The 2026 Sundance Film Festival revealed its award winners during a ceremony at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah, honoring standout films across U.S., international, documentary, and NEXT categories ahead of the festival’s final weekend.
Top Grand Jury Prizes went to Josephine (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Nuisance Bear (U.S. Documentary Competition), Shame and Money (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and To Hold a Mountain (World Cinema Documentary Competition). The festival’s NEXT Innovator Award, presented by Adobe, was awarded to The Incomer, while TheyDream received the NEXT Special Jury Award.
Audience Awards reflected strong viewer engagement across categories. Josephine also claimed the Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic, alongside American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez for U.S. Documentary. International audience honors went to HOLD ONTO ME (Κράτα Με) and One In A Million, with Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] taking the NEXT Audience Award.
This year’s festival showcased 97 feature-length projects and 54 short films, selected from more than 16,000 submissions, underscoring Sundance’s continued role as a launchpad for emerging voices and bold storytelling. Award-winning films remain available online nationwide through February 1, with select titles screening in person for passholders.
The 2026 edition also marks one of the final Sundance gatherings in Utah, ahead of the festival’s planned move to Boulder, Colorado in 2027.
2026 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners:
Grand Jury Prizes
U.S. Dramatic — Josephine (dir. Beth de Araújo)
U.S. Documentary — Nuisance Bear (dirs. Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman)
World Cinema Dramatic — Shame and Money (dir. Visar Morina)
World Cinema Documentary — To Hold a Mountain (dirs. Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić)
NEXT Awards (Presented by Adobe)
NEXT Innovator Award — The Incomer (dir. Louis Paxton)
NEXT Special Jury Award — TheyDream (dir. William David Caballero)
Audience Awards
U.S. Dramatic (Acura) — Josephine
U.S. Documentary (Acura) — American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
World Cinema Dramatic (United Airlines) — Hold Onto Me (Κράτα Με)
World Cinema Documentary (United Airlines) — One In A Million
NEXT (Adobe) — Aanikoobijigan
Jury Awards: Directing, Screenwriting & Editing
Directing, U.S. Dramatic — Josef Kubota Wladyka (Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty!)
Directing, U.S. Documentary — J.M. Harper (Soul Patrol)
Directing, World Cinema Dramatic — Andrius Blaževičius (How to Divorce During the War)
Directing, World Cinema Documentary — Itab Azzam & Jack MacInnes (One In A Million)
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (U.S. Dramatic) — Liz Sargent (Take Me Home)
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award (U.S. Documentary) — Matt Hixon (Barbara Forever)
Special Jury Awards
Debut Feature — Bedford Park (dir. Stephanie Ahn)
Ensemble Cast — The Friend’s House Is Here
Journalistic Excellence — Who Killed Alex Odeh?
Impact for Change — The Lake
Creative Vision (World Cinema Dramatic) — Filipiñana
Acting Ensemble (World Cinema Dramatic) — Lady
Journalistic Impact (World Cinema Documentary) — Birds of War
Civil Resistance — Everybody To Kenmure Street
NEXT Special Jury Award: Creative Expression — TheyDream
