Women Make Waves International Film Festival

The 2026 Taiwan Competition presents one Gold Award, two Silver Awards and several Special Awards across all film forms. The total cash-prize pool exceeds NT$150,000. Gold and Silver Awards include prize money, a trophy and gifts; Special Awards include a trophy and gifts. Finalists receive certificates and opportunities for domestic and international promotion by the Taiwan Women's Film Association. Prize money is subject to Taiwan income-tax withholding.

2026 participation rules. Both international submissions and Taiwan Competition submissions are closed. The following terms concern the 33rd festival, 16–25 October 2026; they do not announce a later call. INTERNATIONAL SUBMISSIONS Eligibility: At least one director must be a woman, including a self-identifying woman. Queer films welcome filmmakers of all genders. Films must be completed no earlier than 1 March 2024. A Taiwan premiere is required: no previous screening, broadcast or online availability in Taiwan, in any form or for any duration. All forms, styles, lengths and formats are accepted, including work concerning LGBTQI communities, women, gender, feminism and current world issues. Individuals and companies may submit. Entry and payment: Submit through the official online entry form or FilmFreeway. The fee is US$15 or NT$450. The deadline is 3 March 2026 at 23:59 GMT+8, when the official entry system closes. FilmFreeway entrants pay on that platform; official-form entrants receive a payment link by email. A complete form, a valid online screener and the fee must all arrive by the deadline. Do not change the screener URL or password. Incomplete entries are excluded. Non-Mandarin/non-English films require Chinese or English subtitles. Applicants are responsible for copyright clearance and accurate, current film information; the festival accepts no responsibility for unauthorized material. Entry signifies agreement to the regulations; violations may disqualify a film. Submission categories on FilmFreeway: Queer Films covers work by, about or of interest to LGBTQI+ communities and describes a platform for films made by women directors; the general eligibility clause expressly welcomes filmmakers of all genders for queer films; New Currents focuses on new women directors, particularly first and second features; Women Issues covers gender equality, discrimination and contemporary women's experiences; Others is also available. Each category lists a US$15 standard fee. The general eligibility terms apply across these categories. Selection and rights: Decisions are notified by August 2026; FilmFreeway gives 24 August 2026 as its notification date. Selection must remain confidential until the festival announces it. Selected entrants must sign the relevant screening authorization. The festival may screen the film and download, compile and publicly present publicity materials for promotion, exhibition, media coverage and archiving, without territorial or time limits. It may reproduce or translate subtitles and create Chinese-subtitled copies; those film copies are deleted when the licence expires, while Chinese subtitles may be archived. Submitted screeners and materials may be archived for internal previews and future academic research. The association also organizes a limited charitable and educational tour with schools, women and family centres, immigrant service centres and other communities across Taiwan. Materials: Within two weeks of confirming selection, provide at least three high-resolution 300-dpi stills; an English synopsis; the director's English profile and filmography; a high-resolution 300-dpi frontal director portrait; complete cast and credits; an English-subtitled trailer or excerpts in MOV or MP4; a complete dialogue list in the original language and English; festival and award history; and supplementary material such as reviews, press kits or posters. Supply a DCP or the highest-quality DPX or MOV/ProRes 444 or 422(HQ) file before mid-August, by post or online. The screening copy must match the submitted screener; otherwise the festival decides eligibility. Shipping and administration: Entrants bear submission-stage shipping. For selected films the festival covers shipping and customs to and from the original print source only, excluding onward shipment to another destination. The festival may amend or substitute regulations and retains authority to interpret and decide matters concerning eligibility, selection, competition results and screening arrangements. TAIWAN COMPETITION — 13TH COMPETITION, 2026 Organizer: Taiwan Women's Film Association. The competition supports women directors and works with gender awareness. The published competition regulations describe an October 2026 main festival and a subsequent tour through the end of January 2027; the later main-festival announcement confirms 16–25 October 2026. Eligibility: At least one director must be a woman or identify as queer, transgender or non-binary. Entrants must hold a Taiwan identity card or residence permit. Films must be completed from January 2025 onward. Any form and length are eligible; unfinished films at the submission deadline are excluded. There is no premiere-status restriction. Entry and fee: Complete the official Taiwan Competition online form and pay NT$450 by online credit card. The original deadline of 8 May 2026 is extended to 20 May 2026 at 23:59, according to the regulations revised on 4 May 2026. Both form and payment must be completed by that deadline. Provide a valid online screening link and any password, kept valid until selection results are announced; if a link is unavailable, supply a MOV or MP4 file no larger than 4GB. The entry must include Chinese or English subtitles. Selection and prizes: Image and gender specialists conduct preliminary and final judging. Finalists are notified by email no later than August. The final jury selects one Gold Award, two Silver Awards and several Special Awards, without genre divisions; results are announced at the festival award ceremony. Finalists receive certificates and may receive domestic and international promotion through the association. The competition offers a total cash-prize pool exceeding NT$150,000; Gold and Silver Awards include prize money, a trophy and gifts, and Special Awards include a trophy and gifts. Prize money is subject to Taiwan income-tax withholding; the organizer pays transfer fees. Finalist obligations: Deliver a DCP with both Traditional Chinese and English subtitles. The copy is retained until the festival and tour finish; failure to meet this requirement forfeits finalist eligibility. Entry materials are stored for internal selection and later academic research, with no unauthorized public screening. Entrants may withdraw after entry, but fees are non-refundable. If a selected film cannot screen during the festival, the organizer reserves the right to recover resulting costs. Entrants guarantee the legality of their films, bear responsibility for infringements and must not change the submitted film's content after entry. Promotion and documentation: The organizer may download, use, reproduce, adapt, edit, publicly transmit, broadcast and display finalist publicity materials for festival promotion, media coverage and archiving, without limits on platform, territory or duration. The official website permanently retains the film's Chinese and English information, trailer and contact details. Participating finalists agree to photography, sound and video recording or other documentation of festival attendance, with necessary editing; resulting works belong to the festival. Finalists provide copies free of charge for press previews and promotional activities. Screenings and compliance: Finalists authorize two free cinema screenings during the main festival and up to two free tour screenings; additional tour screenings are paid at the organizer's rights-fee schedule. Entrants bear responsibility for audiovisual-rights disputes. If plagiarism, copyright infringement established by a court, or later-discovered ineligibility affects a winning film, the organizer may revoke the award and require return of money and trophies, with legal recovery if necessary. The organizer may amend or supplement the regulations and retains interpretive and discretionary authority over the rules, judging, results and screenings.