See also Spring 2026 Award Winners – Technical Competitions
Best Narrative Short (Grand Jury Prize)
The Last Goodbye by Kailey Wolf (USA)
Outstanding Achievement Award for Narrative Short (Grand Jury Prize)
2 (TU:) by Julian Kleinert and Amélie Siegmund (Germany/USA)
Best Foreign Short (Grand Jury Prize)
& That Fifth Toy by Sandeep Sinha (India)
Best Documentary Short: Fara í Vikingu by Rémi Ramecourt (France)
Best Student Short: Rebel Flowers by Roberta Pia De Angelis (Italy)
Best Experimental Short: First Breath by Hyojung Kim (South Korea)
Best Newcomer Short: 2 (TU:) by Julian Kleinert and Amélie Siegmund (Germany/USA)
Best Micro Film: Hello Susan by Susan Weiss (USA)
Honorable Mention (Comedy Short): Who Framed Tholomew by Brett Willis (USA)
Best Animation Short: Burning Rope by Juan Belardi (USA)
Best Children Short: Warm Soda by Ethan Satsky (USA)
Best Fantasy Short: Prospero by Tyler Orsak (USA)
Honorable Mention (Sci-Fi Short): Pie in the Sky by Susan Mey Lee Lim (USA)
Honorable Mention (Horror Short): Ghost of the Gap by Delmar Gustav Terblanche (Australia)
Outstanding Achievement Award (Thriller Short): The Last Ride by Wen Leng (USA)
Honorable Mention (Crime Short): Frame by Andrew Akbari (USA)
Best Women Short: Savannah’s Curse by Tamara Lisa Cook (Australia)
Best LGBTQ Short: We Are Not the Same by Jesús Castillo (Panama)
Best Screendance Short: A Complete Mess by Ying Hu (China)
Best Music Video: MerryGo by John Laww (USA)
Best Web Series/TV Pilot: Round the Corner by Russ Emanuel (USA)
Best Short Script: Murder on Mute by Quinn Katherman and Pete Johnson (USA)
Outstanding Achievement Award (Short Script): Bully by Lia Martin (USA)
Honorable Mention (Short Script): Influence by Quinn Katherman (USA)
See also Spring 2026 Award Winners – Technical Competitions
Cal Film Festival 2023-2026 © All Rights Reserved