International Competition Guidelines – Santiago Wild Film Festival 2026
Santiago Wild, Latin America’s most important Nature, Wildlife, and Environment Film Festival, organized by Ladera Sur with the support of National Geographic and Jackson Wild Festival, is back.
In its sixth edition, we invite filmmakers from around the world to submit their productions in the festival’s different categories, including “Planet in Crisis,” “Stories of nature,” “Guardians in action,” “Pulses of the Earth,” “Digital explorers,” “Wild Gaze,” and “New Latin American voices,” among others.
By submitting their work, each participant will be competing for the opportunity to receive the Puma de los Andes award, a special prize awarded by the jury to the best work, along with the opportunity to screen their film during the Santiago Wild Summit, to be held from May 4 to 8, 2026, in Santiago, Chile. This is a unique event in Latin America that seeks to promote the industry from the southern hemisphere.
Awards and Prizes
The winners in each category will receive a laurel wreath and the festival trophy, which will be presented at the awards ceremony on May 7, 2026, at the festival summit in Santiago, Chile. In addition, their films may be screened at the live screenings of Santiago Wild 2026.
The winner of the “New Voices of Latin America” category wins a pass to the Jackson Wild Festival in the United States, to be held in October 2027.
The jury and nominees will be announced during March 2026.
Categories
The Santiago Wild 2026 Festival has 13 categories open for submission, plus the highest recognition of the jury prize, which is not open for submission. It is possible to submit to all categories in which you wish to participate. These are:
- “Puma de los Andes”: Grand Jury Prize for the best film in the Festival competition (not open to submission)
- Planet in crisis (Feature films and short films)
- Stories of nature (Feature films and short films)
- Guardians in action (Feature films and short films)
- New voices of Latin America (Feature films and short films)
- Wild gaze (Single category)
- Digital explorers (Single category)
- Chronicles of the territory (Single category)
- The beauty of nature (Single category)
- Voices of the Earth (Single category)
Below is a description of each category:
1.- Puma of the Andes / Jury award
The Puma of the Andes is the highest award given by the jury to the best film of the festival. This recognition celebrates works that represent the causes of nature with integrity, standing out for their powerful message and technical and artistic excellence.
2.- Planet in crisis / Environment
2 categories: Feature films and short films.
Explores environmental issues and problems while promoting activism efforts. These films tell investigative stories and call for action. The impact of humans on the environment must be the main focus of the production. It considers journalistic reports and activism that includes impact campaigns.
3.- Stories of nature / Natural history
2 categories: Feature films and short films.
Narratives that showcase the beauty, behavior, and interconnectedness of wildlife. A window into the natural world that highlights particular species, ecosystems, or moments of discovery. Natural history, ecosystems, and/or animal behavior must be the main focus of the production.
4.- Guardians in action / Conservation
2 categories: Feature films and short films.
Stories about conservation projects, research, and collaborations between communities and organizations. Encouraging stories that instill hope and inspire action.
Conservation initiatives, whether research, NGO projects, or solutions to environmental challenges, are the main focus of this category.
5.- New Latin American voices / Emerging talent
2 categories: Feature films and short films.
This category rewards new voices and stories from emerging filmmakers in Latin America. It highlights the creativity and potential of filmmakers in the region. Themes may address nature, the environment, science, sports, and conservation.
Requirement: must be the first or second work of the director, producer, or authorized representative of the work. The applicant is awarded. Academic degree projects are considered. May have been funded by grants.
6.- Wild gaze / New narratives
Single category.
These films transcend the boundaries of traditional nature storytelling. They may be fictional, feature innovative cinematographic techniques, be digital, animated, artistic, or present new perspectives or innovative narratives that inspire and challenge audiences to see the natural world in a distinctive way.
7.- Digital explorers / Content creators
Single category.
Short videos and microfilms lasting less than 3 minutes, made by content creators. These are audiovisual pieces created and optimized for different formats and platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc., which may incorporate trends, humor or artistic and/or viral narrative approaches, depending on the objectives of the project.
Requirements: the submission must be designed specifically for a format compatible with platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube (4:5 or 9:16). It must tell a story and/or show an aspect of nature that tells a narrative. It is produced mainly on camera. It may include digital resources that do not exceed 15% of the production. A recording or capture is not considered eligible. Fragments or excerpts from other major productions will not be considered.
8.- Chronicles of the territory / Investigation
Single category.
This category rewards investigative journalism on nature and/or the environment in documentary film. Quality, relevance, rigor, and originality will be recognized. Short films and feature films are eligible to participate.
9.- The beauty of nature / Cinematography
Single category
This category aims to recognize excellence in cinematographic work. Aesthetic quality, expressive use of the camera, visual composition, lighting, and visual coherence with the narrative addressed in the documentary will be evaluated. Short films and feature films are eligible to participate.
10.- Voices of the Earth / Sound
Single category.
This category values the creative use of sound in a documentary work. It seeks to highlight an original musical proposal and/or artistic and technical excellence in sound design. Short films and feature films are eligible to participate.
Times
- Short film: 3 to 20 minutes
- Feature film: 21 to 150 minutes
- Digital explorers category: 1 to 3 minutes
- Wild gaze category: 3 to 150 minutes
Rules and Terms
- Participants can apply from January 7 until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 8, 2026, and the finalists will be announced during the month of April 2026.
- Films may be sponsored by brands, however, their display must be kept to a minimum. Productions that focus on a particular brand for promotional purposes will not be considered.
- Fee: applications to the festival competition involve a cost that can vary between $15 and $40 USD. Payment must be made by credit card.
- For films in foreign languages or indigenous languages, subtitles or dubbing in Spanish are required.
- Production must have been completed on or after January 1, 2023.
- Applicants may apply to more than one category.
- Films must be original and authored by the applicant.
- Those selected must submit a copy of the material in a minimum standard of Full HD in h264 codec and maximum 4K ProRes codec to be screened at the event.
- Finalists will be asked to provide additional material from the productions, such as promotional photographs, posters, headshots, trailers, and audiovisual material for social media and the web catalog.
- By applying, applicants accept the terms defined by Santiago Wild for the screening of content during the festival.
- Participation in the contest implies acceptance of each and every one of the contest rules. The organization reserves the right to resolve any contingency not provided for in the rules.
Premieres
Films premiering at the Festival will be considered for a special screening at the discretion of the production team, in order to promote their distribution and give greater visibility to both the film and the event.
Rights
By participating in the competition, the contestant declares and guarantees that: the participant grants Santiago Wild the rights to screen the film during the Festival, as well as the right to promote the film in or through all formats currently known on the Internet and in the media.
In order to participate, the participant must own all rights, titles, and interests, including copyright and all intellectual property rights, in and to the film to be presented at the Festival.
The content and production of each documentary is the sole responsibility of its creators. The Santiago Wild Festival and its collaborators are not responsible for the opinions, actions, or legal aspects of the productions submitted and selected for the competition.
Dates & deadlines
Opening date
January 7, 2026
Entry deadline
Early deadline: February 16, 2026
Final deadline: March 8, 2026
Nonification date
March 25, 2026
Event date
May 4, 2026 to May 8, 2026
