Awards History
Every Encounters award winner from 2000 to the present. Encounters is a qualifying festival for the BAFTAs, BIFA, the European Film Awards and the Canadian Screen Awards. If you spot a mistake, please email hello@encounters.film.
2026
31st Edition
12 awards
Brief Grand Prix
HYENA
AG
Documentary Grand Prix
Uncle Filmi
Audience Award
The Devil Is In Me
SR
Best of British: Animation
I Have a
JB
Children's Jury Award
Uncle Artoo
DepicT! Award
Sausage Poem
Brief Grand Prix: Special Mention
The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much
EE
AJ2025
30th Anniversary Edition
10 awards
Brief Grand Prix
The Last People
“A powerful, moving story... full of cinematic value, with beautiful, assured direction and an incredible cast. A resonant, timely, mini-masterpiece.”
BM
LF
Best of British: Live Action
There Will Come Soft Rains
Elham EhsasUK/Afghanistan
Ehsas previously competed at Encounters 2023
Best of British: Animation
Dédé (Ancestor)
“Fresh exploration of the divine feminine within the artist's Bété ancestry... rare technique executed beautifully.”
SEDepicT! Award
Full of Sh*t
Brief Grand Prix: Special Mention
We Had Fun
Linda LôFrance
LL“Great performances, full of joy and heart, paying off with a tense, nuanced end. Beautifully directed. Real deal talent.”
Best of British: Live Action, Special Mention
Alo
XG“Catapults you into a different perspective with clever form and storytelling. A brilliant short.”
2024
Hiatus year
No festival took place in 2024.
2023
9 awards
JC
Animated Grand Prix
Todas mis cicatrices se desvanecen en el viento
Angélica Restrepo & Carlos VelandiaColombia
AR
YA
UK Award
Jill, Uncredited
“Birthed a new persona for its protagonist, who was almost always there, but rarely noticed before.”
ADDepicT! Award
Farm Life
NK
UK Award: Special Mention
The Archive: Queer Nigerians
SS2022
7 awards
Brief Grand Prix
Urban Solutions
“Interrogates the past in the present, clash between classical portraiture and contemporary class structures.”
DC
UK Audience Award
BabyThump
JD
British Award
The Bayview
South West Jury AwardNotable alumni
Sweet Little Despair
Carolina PetroUK/Colombia
CPPetro also won Brief Best of British in 2013 with Rosemary Jane, and returned to Encounters as a juror in 2023.
UK Student Award
Suburb
MJ“A journey into the dead of night... distinct visual style alongside a jazzy soundtrack.”
2021
11 awards
MV
RJ
Best of British: Live Action + UK Audience Award
Hanging On
SA
Best of British: Animation
Eating in the Dark
UK Student Award
Precious Bundle
Children's Jury Award
Latitude du printemps (A Tiny Tale)
DepicT! Award
Acorde
ZB
JW
MC2020
6 awards
RM
RS
ZW
AA2019
11 awards
Brief Grand Prix
The Tent
NM
BB
Audience Award
Norteños (Grandmas) / Hors Piste
JD
CA
CSNAHEMI/Kodak Award
A Dead Canary
RM
QY
AE
Special MentionNotable alumni
Boiling Point
PBBarantini went on to direct Netflix's Adolescence (2025), having first expanded this short into the single-take feature Boiling Point (2021)
2018
13 awards
Brief Grand PrixNotable alumni
Fauve
Jeremy ComteCanada
JCAcademy Award nominated Best Live Action Short 2019
Animated Grand Prix
Wildebeest
Immersive Grand Prix
Kinoscope
RC
Deaf Showcase Audience Award
To Know Him
Chris Collins Best of British: Live Action
3 Centimetres
Best of British: Animation
Marfa
ES
Animated Grand Prix: Special Mention
Obon
Immersive Grand Prix: Special Mention
I Saw the Future
Immersive Grand Prix: Special Mention
Underwood
Chris Collins Best of British: Special Mention
V
Children's Jury: Special Mention
Sweet Tooth
2017
10 awards
KC
ND
NE
Audience Award
The Good Mother
Best of British: Animation
Films to Break Projectors
European Live Action Award
Ten Meter Tower (Hopptornet)
European Animation Award
Sog
DepicT! Award
Vudú
DepicT! RPS Cinematography Award / Random Acts Special Mention
Winnow
DepicT! British Special Mention
Walk
2016
22nd edition; first year with VR/Immersive awards; David Sproxton hands over Chair to Simon Perry
25 awards
Brief Grand PrixNotable alumni
Sweet Maddie Stone
Animated Grand PrixNotable alumni
Analysis Paralysis
Anete MeleceSwitzerland
AM“Colourful, bold and naïve, this impressionistic approach to life left us charmed and moved at the same time.”
VRlet Grand Jury Prize (Immersive)
Home|Aamir
TWDepicT! Shooting People Audience Award
[Not recorded in ceremony script]
IS
YellowDog Best of British: AnimationNotable alumni
Stems
“A gig that gives an insight of the dramatic existence of animated stop-motion characters. A short and tragic statement, which leaves no-one indifferent.”
Brief European Award
E.W.A.
Animated European Award
Don't Lose Your Head
“A bold graphic narration, full of dynamic and multi-screened interactions, which demanded the audience's full attention throughout otherwise you might lose your head.”
VRlet Best Director
Simon
VRlet Best Visual Effects
Four-Ye Fan
VRlet Best Documentary
Drift Miss Love
VRlet Best Feature Film
Detective
DepicT! Award / Random Acts Award
Impacts
“Profound and universal message, with bold visuals and outstanding soundtrack, managing to speak volumes in such a short timeframe.”
DepicT! RPS Cinematography Award
Living
“With perfectly realised and brilliantly composed images, this short succeeds in telling a story succinctly and powerfully.”
Children's Award
Cats & Dogs
Encounters / Show Me The Animation ANIJAM Award
Tiny Encounters
Widening the Lens Pitching Award: 1st
New project (unproduced)
Widening the Lens Pitching Award: 2nd
New project (unproduced)
Widening the Lens Pitching Award: Joint 3rd
New project (unproduced)
Animated Grand Prix: Special Mention
Here There
“A tender reflection on everyday life as meandering as real life is.”
Animated Grand Prix: Special Mention
OS Love
“Embracing the new vocabulary that an operating system supplies. A witty depiction reflecting everyday struggles of working in front of the computer screen.”
DepicT! British Special Mention
Pig Dream
“Powerful images and compelling sense of the horrific... considerable potential.”
EFA Nomination
9 Days From My Window in Aleppo
“Both timely and timeless. A film about a homeland, a wasteland and wanting to stay but needing to leave.”
Cartoon d'Or Nomination
Balcony
“A film that catches you by surprise. Building an uncanny tension that leads to an unexpected catharsis almost luring the jury to join in.”
2015
6 awards
JR
Online Audience Award
Pa.
Chris Collins Best of British: Live Action
Over
Animated UWE European New Talent
My Dad
Music Video AwardNotable alumni
Cookie Tin Banjo
PBBaynton also won the Children's Animation Jury award in 2010 with Save Our Bacon. He went on to direct The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse with Charlie Mackesy, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short, the BAFTA for Best British Short Animation and four Annie Awards.
Documentary Award
The Atom Station
2014
8 awards
Audience Award
Drive Home
Channel 4 Best of British: Live Action
Crocodile
MP
MK
Children's Jury Award
The Planets
HS
Documentary Award
Notes on Blindness
2013
Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival
12 awards
JS
Audience Award
Home
Brief Best of BritishNotable alumni
Rosemary Jane
Carolina PetroUK/Colombia
Petro won again in 2022, taking the South West Jury Award with Sweet Little Despair.
Animated Best of British
Anomalies
Brief Best of South West
Behind the Journey
Animated Best of South West
Winter Trees
Karni & SaulUK
S
AK
Music Video Award
Stardust
DepicT! AwardNotable alumni
Cool Unicorn Bruv
Doff later directed music videos for Gorillaz and Run the Jewels; feature film Boyz in the Wood (2019)
DepicT! RPS Cinematography Award
A Thing
Children's Jury Award
Fear of Flying
DepicT! British Special Mention
Return
2012
9 awards
Brief Grand Prix
Premature
Audience Award
When Rabbits Fly
Brief Best of British
On This Island
Animated Best of BritishNotable alumni
I Am Tom Moody
Henderson won Best of British Animation again in 2016 with Stems.
AMAnimated UWE European New Talent
Kuhina
DepicT! Award
The Fat Cat
Children's Jury Award
Much Better Now
Cartoon d'Or NominationNotable alumni
Head Over Heels
Timothy ReckartUK/USA
TRAcademy Award nominated Best Animated Short 2013
2011
11 awards
Brief Grand Prix
Unter Null (Below Zero)
Animated Grand Prix / Cartoon d'Or Nomination
Slow Derek
Shooting People DepicT! Audience Award
The Laundrette
Animated Best of BritishNotable alumni
A Morning Stroll
GOWent on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 2012.
Brief Best of South West
I'll Tell You
Animated Best of South West
On the Bus
Documentary Award
Declaration of Immortality (Deklaracja Nieśmiertelności)
Animated UWE European New Talent
The Back Water Gospel
Children's Animation Jury Award
Worlds Apart
Bristol Short Film Nomination: European Film Awards 2012
How to Pick Berries (Miten Marjoja Poimitaan)
Elina TalvensaariFinland
ET2010
Encounters Short Film Festival
7 awards
Brief Grand Prix
Derby
Brief Best of British
Forgiving Your P.E. Teacher
Brief South West Jury Award
Connect
Documentary Award
Unearthing the Pen
4Mations Newcomer in Animation Award
Inka Bola
DepicT! Award
The Gentleman's Guide to Villainy
Children's Animation Jury AwardNotable alumni
Save Our Bacon
2009
Encounters Short Film Festival
10 awards
International Jury Award
Princess Margarets Boulevard
UK Film Council Audience AwardNotable alumni
Miracle Fish
Academy Award nominated Best Live Action Short 2010
Online Audience Award
The Secret of Tressette
South West Award
Light and Dark
NAHEMI/Kodak Creative Filmmaking
Cherry on the Cake / Conversation
NAHEMI/Kodak Cinematography
Two to Salsa
LMChildren's Jury: Live Action
Circus
KA
SB2008
Encounters Short Film Festival
10 awards
International Jury AwardNotable alumni
Dennis
Mads MatthiesenDenmark
MMMatthiesen later directed The Model and major European features
ITV West Award / SW Screen Audience Award
Leaving
Shooting People DepicT! Audience Award
Breaking the Mould
EMDepicT! Award
Enough
MDKodak NAHEMI Cinematography
Island to Isla
JC
Cartoon d'Or Nomination
Varmints
Cartoon d'Or Nomination
This is Jo3
2007
Encounters Short Film Festival
10 awards
RJUK Film Council Audience Award
Les Couillus (Home Team)
SW Screen Audience Award
A Short Collection of Hilary Flamingo's Dream Vocations
International Newcomer Award in Animation
The Itch
ITV West Award
Young Offender
DepicT! Award
Operator
NAHEMI/Kodak Creative Filmmaking
Isabella
BBC New Filmmakers
Bigboy-74
JG
Cartoon d'Or Nomination
Pushkin
2006
Encounters Short Film Festival: first year of the merged festival
12 awards
International Jury Award
Tricko (The T-Shirt)
UK Film Council Audience Award
The End of the Sentence
SW Screen Audience Award
Benjamin's Struggle
JQ
International Newcomer Award in AnimationNotable alumni
The Genie in a Tin of Ravioli
Claude BarrasSwitzerland
CBBarras later directed My Life as a Courgette (Academy Award nominated Best Animated Feature 2017)
DepicT! Award for Animation
Flighty
DepicT! Award for Live Action
And the Red Man Turned Green
NAHEMI/Kodak Creative Filmmaking
With Dickinson and I
BBC New FilmmakersNotable alumni
Cubs
THHarper later directed Wild Rose and The Aeronauts; served as Encounters jury member 2009
Animate! Artist Award
Empire
Cosgrove Hall Films Children's Jury Award
Coucou Clock
Cartoon d'Or Nomination
T.O.M
2005
Brief Encounters and Animated Encounters: separate festivals, final year before the merger
11 awards
JB
Audience Award (Animated Encounters)
Through My Thick Glasses
Orange DepicT! Audience Award
Screen Kiss
Best of British (Brief Encounters)
Susie
ITV West Award
Indians
Jameson Short Film Award
Susie
DepicT! Award
Ascension
NAHEMI/Kodak Creative Filmmaking
Double Helix
Cosgrove Hall Films Children's Jury Award (Animated Encounters)
In The Rough
International Jury Special Mention (Animated Encounters)
Loetzinn
JG2004
Brief Encounters / Animated Encounters
7 awards
Orange DepicT! Audience Award
Snail
Momentum Best of British Award
Jo Jo In The Stars
DepicT! Award
6 Goats
NAHEMI/Kodak Creative Filmmaking
Turn
Kodak NAHEMI Cinematography
Here At Home
International Jury Commendation
Alt I Alt
British Jury Commendation
London Fields Are Blue
2003
Brief Encounters / Animated Encounters
5 awards
Momentum Best of British Award
Seventy Two Faced Liar
HTV South West Award
Lazy Eye
DepicT! Award
Le Cheval 2:1
Kodak NAHEMI Cinematography
Wide Sky
BBC New Filmmakers
Gone
2002
Brief Encounters / Animated Encounters
7 awards
FPRizla Audience Award
Mulishani Mulishani
HTV South West Award
One Small Leap
Jameson Short Film Award
Best Man
Pathé Five Minute Award
Leunig: How Democracy Actually Works
DepicT! Animation Award
Geoff World Destroyer
DepicT! Live Action Award
The End
2001
Brief Encounters / Animated Encounters
6 awards
Rizla Audience Award
A Night's Theft
Jameson Short Film AwardNotable alumni
Dog
AAArnold went on to win Academy Award Best Live Action Short 2005; served as Encounters jury member 2004
Pathé Five Minute Award
Can We Kiss
DepicT! Animation Award
Chinese Fork-Tie
International Jury Commendation
Duck Children
Short Circuit Commendation
The Wrong Flowers
2000
Brief Encounters / Animated Encounters: first documented year
6 awards
International Jury Award
Hong Kong (KHG)
Atom Films Audience Award
Perdie
LTInternational Jury Commendation
The Last Dream
Short Circuit Special Mention