Call For Submissions Closes May 31st
Events in NYC and LA September 9 – October 15

Shine Global is pleased to announce the call for submissions for the 2024 Resilience Awards. This annual event recognizes and celebrates the films and filmmakers that highlight the resilience and strength of children in the face of adversity.

Created and produced by Shine Global, the award-winning non-profit production company with the mission to improve children’s lives through powerful storytelling, the awards are open to feature films of any genre that showcase children overcoming challenges, such as poverty, violence, illness, and discrimination, and demonstrate their resilience, courage, and determination. An open call for submissions of films through the FilmFreeway platform will close on May 31st. The official selections will be announced in September 2024 with film screenings of the nominees scheduled in New York City September 9 – October 10.

The grand prize winner will be announced at an awards show in Los Angeles at Paramount Pictures on October 15th. The prize package includes $10,000 cash, $15,000 worth of custom impact campaign services provided by Picture Motion, the leading social impact agency for media and entertainment, and a year-long subscription to the non-theatrical distribution platform Kinema. Additional cash prizes are presented in several categories in partnership with film festivals throughout the year.  The jury is comprised of film industry experts, children’s rights activists, and distinguished youth voices with past jurors including Kay Wilson Stallings (Sesame Workshop), Anita Chandra (RAND Corporation), Brian Walker (Picture Motion), and Jill Burkhart (MGM+). 

“We are honored to be able to continue to shine a light on the incredible stories of children’s resilience,” said Alexandra Blaney, Creative Director of Shine Global. “Through these awards, we aim to empower the next generation of storytellers to make films that inspire audiences to take action to improve children’s lives.”

Past winners include the feature documentaries Name Me Lawand (2023, Directed by Edward Lovelace and produced by Fleur Nieddu) about a young deaf Kurdish boy seeking asylum and a home in the UK and Lift (2022, Directed by David Petersen and produced by Mary Recine) about a remarkable ballet program that enables homeless children to discover the magic of dance, and the short documentary Ayenda (2023, directed by Marie Margolius) about the daring escape of the Afghan girls soccer team from the Taliban and presented in partnership with Heartland Film’s Indy Shorts International Film Festival. View the full list of 2023 nominees and a highlight video at this link.

The awards also recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the well-being of children and families with past honorees including Sesame Street alum Sonia Manzano, DreamWorks Animation President Margie Cohn, YouTube star Graceyn Hollingsworth, Youth Poet Laureate Cydney Brown, and former NFL player Marcellus Wiley. 

Shine Global has also partnered with several film festivals to present awards throughout the year. In addition to the Short Film Prize with Indy Shorts, Shine Global has already announced the Unstoppable Kids prize presented to the animated children’s film Dounia – The Great White North (2024, directed by Marya Zarif and André Kadi and produced by Judith Beauregard) in partnership with the New York International Children’s Film Festival and a Children’s Resilience in Disability Stories Award to Okthanksbye (2022, directed by Nicole Van Kilsdonk and produced by Rogier Kramer) in partnership with ReelAbilities. This summer, Shine Global will be presenting an Emerging Filmmaker award for student filmmakers in partnership with Montclair Film.

The third edition of the awards is sponsored in part by The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures, Sunset Marquis, and Quest Pacifica post production boutique.

Deadlines and Eligibility

All entries must be submitted at https://filmfreeway.com/ShineGlobalResilienceAwards by May 31 at 11:59pm ET. Submissions must be feature-length films of 70 minutes or longer – animation, documentary, or fiction are all eligible – and released in the last year in order to be eligible for nomination. 

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About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that improves the lives of children by telling powerful stories to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Since our founding in 2005, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente and an Academy Award®-nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax, and the Ariel Award winner Home Is Somewhere Else, which is currently in festivals.

ABOUT SHINE GLOBAL’S RESILIENCE AWARDS

This annual event recognizes and celebrates the films and filmmakers that highlight the resilience and strength of children in the face of adversity. The awards are open to films of any genre that showcase children overcoming challenges, such as poverty, violence, illness, and discrimination, and demonstrate their resilience, courage, and determination.