SIMA Studios + Awards

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SIMA Studios + Awards

A global impact media agency amplifying the power of creative projects to advance social change.

The annual SIMA AWARDS champion eye-opening impact cinema that exemplifies excellence in its potential to inspire social change. Each year, films are selected from over 140 countries around the world, competing for honors, cash prizes, industry accolades, media features, distribution opportunities, and entry into SIMA’s signature film programs. Our international Film Programs: SIMAx, SIMA Classroo

m and SIMA VOD, maximize the impact and exposure of the best films from our annual awards. Through unique partnerships and collaborations with individuals, organizations and educational institutions, we host year-round screening events that cultivate awareness and engagement from the grassroots to the governmental level.

10/09/2025

That’s a wrap! Submissions for The 14th Annual Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA 2026) close tonight!

Last chance to submit your:

▪️ Feature & Short Documentaries
▪️ Impact Videos
▪️ XR / Interactive Media Projects
▪️ Impact Campaigns
▪️ Production Companies

SIMA 2026 champions storytelling at the intersection of creative excellence and social resonance.

🏆 SUBMIT 🎥 Entry Categories + Rules 🔗 https://www.simaawards.com/

Photo: TALIBE Screening, Film Directed by Daniela Kon Lieberberg

10/08/2025

LAST CHANCE TO SUBMIT 🎥 Doc Filmmakers + Impact Media Creatives submit your work to SIMA 2026 by Oct. 9!

“At the heart of SIMA is a commitment to stories that are both artistically bold and socially indispensable. Creative excellence means more than technical mastery; it is filmmaking with a distinct voice, films that surprise, challenge, and breathe life into even the most difficult truths. Social resonance is what transforms those works into catalysts—stories that do not simply document injustice, but humanize it; that do not merely inform, but transform. These are films that uphold dignity, invite empathy, and stir our collective conscience. We cannot wait to see and champion your work this year.” — Daniela Kon Lieberberg, Founder & CEO, SIMA

🏆 SUBMIT + Entry Categories + Rules 🔗 simaawards.org

The 14th Annual SIMA Awards are powered by SIMA STUDIOS, The Foundation for Systemic Change, Ethologics FIPADOC - International Documentary Festival International Documentary Association (IDA) Firelight Media & Firelight Films DC/DOX Festival Double Exposure Film Festival Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) Documentary Australia The Good Media Network Women's Voices Now Doc Edge and Docubox

09/26/2025

SIMA News | September 2025 — SIMA 2026 Final Deadline fast approaching; Institute for Humane Education Event Spotlight; Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival; 🚨 AND 🚨 a limited-time promo for production company submissions, use code SIMAPROC050 at checkout for 50% off!: simaawards.com/store/p/production-company

09/24/2025

Tomorrow! 🚨Regular Deadline closes at midnight — + Enjoy 50% OFF Production Company submissions now through October 3. Use code SIMAPROCO50 (all caps) at checkout.

(👥 🔁 tag a prod. company + producer you know below in the comments!)

SUBMIT AT 🔗 SIMAAWARDS.ORG

09/16/2025

Ready to showcase your documentary to global audiences?

SIMA 2026 Category Spotlight: Feature & Short Documentaries ✨ for docs completed between October 2024 and September 2025.

🎬 Features → Stand-alone documentaries, 40+ minutes
🎬 Shorts → Stand-alone documentaries, under 40 minutes

CATEGORY AWARDS & JURY PRIZES

🌍 Distribution Opportunities
—Feature Finalists → Cinema Across Borders, SIMA’s global traveling series spanning 30+ countries.
—Short Finalists → Cinema Across Borders + award-winning global education platform, SIMA Academy.

🏆 Awards
—Best Documentary
—Best Director
—Best Cinematography
—Best Editing
—Best Sound Editing

🏆 Special Awards & Jury Prizes
—Systemic Change Award (sponsored by The Foundation for Systemic Change)
—Jury Prizes → Transparency, Stylistic Achievement & Ethos, Lens to Action (sponsored by Ethologics)

The 14th Annual Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA 2026) champion storytelling at the intersection of creative excellence and social resonance. LEARN MORE +

SUBMIT AT 🔗 SIMAAWARDS.ORG

Photo: FORCED, SIMA Cinematheque

[ALT TEXT: Black-and-white photo of a boy in a market, balancing a large basket on his head. Sunlight beams through as produce and goods surround him. Text reads “CATEGORY documentary .”]

09/09/2025

📣GLOBAL OPEN CALL 🎥 Doc Filmmakers + Impact Media Creatives submit your work to SIMA 2026!

The 14th Annual Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA Awards) champion storytelling at the intersection of creative excellence and social resonance.

🎬Now accepting submissions in:
▪️ Feature & Short Documentaries
▪️ Impact Videos
▪️ XR / Interactive Media Projects
▪️ Impact Campaigns
▪️ Production Companies

📅 Deadlines:
EARLY BIRD | September 18, 2025
FINAL DEADLINE | October 9, 2025

Learn More + Submit: https://www.simaawards.com

The 14th Annual SIMA Awards are powered by SIMA STUDIOS, The Foundation for Systemic Change, Ethologics, FIPADOC - International Documentary Festival, International Documentary Association (IDA), Firelight Media & Firelight Films, DC/DOX Festival, Double Exposure Film Festival, Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), Documentary Australia, The Good Media Network, Women's Voices Now, Doc Edge, and Docubox

Poster Photo: Film Still, UNTIL HE’S BACK, SIMA 2025 Best Short Documentary and Best Sound, Directed by Jacqueline Baylon, DP Guillem Trius

[Alt Text: Promotional poster for the SIMA 2026 Social Impact Media Awards. Large bold text reads “SIMA 2026” over a red-toned background image of silhouetted people gathered together, some raising their hands. At the bottom, text reads: “SIMAawards.com – Call for Entries, Sept. 9 – Oct. 9, 2025.” Additional partner logos are displayed along the bottom edge.]

08/28/2025

SIMA NEWS | August 2025 — SIMA 2026 opens for submissions on Sept. 9; Doc Edge and Firelight Media & Firelight Films open call; Cinema Across Borders touches down in Nigeria, Columbia and Bangladesh; and more...

VIEW + LINKS: https://t.e2ma.net/message/d1bpei/x04ql5t

08/25/2025

PARTNER OPEN CALL: Firelight Media is accepting applications for its newly launched , supporting Black, Brown, and Indigenous stories from development through distribution, with a focus on those who are telling urgent stories and using their craft to advance social justice. Open to short documentaries at any stage and feature-length documentaries at production, post-production, or distribution and impact stages.

Apply by September 18: bit.ly/firelight-fund

[Promotional Graphic Alt Text: A promotional image for the Firelight Fund featuring a Black woman holding a megaphone at a protest wearing a black hoodie that reads “Fund Black Futures.” Orange and white text on a dark purple background reads “Open Call, Firelight Fund, Supporting Black, Brown, and Indigenous stories from development through distribution, with a focus on those who are telling urgent stories and using their craft to advance social justice. Deadline September 18, 2025”]

08/21/2025

SAVE THE DATE—Doc Filmmakers + Impact Media Creatives 🏆 SIMA 2026 Opens for Submissions on September 9, 2025.

The annual Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA 2026) champion storytelling at the intersection of creative excellence and vital social resonance.

👁View Entry Categories + Rules:
🔗 simastudios.org/sima-awards

The 14th Annual SIMA Awards are powered by SIMA STUDIOS, The Foundation for Systemic Change, Ethologics, FIPADOC - International Documentary Festival, International Documentary Association (IDA), Firelight Media & Firelight Films, DC/DOX, Festival Double Exposure Film Festival, Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), Documentary Australia, The Good Media Network, Women's Voices Now, and Doc Edge.

Poster Photo: Film Still, UNTIL HE’S BACK, SIMA 2025 Best Short Documentary and Best Sound, Directed by Jacqueline Baylon, DP Guillem Trius

08/06/2025

Calling all Filmmakers! Submissions are officially open for the 2026 Women's Voices Now Film Festival! We’re excited to partner with such an extraordinary organization to amplify women documentary filmmakers worldwide.

Ready to share your story? Apply today at FilmFreeway.com/WomensVoicesNow!

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Telephone

+12138076292

Website

http://www.simastudios.org/

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