Submissions

Submit to the 2026 REEL WILD New York Film Festival via FilmFreeway

Festival Dates: April 9-12, 2026

Timeline

July 15 - Entries open
August 1 - Early Submission Deadline
August 20 - Regular Submission Deadline
September 5 - Late Submission Deadline
September 18 - Final Submission Deadline

Awards and Prizes

Each film submission is eligible for consideration in REEL WILD’s juried competition. Please note that the jury reserves the right to adjust the awards as they see fit. The festival encourages filmmakers to submit their work, even if it does not fall exactly in line with one of the specific categories listed.

  • Feature Length:
    • Conservation
    • Wildlife
    • Exploration
    • Cinematography
    • People & Nature
  • Short Film
  • Student Film
  • Emerging Filmmaker Award, sponsored by Disney Conservation Fund

The awards listed above are subject to change in advance of the 2026 festival.

Submit your short or feature-length film for consideration in the second annual REEL WILD Film Festival, April 9-12, 2026!

Submit via FilmFreeway!

Stay tuned on Instagram (@reelwildfilmfestival) for year-round programming and special screening events.

Rules & Terms

Please read the full rules & terms of film submission on the official REEL WILD Film Festival FilmFreeway page.

Fee Waiver
REEL WILD New York Film Festival is a 501(c)3 non-profit project, as it falls under Wildlife Conservation Society’s non-profit status. The festival relies on fundraising for its most fundamental functions, FilmFreeway’s submission fees provide critical support for festival operations.

However, the festival does offer a limited number of submission fee waivers to any filmmaker for whom the entry fee presents a barrier to submission. The availability and number of fee waivers are not guaranteed.

For those who require a fee waiver due to economic hardship, please email the team at reelwild@wcs.org by August 1, 2025 with the following:

1. A detailed description of the reason for your request for a fee waiver.
2. A 250-word (or longer) description of how your film connects with the mission of the REEL WILD Film Festival.

Any requests for a fee waiver that do not include the aforementioned items will not be considered.

Film Festival

Presented By

©2025 Wildlife Conservation Society
WCS, the “W” logo, WE STAND FOR WILDLIFE, I STAND FOR WILDLIFE, and STAND FOR WILDLIFE are service marks of Wildlife Conservation Society.
The Wildlife Conservation Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax ID number 13-1740011) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
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