NEWS

YDA 2020: Call for Entries

Young Director Award 2020 entries are now OPEN!
Get your entries in before April 1 to make the most of our Early Bird discount.
This year we are introducing 2 new categories:


NEW FOR 2020: Best Use of Humour

Whether the style is situational, political, nuanced linguistic or flat out slapstick, 2020 will see the Young Director Award celebrate advertising’s sense of humour. Alongside special presentations at the YDA ceremony in June, this year we are also adding the Best Use of Humour category to the YDA. Humour has been used to sell everything from beer to beds, from peanuts to political parties, and we want to see the best, most creative and, of course, funniest uses of comedy for 2020.
Register to Enter Best Use of Humour


NEW FOR 2020: Dreampitch

Directors are at the heart of what the YDA is about, but many of those directors would be lost without the scripts from which they work. This year we want to open the floor to these young creatives and scriptwriters with the introduction of our new category, Dreampitch.

At the centre of every good film is a great idea that has come ahead of anything else, and a truly great idea doesn’t need an essay to explain it.

In 2020 we’re looking for great ideas that can be pitched in a maximum of 100 words; words which will inspire our international jury of industry experts and creatives, and could go on to attract the attention of an agency/brand/streaming platform/producer and, of course, a director.
You can enter Dreampitch ideas for the following sub categories:

  • Changing the World Frame by Frame
  • Branded Film (of any length)
  • Short Film
  • Series

Register to Enter Your Dreampitch


YDA Producer’s Award 2020

This year, we are changing the way the Producer’s Award works. As a reminder, this award celebrates the production company who has contributed the most to developing young directorial talent. Production companies will no longer have to submit a reel to enter; all production houses (excluding educational institutions) that have submitted work to any of the YDA 2020 categories will automatically be entered for the award. The winner will then be decided based on the points awarded for entries they are credited on, across ALL their entries:

  • 2 points for each shortlisted entry
  • 5 points for each Silver winner
  • 8 points for each Gold winner
  • 10 points for the Special Jury award.
  • The entrant with the highest total score will be given the YDA Producer’s Award 2020.

Register Now to Create an Entry

View all YDA 2020 categories

The Young Director Award Ceremony will take place on 25th June 2020 in Cannes.

Other News

Multiple award winner Sinan Sevinç on weaving powerful parallel narratives

Sinan Sevinç’s heart-rending short film Split Second scooped up a staggering five wins this year, taking  More…

Neil Ferron

Neil Ferron fishes on dark shores for his win

After picking up a Gold Screen in the Film School (10 minutes and over) category  More…

Jing Ai Ng Delta

Jing Ai Ng tells us how a passion for the Delta Chinese community led to a YDA

Winning Gold in the Passion Project category, Jing Ai Ng’s Asian American folk story Delta is  More…

Lisette Donkersloot SiHAME

How Lisette Donkersloot’s female-focussed thriller became a Gold winner

Caviar director Lisette Donkersloot talks to Izzy Ashton about the complex themes, characters, and casting in  More…

Lucas Parra

Gold winner Lucas Parra on match cuts and memorable moments

Bagging a gold in the Film School (up to 10 minutes) category, Lucas Parra’s spot  More…

Linda-Schiwa Klinkhammer I Think I Hate My Father

Gold Winner Linda-Schiwa Klinkhammer on patriarchy and perspective

Director Linda-Schiwa Klinkhammer picked up a Gold in the Dreampitch: Changing the World Frame by  More…