and premiere rules, so you know when your film is free to go online.

2. Online showcases and curated channels

Some websites and channels pick a small number of shorts each week and feature them to a large audience. Being picked can bring a lot of views quickly. They are very selective, and many expect your film to be hosted on your own video page already, so read their rules before you send anything.

3. Streaming platforms for short films

A streaming platform is where a film can live long term, in front of viewers who came specifically to watch short films. This is the step most filmmakers spend the least time thinking about, and it is the one that keeps a film watched after the festival run ends. Before you submit, check:

whether the licence is exclusive or non-exclusive, and for how long;
what the review costs and how long it takes;
whether you can change your mind (a withdrawal window);
what the film gets once it's live: its own page, a place in genres and collections, apps, TV, subtitles.

4. TV and 24/7 channels

Linear channels play films one after another, like broadcast TV, and are carried on TV apps and streaming boxes. They reach people who would never search for a short film but will happily watch one. Channels need your rights to be clean: cleared music, cleared footage and signed releases. If you can't show that in writing, a channel can't carry your film.

5. Your own channels

YouTube, Vimeo and your own website give you full control and no gatekeeper, but nobody arrives unless you bring them. They work best alongside the options above, not instead of them. A non-exclusive licence lets your film sit on a streaming platform and on your own channel at the same time.

An order that works for most shorts

Festivals first, if you want them, while the film still counts as a premiere.
A streaming platform and channel once the festival run is over (or straight away if you're skipping festivals), so the film keeps finding viewers.
Your own channels alongside, with every link pointing people to the same film page.

For the bigger picture, including subtitles, paperwork and promotion, read How to Distribute a Short Film.

Questions to ask anywhere before you submit

Who will actually see my film here, and how?
Is the licence exclusive? For how long, and where?
What does submitting cost, and how long until I hear back?
Can I withdraw after I sign, and by when?
What do I keep? (You should always keep the copyright.)
Do I need subtitles, or will they help with them?
Where can I read the agreement before I sign?

Submitting to The Short Film Show

The Short Film Show is a streaming platform for independent short films, with a 24/7 channel and apps for iOS and Android. It began as a TV series of the same name, which ran for two seasons, and today we show independent short films from around the world. We're not a festival: there are no awards or laurels. A selected film goes live and stays live.

Cost and timing: Submitting is free. A standard review can take up to 3 months. If you need a decision sooner, Fast-track (£19) gives you one within 7 days of your payment, with three lines of notes from the reviewer, and if we miss it the full £19 is refunded automatically. Fast-track places are limited, so it can be full when you submit. See How review and Fast-track work.
Your choice of licence: non-exclusive by default, so your film can be on other platforms too, or exclusive for a fixed period. See Exclusive vs Non-Exclusive Submissions.
Time to change your mind: you can withdraw within 14 days of uploading.
Subtitles: if your film has dialogue and you don't have subtitles yet, you can generate them in up to six languages from your filmmaker dashboard once your film is selected.
Once live: your film gets its own page, a place in the catalogue and genres, and can be shown on the 24/7 channel. Filmmakers with a live film can also be featured in Ones to Watch, our weekly home-page spotlight.

Submit your film (free) For a taste of what is on the platform, try Bloom, a four-minute animation from Japan, or Harvest, five minutes of wordless sci-fi from Ireland.

Every film is watched and reviewed by the team before it goes live. You can see what we check in What Happens After You Submit, and the step-by-step is in How To Submit Your Film.

Questions? Contact us. A person reads every message.