42nd Annual IDA Documentary Awards
Call for Entries
The 42nd IDA Documentary Awards submissions are OPEN
The IDA Documentary Awards is the world’s most distinguished event dedicated exclusively to the documentary genre, celebrating and honoring the year’s best nonfiction films, series, audio documentaries, and programs. It seeks to represent excellence in the documentary field from around the world by emerging and established docmakers.
For more details, visit our Call For Entries page. For questions, please contact us at awards@documentary.org
Awards Ceremony
This year’s IDA Awards ceremony will be held at the beautiful and historic Ebell of Los Angeles.
Join the waitlist to receive early, priority access to tickets.
Key Dates
- May 4: Release of Updated Rules and Regulations
- May 4: Call For Entries (CFE) Opens for IDA Members Only
- May 31: Member CFE Early Deadline
- June 1: Call For Entries (CFE) Opens for Non-IDA Members
- June 30: All Call For Entries June Deadline
- July 31: All Call For Entries July Deadline
- August 20: CFE Closes for Non-IDA Members; Final Deadline Extension Request Form Closes
- September 1: CFE Closes for Members
- December 4: IDA 42nd Awards Ceremony
Extensions granted *by Permission Only*
Projects can submit to the awards competition if they were completed or scheduled to premiere between September 1, 2025, and December 31, 2026. Documentary series entries are eligible for the awards if the majority of their episodes were broadcast or uploaded/premiered in this new eligibility period.
Member Perks
Join or renew as an IDA Member (Doc Maker and up, corporate, institutional, or organizational) to get the best pricing, including our Special *MEMBERS ONLY* deadline.
As a member, you also receive the exclusive opportunity to screen and vote for the winners in the Best Feature and Best Short categories.
You can find the detailed deadline and fee schedule in the Rules and Regulations section 4.4.