It's easy.
It's free.
It'll guarantee more views on your films.
(And here are a few more reasons...)
1. You'll gain a bigger audience
Over previous years, the awards have generated 400 million film impressions and attracted over 3 million viewers to our virtual events.
Enter the awards to benefit from this engagement.
2. You'll reach new supporters
More views means more supporters. People won’t just see your film, they'll also get the chance to interact with it and spread their awareness about your work.
3. It’s easy and free to enter
We won’t charge you for participating and the entry process doesn't take long. There’s a simple entry form which is easy to complete.
4. The awards ceremony
After all your hard work, the awards ceremony is your opportunity to celebrate your achievements. Sit back, enjoy the winning films and entertainment and network with other changemakers.
The Smiley Charity Film Awards (The Smileys) have been created to increase the exposure and celebrate the success of films made by purpose-driven organisations. Films which help raise awareness, help drive donations and tell stories about causes' good work.
The Smiley Charity Film Awards is open to all registered charities, community interest companies (CICs) and social enterprises within the UK.
The Corporate Cause category is open to brands and corporate businesses with CSR and ESG initiatives.
The International Impact category is open to charities, community interest companies (CICs) and social enterprises based outside the UK.
Anyone can nominate a film on behalf of the charity, CIC, social enterprise, brand or corporate.
This could be the agency that created the film or the organisation itself.
If the nomination is from a source other than the organisation itself, the Smiley Charity Film Awards team will contact the organisation for approval before the nomination is accepted.
The categories are based on the organisation's income for the latest financial year. This is to ensure everyone has a chance to win an award regardless of the size of the organisation and budget. These categories are:
• Under £100,000
• £100,000 - 250,000
• £250,000 - 500,000
• £500,000 - 1Million
• £1-2.5 Million
• £2.5-5 Million
• £5-15 Million
• £15-50 Million
• Over £50 Million
• Longform Under £500,000
• Longform £500,000 - 5Million
• Longform Over £5Million
The Corporate Cause category was created to recognise celebrate brands and corporate organisations that put people, planet and purpose at the heart of their business operations.
This category celebrates the diverse and impactful films submitted from around the world by charities, CICs and social enterprises based outside the UK.
It's essential to confirm your charity’s income before filling in the UK Form so that you enter the correct category.
You can check your turnover at the relevant Charity Commission using the below links:
Northern Ireland
If you're a UK CIC or social enterprise, you can check it with your finance department or at Companies House.
We want the Smiley Charity Film Awards to help promote films for good regardless of the size of the organisation behind the film.
Segmenting by income creates a level playing field so that entrants are matched against others with similar resources and audiences.