Rules & Terms

1. Film Competition

  • 1.1. Organizer

    The organizer of the European Wildlife Film Awards (EWFA) is the private, non-profit Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung, located at Lucy-Borchardt-Straße 2, 20457 Hamburg.

    The venue is the Nature Film Theater at the Embassy of Wildlife, Lucy-Borchardt-Straße 2, 20457 Hamburg.

  • 1.2. Eligibility

    Eligible for the European Wildlife Film Awards are documentary films that deal with the themes of nature, animals, and the environment in Europe and were completed no more than two years prior to submission.

    Submitted productions must have a minimum runtime of at least 40 minutes.

    For the Short Film category, productions with a maximum runtime of 15 minutes may be submitted. Non-documentary films are also welcome in this category.

    If the original version is not in German, an .srt file (SubRip subtitle file) with German or English subtitles must be submitted. If a German-language version is available, it must be submitted.

    AI-generated content must be clearly identified as such.

  • 1.3. Categories & Prizes

    Films will be considered for the following award categories:

    Best European Film: Wildlife | Endowment 15,000 Euros

    The award is given for the most fascinating animal footage in a film. The animals must be wild animals found in Europe. The film must meet the highest overall quality standards.

     

    Best European Film: Biodiversity | Endowment 10,000 Euros

    The award will be given to an entry that uniquely highlights the diversity of Europe’s native flora and fauna, showcases wildlife habitats, natural areas, landscapes, and ecosystems, and, where applicable, addresses the threats they face.

     

    Best European Film: Nature Conservation | Endowment 10,000 Euros

    The award is given to an outstanding film that highlights initiatives or individuals who are effectively advancing the protection of biodiversity, nature, and species.

     

    Audience Award | Endowment 5,000 Euros

    A selection of submissions that are at least 40 minutes long will be nominated for this award and screened for an audience during the weekly nature film night at the Wildlife Embassy. The audience will vote, and the film with the highest overall score will win. The award is always presented the following year.

     

    Best Story | Endowment 5,000 Euros

    This award recognizes the best screenplay in a film. For example, because it is particularly moving, surprising, or thought-provoking, or because it is well-structured, dramatically compelling, and emotionally accessible.

     

    Best Short Film | Endowment 2,500 Euros

    A selection of submitted short films ranging from 1 to 15 minutes in length will be nominated for this award and screened for an audience at the Wildlife Embassy. The audience will vote, and the film with the most votes wins. Productions that succeed in presenting a theme in a compelling way within a short timeframe—whether through originality, cinematic quality, a strong story, or distinctive aesthetics—will be nominated.

  • 1.4. Jury

    At the EWFA, prizes are awarded in various categories by an independent jury. The jury is appointed by the organizer. The jury’s decisions are final and cannot be contested. The same applies to the results of the audience’s secret ballot in the Short Film and Audience Choice categories. Legal recourse is excluded with regard to the selection of winners and any evaluation of the submitted films.

  • 1.5. Prize Winners, Prize Money

    Prize money in varying amounts will be awarded. The person submitting the entry (hereinafter: the entrant) is responsible for any distribution of the prize money. The amount of the prize money depends on the category.

    Prizes are non-transferable. All costs associated with the prize are to be borne by the winner.

    If the respective winner does not accept the prize within 30 days of the end of the film competition, the claim to the prize shall lapse. The claim to the prize shall also lapse if the prize cannot be delivered to the respective winner for reasons for which the winner is responsible. This applies in particular if information such as the provided email or postal address is incorrect.

  • 1.6. Festival Program

    Films nominated for the competition, as well as other films selected for the program, will be screened one or two times as part of the year-round festival program at the Naturfilmkino in Hamburg’s HafenCity, from February to February.

    Submitters will be informed of the screening times as soon as the festival program is finalized.

    In consultation with the entrants, “Best of EWFA” events may also take place in a different setting.

    The aim of these events is not only to promote the competition but, above all, to provide a forum for the nature and wildlife film genre that reaches new audiences.

    There is no entitlement to remuneration for the screening of the films within the aforementioned events.

  • 1.7 Registration, Deadlines and Fees

    Film submissions for the 2027 European Wildlife Film Awards will be accepted from April 15, 2026, through June 1, 2026, and must be made exclusively online via the FilmFreeway portal.

    The submission fee is 35 euros, payable per film, and automatically includes consideration of the film in all categories. Each film (or each episode for series) must be registered individually.

    The submission of short films is free of charge.

    All required documents and the submission fee must be received by the submission deadline.


    The following materials must be submitted by June 1, 2026, at the latest (uploaded to FilmFreeway):

    1.      A screening copy as an MP4 file (1920 x 1080 px / 16:9 HD, 10 Mbit data rate).

    2.      A summary of the film to serve as the basis for the film description in the program (at least 800 characters, including spaces).

    3.      The complete film title (in German, if applicable) and detailed crew credits as listed in the film’s end credits, to serve as the basis for filmographic information in print and online, as well as for any certificates.

    4.      At least three high-resolution photos of the production each in landscape and portrait orientation (300 dpi / 20 x 30 cm), including copyright information in the file name. By submitting the photos, the publication rights for these photos are granted for promotional and/or illustrative purposes (print and online).

    5.      A film trailer in landscape and portrait format (if available), otherwise a timecode reference to a particularly strong scene (approx. 40 seconds). By submitting the trailers, the publication rights for these are granted for the purpose of public relations within the framework of the EWFA.

    6.      Short biography (max. 500 characters, including spaces) and photo of the director

    If applicable:

    7.      Press clippings and press kit

    Links to trailers and relevant social media channels (film/director/production, etc.)

  • 1.8 Submission of the screening copy

    If your film is selected for the program, you will be notified, and we will request a screening copy from you that must meet the following quality standards:

    o   Full HD/resolution of at least 1920 x 1080 pixels; if available: 4K UHD

    o   Container: MP4 if possible

    o   Video H.264 high profile / bitrate min. 10,000 Kbit/s

    o   Audio AAC, min. 320 Kbit/s, 48 kHz

    Screening materials must be made available via a download link by September 1, 2026.

    If a selected entry is not available in the above-mentioned quality by the agreed deadline, the organizer reserves the right to remove the entry from the competition.

  • 1.9 Use and Rights

    By submitting the film, the submitter declares that they are authorized to submit the film and hold all necessary rights for the uses specified in these regulations, and that they are entitled to transfer these rights of use without infringing upon any copyrights, neighboring rights, or personal rights of third parties. In the event of a violation of such rights, any resulting claims and costs shall be borne by the submitter.

    The submitter further declares that they make the submitted film available free of charge for public screening at the events listed in 1.6 and gives their consent to the inclusion of the submitted production in the EWFA archive.  

    The submitter grants permission for excerpts of up to three minutes from the submitted productions, as well as trailers, film stills, and the associated credits, photos, and texts, to be used free of charge and without restriction for the purposes of EWFA’s communication and public relations activities (radio/television/internet/print/other).

    The organizer undertakes to use the submitted films only for the purposes specified in the rules. Any further use not mentioned in these terms and conditions must be discussed with the submitter and requires their consent.

2. Liability

  • The following provisions apply to the liability of the Organizer and to the personal liability of its employees, agents, and vicarious agents—regardless of the legal basis:

    1.      The Organizer shall be liable without limitation for intentional and grossly negligent breaches of duty, as well as for breaches of material contractual obligations, i.e., those obligations whose fulfillment is essential for the proper performance of the contract and on whose compliance the submitter regularly relies and is entitled to rely.

    2.      In all other respects, the Organizer’s liability for breaches of duty due to slight negligence is limited to the amount of damage typically foreseeable at the time this Participation Agreement was concluded.

    The foregoing limitations of liability do not apply to claims for damages resulting from injury to life, limb, or health.

3. Code of Conduct

  • The submitter acknowledges that their conduct in connection with the film competition may influence the public perception of the film competition. The submitter shall endeavor to contribute to a positive public image of the film competition (including posts and statements on the submitter’s social media channels, e.g., X, Instagram). The submitter shall refrain from engaging in offensive, defamatory, and/or otherwise inappropriate behavior in connection with the film competition, in particular from using offensive, derogatory, and/or profane language. Discriminatory remarks of any kind (e.g., based on ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual identity) will not be tolerated. Should such behavior by the submitter nevertheless occur, the submitter in question will immediately distance themselves from this behavior in public.

4. Privacy Policy

5. Final Provisions

  • A film submission cannot be withdrawn and constitutes acceptance of the above rules. In case of doubt, the German version of the rules shall prevail.

    The organizer reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the film competition and to change the competition structure, provided that such changes are deemed necessary in good faith and do not conflict with the legitimate interests of the entrants. The organizer further reserves the right to make changes necessary to comply with legal requirements.

    The Organizer also reserves the right to exclude individual participants due to breaches of contract or similar reasons. A valid reason may include, in particular, the submitter’s violation of the film competition rules and/or the code of conduct as set forth in Section 3.

    These Terms and Conditions constitute the entire agreement between the Organizer and the Entrant with respect to the matters set forth herein and supersede all other prior oral or written agreements between the Organizer and the Entrant regarding such matters. Any amendments or additions to these Terms and Conditions must be in writing to be valid.

    The rights and/or obligations arising from these Terms and Conditions may only be transferred or assigned by the Entrant to third parties with the prior written consent of the Organizer. The Entrant hereby agrees that the Organizer may transfer its rights and obligations arising from these Terms and Conditions in whole (assignment of contract) or in part to affiliated companies.

    If any individual provisions of these Terms and Conditions are unenforceable or invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions shall remain unaffected.

    Gender-neutral terms refer to men, women, and non-binary individuals, even if only the masculine form is used.

    These Terms and Conditions are governed by German law.

    The exclusive place of jurisdiction is Hamburg. 

    March 2026

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