Rules & Regulations 2026
- Mountainfilm Graz supports and promotes the culture of mountain, adventure and nature filmmaking. Its focus lies on good stories and their cinematic realisation. The films chosen for competition will be presented to a large audience in public screenings. Filmmakers will also be able to get into contact with other specialists in their field. An international jury will judge the films, which have been chosen in advance by a pre-selection committee. This jury will award the “Grand Prix Graz” as the main prize and four prizes in the categories mentioned below. Additionally, a prize for the best Austrian film is awarded.
- Films may be submitted by registered film producers, television companies, professional filmmakers such as cameramen, directors and writers of screenplays. In addition, films by students of film schools and academies are accepted.
- Only films made in the last three years (released after June 2023) can be admitted to the competition in the following categories:
Category A – Alpinism & Expeditions
Films on expeditions and ventures with explorative character in natural environment far from civilisation.Category S – Sports in Mountains & Nature
Films that focus on the athletic performance in an outdoor environment and the motivations of the protagonists.Category N – Nature & Environment
Films that deal with preservation and presentation of the environment, nature and wildlife.Category M – People & Cultures
Films on ethnological topics and cultures in their environment. - The same film may only be entered once to Mountainfilm Graz.
- The Awards:
Main Award – “Grand Prix Graz”
This trophy, including a cash prize of € 4,000.- will be awarded to the best film of the festival.Awards for Categories I–IV – “Alpine Camera in Gold”
This prize, including a cash prize of € 2,000.- will be awarded to the best film in each of the categories A, S, N and M. Honourable mentions may be given in each category.“Alpine Camera Austria”
To support local filmmakers, the jury awards the “Alpine Camera Austria”, including a cash prize of € 2,000.- for the best film directed and/or produced by Austrians.Best Newcomer Film – „Dachstein – Best Newcomer Award“
Directors and producers may enter the competition for the Newcomer Award in addition to the general competition, under the following conditions: maximum age of 27, education at a film school or equivalent film-related education. This prize is awarded together with a trophy and prize money of € 1,000.-.Awards are presented to the director or the producer of the film.
- Registration / entry dates:
Each film has to be registered via the online registration form on the festival website www.mountainfilm.com and submitted to the festival office as a digital preview version for download or streaming (Vimeo, Dropbox or Youtube) for pre-selection screenings. Please provide the festival office with the corresponding link and password.A short summary (max. 800 characters) and four pictures from the film in good quality (resolution 300 dpi) must be sent to the festival office. Please label all images with the credits of the photographer (or provide them in a separate text file). Moreover, it is possible to send a trailer of the submitted film.
Furthermore, a complete text and dialogue script (subtitles) of the film must be (if available) in one of the following languages: German, English. You may submit the film with integrated subtitles or transfer the subtitle file via email.
If available, please include a press kit and director’s CV.
Registration deadline: Monday, July 06, 2026
- A pre-selection committee screens and evaluates the submitted films for content and technical quality and selects the films for the competition. The films accepted are subsequently presented to the members of the international jury. The pre-selection committee and the jury reserve the right to put a film in a different category than it was originally entered and to accept films to be shown outside the competition. The decisions of the committee and of the jury are final and cannot be legally objected.
- The participants will be informed about the decisions of the pre-selection committee by September 2026.
- Screening formats:
Screening versions of the films in competition are accepted in the following formats:Digital formats:
The preferred transmission format is h264 with a resolution of at least 1920×1080 px (FullHD) and a bitrate higher than 20 Mbit/sec. Maximum filesize 50 GB.Possible ways of transmission:
Download link via filemail.com, vimeo, Dropbox, Google Drive, Youtube or swisstransfer. Also possible is the transmission via USB flash drive or mobile harddrive (HDD).ATTENTION: There should be NO corporate logos of TV stations or watermarks of film productions visible on the screen.
- Transmission of screening versions:
The screening version of films in competition must be sent to the festival office by October 01, 2026, at the latest. If not transmitted digitally, please inform us about the shipment, when it has been made, the approximate date of arrival and the code number of the shipment (tracking number, airway bill, etc.). Cost of shipment to Graz must be covered by the sender. Shipment for the return sending will be covered by the festival. - The festival assures professional handling of the submitted material. In case of damage, however, there will be no refund beyond the value of the raw material.
- The participant gives permission to the festival to reproduce and publish text, photos and clips of the entered film to promote the festival programme and the festival itself, furthermore to publish the producer’s name for the same purpose. More information about data security you find in a separate data privacy statement.
- A trailer of each film will be presented on www.mountainfilm.com. The festival has the right to produce a film clip from the previewing/screening version and present it on the website should the participant not provide a trailer himself.
- The person submitting the film and photos of the film to Mountainfilm Graz 2026 guarantees to hold the rights for a festival submission and in this sense also for public screening. In no way can the festival be held responsible for third-party protests or lawsuits related to programme submissions.
- Mountainfilm Graz does not charge entry fees. The films selected by the pre-selection committee will be presented to the public during the days of the festival in Graz. Submitters of the films have no rights to charge any screening fees. The participant authorizes Mountainfilm Graz (Robert Schauer Filmproduktion GmbH) to screen the film shown at the festival also as part of a Mountainfilm Graz Film Tour, which may be organized after the festival.
- One representative for each film in competition chosen by the pre-selection committee will be invited to come to Graz for the festival. The hotel cost for one night (when booking via the festival office), as well as a VIP entrance ticket and invitations to public events, will be covered by the festival organisation for this person. Travel costs and any other expenses are not covered by the festival.
- Films that are not selected by the pre-selection committee can be screened as well to the public outside competition during the festival. One member of the film team receives a VIP entrance ticket for the festival and invitations to public events. Hotel accommodation, travel costs and any other expenses are not covered by the festival.
- Winners of a festival prize (“Grand Prix Graz”, “Alpine Camera in Gold” or “Alpine Camera Austria”) will be personally invited to the award ceremony. Travel and hotel costs will be covered by the festival for one person.
- The acceptance of the above regulations is binding for participation in the competition and granted through the online registration process for each film.
The Festival Management
Graz, May 2026
Mountainfilm Graz 2026
17–21 November 2026
Robert Schauer Filmproduktion GmbH
Am Klammbach 1a, 8044 Graz/Austria
Tel.: +43 316 814223
Mail: mountainfilm@mountainfilm.com
Web: www.mountainfilm.com