Films can be submitted for the German Commercial Film Awards (DWP) from November 24, 2025, to January 6, 2026.

Please make sure to carefully read the new rules before submitting.

The nomination phase starts on January 19, 2026.

The winners of the Nachwuchs (Young Talent) Awards will be announced on March 10, 2026, and the Top 3 in each category will be revealed on March 11, 2026.

For the first time, the AI Creativity Award will be presented in 2026.
The award runs outside the competition of the DWP and will be presented during the Creative Panel on the morning of March 20, 2026.

It honors projects where generative artificial intelligence has created a clearly recognizable creative added value for film production. The focus is not on the AI itself, but on the people who have created something extraordinary with it.

Submissions for the award are open parallel to the German Commercial Film Awards and close on February 2, 2026.

The sustainability award for environmentally friendly commercial film productions.

The German Commercial Film Academy presents the Giraffe to commercial film productions that significantly reduce their ecological footprint through sustainable approaches – such as CO₂ reduction, resource conservation, and the use of eco-friendly technologies. A dedicated expert jury awards outstanding submissions with a prize of €2,500, which is intended to support further sustainable measures.

Submissions for this award are open parallel to the German Commercial Film Awards and close on February 2, 2026.

The German Commercial Film Awards (DWP) have been recognizing outstanding filmmakers in German commercial film since 2013. In total, 11 categories are awarded, along with the best young talent commercial film.

A unique feature of the DWP: there are no submission fees. Every filmmaker can submit their work and have a chance to win.