$25,000 Spirit Awards Digital Creator Award
- Organization: Film Independent
- Type: Award
- Location: United States
- Deadline: September 29, 2026
- Funding: Fully Funded
Film Independent, the organisation behind the Film Independent Spirit Awards, has added a new Digital Creator Award for 2027, recognising independent storytellers who make original narrative or experimental work for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other online platforms. It was developed with Creator Camp, a media company that supports digital storytellers, and the winner receives a $25,000 unrestricted cash grant. Submissions are free and made by the creator, as a body of work of three videos from three separate series. **What you get:** - A $25,000 unrestricted cash grant for the winner - Nominees are celebrated at the Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch on January 9, 2027 at The London West Hollywood, where the award is presented - Nominees and the winner attend the 42nd Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony on March 6, 2027 **What you'll do:** - Submit three representative videos, each from a separate online series of at least three episodes - Write series and episode synopses of 100 words or less each - Write a creator statement of up to 1,500 words on your directing style, why you made these works now, and what you want to make next - Provide a still from each video and a headshot **Key dates:** - Submissions opened August 18, 2026 - Final deadline September 29, 2026 - Extended deadline for eligible Film Independent members October 2, 2026 - Nominations announced December 2, 2026 - Nominee Brunch and award presentation January 9, 2027 - Spirit Awards ceremony March 6, 2027 **More information:** - Full rules and regulations for Digital Creator submissions are in the official PDF linked from the submissions page - Questions go to the Spirit Awards nominations office, contact details in the rules PDF
