James Carey with the team behind Over at Flickerfest 2025. Photo: Duncan Ragg.
If you’re a budding Quentin Tarantino or Steven Spielberg, here’s your chance to make your mark on the movie world.
The Creative Wollongong Short Film Competition is now inviting entries from emerging and professional filmmakers aged 12 and over.
Similar to a Tropfest tradition, all entries must feature the same theme, which this year is birds, which can be included as an object, an overall theme, or something else entirely.
The competition is an opportunity for participants to hone and showcase their craft and offers more than $5000 in cash and industry training prizes.
The “best of” entries will also be screened at the Creative Wollongong Outdoor Film Festival in 2026.
There are three categories – 12-18 years, 19 years + and commissioned and pitched films – open to residents in the Wollongong or Shellharbour local government areas.
In addition to the Open and 12-18 years categories, Screen Illawarra members can pitch a film idea incorporating the theme. Five winning pitches will be given a commission to develop their film in collaboration with local professional production companies.
Previous winners include Duncan Ragg and Anna Phillips, whose short film Over went on to win Best Australian Short Comedy at Flickerfest, as well as both Best of the Fest and Best Narrative Short at the Nevada City Film Festival.
Over was written to showcase the talents of Illawarra actor James Carey, who has Kabuki syndrome, and was awarded Best Comedy for Flickerfest 2025.
It’s about a boy with a disability who steals his dad’s boat, takes it out to the middle of the lake and refuses to come back until his apathetic dad agrees to save the world.
Duncan told Region earlier this year that being selected for Flickerfest was the icing on the cake for the team behind the film.
“It was the best screening we possibly could have had,” he said.
“It’s been a long fight for a lot of people, and there’s still a long way to go, but it’s fantastic to see someone as talented as James bring his lived experience to the role.”
Launching this year’s competition, Wollongong Mayor Tania Brown acknowledged the growing awareness of the Illawarra as a filmmaking hub.
“There is a strong current of creativity in our region, and we have long punched above our weight when it comes to local talent,” Councillor Brown said.
“I’m delighted to be able to launch this year’s Creative Wollongong Short Film Competition and the opportunities that it provides for established and emerging filmmakers.
“This year’s theme is a cracker. Birds are fascinating, both as living creatures in our ecosystem and as metaphorical symbols. I can’t wait to see the local talent and local stories that are going to be created and shared.”
Entries close on 30 January, 2026. For more information and conditions of entry, click here.
