9 - 15 NOVEMBER, 2026
Where: Via Zoom
When: Friday 13th November
Time: 4pm (UK time)
We will be announcing the Aviary Audience Award at the In Person at festival screening on Thursday 12th November. All other awards (see list below) will be announced online on Friday 13th.
Online(Friday 13th November):
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*Best Animation
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*Best Documentary
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*Best Fiction
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*Best Student
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*Best Short Feature Film
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The Murmuration Award (Audience Award)
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The Michael Flynn Award
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The Golden Feather Award (Chosen by our Sponsors Mad as Birds Films)
*Winners chosen by our Jury!
VOTING FOR THE ONLINE AUDIENCE AWARDS OPENS ON MONDAY 9TH NOVEMBER
WHAT IS IT?
The Starling Film Festival Awards are a celebration of our selected films!
WHEN?
Friday 13th November 2026
WHERE?
Our awards ceremony will take place on zoom. A link will be available closer to the time!
HOW CAN I WATCH?
Live via zoom.
HOW MUCH ARE TICKETS?
Completely free!
HOW CAN I VOTE?
Voting is now closed!
WHO DECIDES WHO WINS THE AWARDS?
HOW MANY AUDIENCE AWARDS DO YOU HAVE?
Starling have two audience awards:
The Murmuration Award (Online voting for this award will go live on October 28th and stay open for the duration of the festival)
The Aviary Audience Award will be awarded to one of the 15 films selected to be screened at our in person event on Saturday. The winner for this award will be selected by those who attend on the night and presented at our in person screening.
Our awards are selected by our jury who are all industry professionals from a range of backgrounds.
WHAT SPECIALITY AWARDS DO YOU HAVE?
We have two specialty awards!
We have the The Golden Feather Award for excellence in film, sponsored by Mad As Birds Films. A small number of films will get chosen as finalists and the Mad as Birds Team will choose a winner.
And The Michael Flynn Award will be awarded to a film for its outstanding achievements in the field of cinematography.
What's a film festival without awards? Here are this years awards chosen by our panel of judges:
Best Animation Film
Best Student Film
Best Fiction Film
Best Documentary Film
Best Short Feature Film
The Murmuration Award: this is our audience prize! We will be asking our online audience to vote for their favourite film. The one with the most votes wins! Online voting for this award will go live on October 28th and stay open for the duration of the festival.
The Aviary Audience Award will be awarded to one of the 15 films selected to be screened at our in person event in November. The winner for this award will be selected by those who attend on the night and presented at our in person screening.
The Michael Flynn Award will be awarded to a film for its outstanding achievements in the field of cinematography.
And finally, the very exciting The Golden Feather Award for excellence in film, sponsored by Mad As Birds Films. The winner will receive a trophy, a small cash prize, and a free mentor session with Mad As Birds Films!
*In the event that a participating filmmaker wins one of our awards, SFF will send the award to the filmmaker at an address provided by the winning filmmaker. Postage and shipping will need to be covered by the filmmaker if they wish to receive their award, and rates will vary depending on travel distance.