How festival results are named
Every festival prints its own words. EndCredits keeps the festival's wording next to the result and files it under one of nine tiers so that a laurel from Clermont-Ferrand and one from a school showcase can be read side by side.
The nine tiers, weakest to strongest
- 1Official selection
- Official Selection, Out of Competition, Special or Midnight Screenings, sidebars, showcase screenings
- 2In competition
- Competition strands such as Un Certain Regard or Berlinale Shorts; use Official selection when the festival has no split
- 3Longlisted
- BAFTA longlist, quarter-finalist, second rounder
- 4Shortlisted
- Oscar or EFA shortlist, semi-finalist
- 5Nominated
- Nominee, finalist, the final shortlist at Cannes Lions or D&AD
- 6Special mention
- Special, honorable, or honorary mention; highly commended; special jury recognition
- 7Audience award
- Audience, People's Choice, Festival Favorite, and junior-jury awards
- 8Award
- Best X, jury prizes, Special Jury Prize, sponsor and academy wins
- 9Grand prize
- Grand Prix, Grand Jury Prize, Best of Festival, Palme d'Or, Golden Bear, Lion, or Leopard
Awards carry a place: a runner-up such as the Cannes Grand Prix or a bronze medal keeps its own tier and shows the place. A prize conferred by a third-party jury, such as FIPRESCI or the Teddy, is an award from that jury at the festival.
How notable festivals phrase it
The same table drives how imported catalogs are read, so it uses the festivals' own wording.
| Festival | Their wording | On EndCredits |
|---|---|---|
| Cannes | Compétition, Un Certain Regard, Short Films Competition, La Cinef | In competition |
| Hors Compétition, Séances Spéciales, Séances de Minuit, Cannes Première, Cannes Classics | Official selection | |
| Palme d'Or, Short Film Palme d'Or | Grand prize | |
| Grand Prix | Grand prize · runner-up, place 2 | |
| Prix du Jury, Prix de la mise en scène, Prix d'interprétation, Caméra d'Or, Un Certain Regard Prize | Award | |
| FIPRESCI Prize, Queer Palm, Prix de la Citoyenneté | Award · conferred by a third-party jury | |
| Mention spéciale | Special mention | |
| Semaine de la Critique, Quinzaine des Cinéastes, ACID | Official selection · a selection at that section, not at Cannes | |
| Short Film Corner, Marché du Film | Market screening · never a Cannes selection | |
| Sundance | U.S. and World Dramatic or Documentary Competition, Short Film Program | In competition |
| Premieres, Midnight, NEXT, Spotlight, Kids, Episodic | Official selection | |
| Grand Jury Prize, Short Film Grand Jury Prize | Grand prize | |
| Audience Award, Festival Favorite Award | Audience award | |
| Directing Award, Special Jury Award, Short Film Jury Award, NEXT Innovator Award | Award | |
| Honorable Mention | Special mention | |
| Berlinale | Wettbewerb, Encounters, Berlinale Shorts, Generation Kplus and 14plus, Perspectives | In competition |
| Berlinale Special, Panorama, Forum, Forum Expanded, Retrospective | Official selection | |
| Goldener Bär, Golden Bear for Best Short Film | Grand prize | |
| Silberner Bär Großer Preis der Jury | Grand prize · runner-up, place 2 | |
| Silver Bear (Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Leading Performance…), Crystal Bear, GWFF Best First Feature | Award | |
| Panorama Audience Award | Audience award | |
| Teddy Award, FIPRESCI, Ecumenical Jury | Award · conferred by a third-party jury | |
| Lobende Erwähnung (special mention) | Special mention | |
| Venice | Venezia (Competition), Orizzonti, Orizzonti Short Films, Venice Immersive | In competition |
| Fuori Concorso, Venice Classics, Venice Spotlight | Official selection | |
| Leone d'Oro | Grand prize | |
| Leone d'Argento – Gran Premio della Giuria | Grand prize · runner-up, place 2 | |
| Leone d'Argento for Best Director, Coppa Volpi, Premio Speciale della Giuria, Orizzonti Award, Luigi De Laurentiis Award | Award | |
| Menzione speciale | Special mention | |
| Giornate degli Autori, Settimana Internazionale della Critica | Official selection · a selection at that section | |
| Clermont-Ferrand | Compétition nationale, Compétition internationale, Compétition Labo | In competition |
| Panoramas, Focus, Séances spéciales, Ecrans jeune public | Official selection | |
| Grand Prix | Grand prize | |
| Prix spécial du jury, Prix du meilleur film d'animation, Prix Canal+, Prix de la presse | Award | |
| Prix du public | Audience award | |
| Mention spéciale | Special mention | |
| Academy Awards and BAFTA | Oscar shortlist (fifteen films per shorts category) | Shortlisted |
| BAFTA longlist | Longlisted | |
| Nomination | Nominated | |
| Winner | Award | |
| Student Academy Awards finalist | Nominated | |
| Student Academy Awards gold, silver, bronze medal | Award · places 1, 2, 3 | |
| Screened at an Academy shorts-qualifying festival | Official selection · a selection there, not a qualification; the film qualifies only with the exact award the Academy names | |
| Nicholl Fellowships and screenwriting contests | Quarterfinalist, second rounder | Longlisted |
| Semifinalist | Shortlisted | |
| Finalist | Nominated | |
| Fellowship, winner | Award | |
| Cannes Lions and D&AD | Shortlist | Nominated |
| Bronze Lion, Wood Pencil | Award · place 3 | |
| Silver Lion, Graphite Pencil | Award · place 2 | |
| Gold Lion, Yellow Pencil, Titanium Lion | Award | |
| Grand Prix, Black Pencil | Grand prize | |
| Online platforms | Vimeo Staff Pick, Short of the Week, Omeleto, NoBudge, Directors Notes | Official selection · a curated feature on a platform |
| Best of the Year, Best of the Month | Award |
What is not a result
Premiere status. A world or international premiere is recorded on the selection as a fact about the screening, not as a tier. It changes nothing about how strong the result is.
Opening, closing, centerpiece, and gala slots. These are recorded as the slot of a selection. The result underneath is still a selection or an in-competition entry.
Market screenings. The Cannes Short Film Corner, the Marché du Film, and other markets sell and screen films; they do not select them. EndCredits shows them as market screenings and never as a selection at the festival that hosts the market.
Oscar qualification. A festival on the Academy's list is marked as such on its entry. A film qualifies only when it wins the exact award the Academy names, and EndCredits never asserts that from a filmmaker's claim.
What earns the check mark
Claimed. The filmmakers say so. It shows with a small unconfirmed marker.
Evidenced. Laurels, a screenshot, a forwarded email, or a link were attached and a person at EndCredits looked at them to keep out spam. The artefact shows on the page. It is still unconfirmed, because every one of these can be faked.
Verified. The film was matched on the festival's own program page, in a signed notification email from the festival or its submission platform, or in the festival's published catalog, or the festival confirmed its lineup. Only these produce the check mark. Nobody at EndCredits can grant it by hand; our review can only remove fraudulent claims and help when a check failed for a dull reason.
Confirmed collaborators on a project can question a selection the same way they can question a credit. See also posting on EndCredits.