Canadian Short Screenplay Competition Announces 2026 Award Winners

TORONTO - EntSun -- The Canadian Short Screenplay Competition (CSSC) has announced the winners of its 7th edition, with honours presented during the Yorkton Film Festival in Saskatchewan, Canada. Following another year of extraordinary entries, an industry-based jury including BAFTA-winning performer Owen Teale awarded top honours during the 79th Yorkton Film Festival to:

• Eyes written by Adrian Bobb received the Best in Fest Grand Prize;
• Trespassers written by Madeleine Ellis earned the second place Golden Cinema Award;
• This Is Me written by Gabriel Luna claimed the Silver Screen Award in third place.

As part of the CSSC's mission to champion new voices in screenwriting and help bring exceptional short scripts to life, each of the three winners will receive an option and purchase agreement — valued at $1,000, $500, and $250, respectively.

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"I'd like to extend my gratitude and thanks to our dedicated jury and all our scribes," said David Cormican, CSSC Founder and Festival Director. "I also want to thank the team at Yorkton Film Festival... To Adrian, Madeleine and Gabe; I can't wait to see what's in store for each of you."

"Eyes is a deeply personal story about grief, isolation, and the strange grace of being truly seen," said winner Adrian Bobb. "This recognition affirms something I have always believed: that genre filmmaking... can hold a mirror to our most intimate human truths. Thank you for championing Canadian screenwriters."

The award ceremony concludes a successful year of the CSSC after last year's explosive relaunch following a 12-year hiatus. Originally founded in 2008 by Cormican, the CSSC is known for elevating unproduced screenplays into acclaimed short films amongst international film festivals and audiences such as Festival de Cannes.

The competition draws in entries from all around the world, showcasing a diverse range of voices, genres and ideas. Beyond the top three honourees, the 2026 edition's final placement is as follows:

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(4)  Subscription  written by Christopher Glass
(5)  Memory Care  written by Michelle Tattenbaum
(6)  Thumbs Up!  written by Marlowe Percival
(7)  Hannah and the Honeydew Shortage  written by Daniela Di Salvo
(8)  Under the Bed  written by Anna Xiques
(9)  Rabbit on the Moon  written by Mei Wu
(10)  Alone  written by Adam Greig
(11)  Bubbles  written by Paddy C. Courtney
(12)  Forgotten Colors  written by Alejandro Jaramillo
(13)  Would You Like to Tell Me What You Dreamed?  written by Juan Méndez

Following a successful relaunch and hundreds of submissions in 2026, the 8th edition of the Canadian Short Screenplay Competition is expected to open later this year on FilmFreeway, Stage32 and Short Film Depot. Writers are encouraged to begin preparing their screenplays for the 2027 edition.