IFFI’s OTT prize is open. Again.
Entries for IFFI 2026 are live — Indian Panorama plus a ₹10 lakh Best Web Series award that’s been around since 2023. Telugu teams have a hard 6 p.m., 10 August clock.
IFFI 2026 submissions are open until 6 p.m. on 10 August.
IFFI has opened submissions for its 57th edition in Goa, 20–28 November 2026, with entries invited for Indian Panorama, Best Debut Director (Indian feature), Best Web Series (OTT) and international competitions, according to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’s announcement via NFDC. Ashutosh Gowariker is named Festival Director for this edition.
For the Indian Panorama section, the organisers say they will select 25 feature films and 20 non-feature films. The web-series award carries a ₹10 lakh cash prize and a certificate, and is pitched at storytelling on Indian digital platforms with an explicit emphasis on Indian languages — useful if your series is in Telugu and travels well with subtitles.
Deadlines are tight and precise: online submission by 10 August 2026, 6 p.m., and signed hard copies with supporting documents by 17 August 2026, 6 p.m. The web-series rules also fix the eligibility window to releases between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026, allow only one season per entry, require an English-subtitled private screener link that is paywall-free, and set the entry fee at ₹11,800 (including 18% GST). Applicants can be India-based producers or production houses, an eligible OTT platform submitting its original/co-pro, or the majority rights holder in a qualifying co-production.
One correction to the usual hype: the Best Web Series (OTT) award is not new this year. IFFI’s own regulations say it was introduced at the 54th IFFI in 2023. The opportunity for Indian-language work is current; the category has existed for three editions.
File your screener, label your season, add the subtitles. Delhi will still claim the credit either way; the deadline won’t move for it.