Submissions
The Prize
Submissions for 2008 are now closed. We will be accepting submissions for the 2009 Iris Prize Festival in January 2009
The Iris Prize – Cardiff’s International gay and lesbian short film prize - is open to any short film which is by, for, about or of interest to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex audiences and which must have been completed within 2 years prior to the prize deadline (June 27th, 2008).
The winner will receive the largest prize for a gay and lesbian short film in the world - valued at £25,000. The prize, generously sponsored by the UK post production including Barcud Derwen, Goleudy and Sounds in Motion, will allow the winner to make their next short film in the UK. Recognised worldwide as the film-makers preferred destination the Iris Prize winner will benefit from the very best filming equipment and editing facilities available in the UK.
The winner of the inaugural Iris Prize was announced during the Iris Prize Festival, which took place in Cardiff, Wales (UK) from October 4th – 6th. The festival programme included screenings of the 30 shortlisted films, as well as feature films, workshops, panel discussions, parties, and receptions. During the closing night awards show, Frances Hendron – Chair of the 2007 International Jury – announced Pariah by American filmmaker Dee Rees (pictured, right) as the winner of the first ever Iris Prize Award. To read more about the 2007 Iris Prize Festival click here.
A little bit more about Iris…
The Iris Prize was born out of the desire to create an annual international prize that would recognise, celebrate and promote gay and lesbian moving image content, which would also promote tolerance, acceptance and further understanding of the credibility and business of gay and lesbian filmmaking.
Over the past twenty years, gay and lesbian cinema has grown from niche market status into a viable and successful international film industry and with the phenomenal success of 
number of vibrant film festivals dedicated to gay and lesbian cinema has played a crucial role in defining and developing the genre of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender film by providing an important cultural and social outlet to view the work of gay filmmakers throughout the world. By sharing information and communicating with one another, these festivals constitute a network of support and a world wide community dedicated to the evolution of gay and lesbian cinema.
Established in 2006 by The Festivals Company, the Iris Prize quickly secured the support of some of the most successful, vibrant and supportive gay and lesbian film festivals throughout the world (to see the full list, click here) to create a single international platform that aims to further raise the profile of gay and lesbian cinema and help a new generation of filmmakers achieve success on an international stage.
The partner festivals annually select one film each to go into a shortlist of 30 films. The remaining films are chosen through open submissions.