The public can now cast their votes in the 2026 Smiley Charity Film Awards, the world’s biggest campaign dedicated to showcasing the power of charity-led filmmaking. More than 500 charities have entered this year’s competition, widely recognised as the “Oscars of the charity world”.
Entrants include organisations of all sizes, from community groups like Bristol Animal Rescue Centre to major national names such as Dementia UK. Each is encouraging people to support their film by submitting a vote online.
According to organisers, voting takes less than two minutes — “quicker than eating a mince pie” — but could play a decisive role in determining whether a film progresses to the next round or “fades into the background”. The awards ceremony will be held in March 2026.
Since its launch eight years ago, the Charity Film Awards have worked with more than 5,000 charities, attracted close to 1 million participants in public voting and produced over 350 million film impressions. Last year’s online awards event drew 181,000 viewers, reflecting its expanding influence.
This year’s submissions represent a broad range of charitable missions, including disability advocacy, youth services, mental health support, animal rescue, homelessness charities and international aid groups. Films are judged by category based on annual income to ensure fair competition between large and small organisations.
Public voting results will be used to create the shortlist of finalists, which will be announced in February 2026. An expert jury will then select the winners.
Past judges and supporters have included representatives from the BBC, BFI National Archive, Meta, LinkedIn, HSBC and Airbnb, alongside celebrity presenters such as Tamzin Outhwaite, Scarlette Douglas, Patrick Grant, Jeff Brazier, Patsy Palmer, Una Healy and Patsy Kensit.
Speaking about the launch of public voting, Nicolas Loufrani, Founder of the Smiley Movement(the CIC powering the Awards), said: “The Charity Film Awards show what happens when creativity meets compassion. These films don’t just tell stories they change lives by sparking awareness, funding, and action. Every vote helps amplify a cause that might otherwise go unheard. With over 500 powerful films this year, the public has a real opportunity to shape which stories get national attention.”
Members of the public can watch and vote for charity films online by:
- Searching by charity name
- Browsing by UN Sustainable Development Goal
- Filtering by charity size or category
- Or exploring all films
Voters can support as many films as they wish (one vote per film).
Voting closes: 31 January 2026.
