Melbourne WebFest is Australia’s international web series festival. MWF was the fourth festival of its kind in the world, and remains the biggest celebration of web series in the Southern Hemisphere.

Melbourne WebFest is working to acknowledge digital screen producers and is creating a hub for networking and professional development in the heart of Melbourne. It is also an opportunity for the public to experience the best in digital series entertainment from around the globe. The festival includes screenings, keynotes, discussion panels, masterclasses, and a live pitching competition.

In addition to the annual official selection, Melbourne WebFest also promotes Australian productions with its Spotlight program.

In 2023, Melbourne WebFest will acknowledge the work of audio storytelling as part of its’ Official Selection. Selected projects will be showcased on the Festival’s website and/or in person for the duration of the festival.

Melbourne WebFest is also a participant in the Audio Fiction World Cup!
https://wswc.info/audio-fiction-world-cup

Discounts: We DO NOT offer waivers. We DO however, offer 20% discount on the fee for alumni of MWF, and for official selections and alumni of our partner festivals: Marseille WebFest, Seoul WebFest, Roma WebFest, Sicily WebFest, Rio WebFest, WebFest Berlin, NZ WebFest, Sydney Web Fest, New Jersey Web Festival as well as to members of the IAWTV. If you are entitled to this discount, please email submissions@melbournewebfest.com prior to submitting and we will provide you with a discount code. Student productions can submit at a special student rate, but will only be eligible for the Student showcase and the Student award.
Payments must be completed at the time of submission, and submission fees are non-refundable.

In 2023, Melbourne WebFest will acknowledge web series creators and crews with the following awards:

Grand Jury Prize

Best Director
Best Leading Performance
Best Supporting Performance
Best Screenplay

Best Comedy
Best Animation
Best Drama
Best Documentary

Best Fiction Podcast
Best Editing of a Fiction Podcast
Best Overall Sound Design of a Fiction Podcast
Best Leading Performance
Outstanding Drama
Outstanding Comedy

Best Editing of an Actual Play
Best Sound Design of an Actual Play
Best Costume/Makeup in an Actual Play
Best Game Master of an Edited Actual Play
Outstanding Edited Actual Play

Best of Spotlight
(Australian and international series produced for less than $50,000 USD)

Best Student series

Best Trailer

Best Pilot

Outstanding Artistic Contribution in the following categories:
Editing, Cinematography, Sound Design, Special Effects

All award winners receive an exclusively designed and handmade trophy.

PLEASE NOTE: Awards and prizes are subject to change at this stage.

Web Series and Podcasts Submission Criteria

1. Melbourne WebFest accepts web series and podcasts from all across the globe.
2. Submitters must be 18 years of age or older.
3. Entries are only accepted via FilmFreeway.
4. Submissions MUST be the intellectual property of the submitter(s) and/or their team, or the submitter(s) must have obtained appropriate licensing rights to use any and all content featured in their series — including music. No proxy submissions are accepted.
5. The series must have a minimum of three (3) episodes available by the end of submissions period 2023. The series does not have to be officially released or publicly available, but it must be available for our selection panel to view at the time of submission.
6. Student submissions are exempt from condition #5 and require a minimum of one (1) episode available by the end of submission period 2023. The series does not have to be officially released or publicly available, but it must be available for our selection panel to view at the time of submission.
7. Series must be viewable by the selection & judging panel and not region locked to any specific country. We accept password protected links from sites, including but not limited to, YouTube & Vimeo or through cloud storage systems, including but not limited to, Dropbox & Google Drive. Entries with links to unviewable content will be asked to provide a more secondary link to episodes. Failure to oblige may result in disqualification. Series must have an option for offline downloading for use in promotional content leading up to the festival.
8. Previous official selections must have produced a minimum of three (3) new episodes to be eligible for consideration.
9. Individual episodes must not exceed 30 minutes.
10.Creators of Fiction Podcasts, Actual Play audio or video projects, and Audio Fiction standalones: Please submit a MAXIMUM of 30 minutes from your series for our judges. This can be a straight 30 minute excerpt, it could be a “highlight reel” of sorts, or anything in between. It is entirely up to you to decide what gets included in your submission, but know that is the primary thing our judges will use for acceptances, nominations, and awards. If your submission is longer than 30 minutes, initial judging will be just on that first 30 minutes.
For audio-only submissions, when you join FilmFreeway, you can upload your audio file by categorizing your work as “Music/Songwriting”. It’s currently the only category that allows you to upload audio-only files. Contact enisa@melbournewebfest.com if you have any questions.
11. By submitting to Melbourne WebFest, submitters automatically grant Melbourne WebFest a non-exclusive license to use their material for PR and Marketing of the festival.
12. All non-English language works MUST be subtitled.
13. Entrants can submit an unlimited number of projects, but each series require individual submission form and payment.
14. Submitters will be asked to classify their series in one of the following genres: Animation; Comedy; Drama; and Non-Fiction, Music/Songwriting. Melbourne WebFest reserves the right to reclassify a series if it better fits another category.
15. Student productions have the option of submitting for a heavily reduced fee, noting that these submissions are only eligible for the student award if selected for the festival.
16. Official selections, Spotlight selections and student selections, will be announced via the Melbourne WebFest e-newsletter, social media, and the Melbourne WebFest web site. Submitters will be notified of the outcome via FilmFreeway.
17. Decisions by Melbourne WebFest are final.
18. Melbourne WebFest reserves the right to amend the criteria.
19. Entrants are advised to monitor the email address used for submission for any information about Melbourne WebFest and the 2023 Selection. Melbourne WebFest takes no responsibility for any selected entrant not receiving notifications or important information.
20. Selected series must be prepared to send a file for screening at Melbourne WebFest 2023. Guidelines for this step will be emailed shortly after the selection announcement.

Terms and conditions

1. By entering into Melbourne WebFest, the submitter(s) automatically acknowledge that they understand and accept the festival’s guidelines and terms and conditions.
2. By entering into Melbourne WebFest, the submitter(s) automatically grant the festival the rights to use the submitted works and any excerpt thereof for promotional purposes.
3. By entering Melbourne WebFest, the submitter(s) confirm that they hold all appropriate rights to the actors, music, etc. By entering, they release the Melbourne WebFest from any claim and all responsibilities relating to or arising from its use of the series.
4. The submitter(s) and their agents agree to indemnify and hold harmless Melbourne WebFest, its advisory board, committee, staff, judges, partners and sponsors from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening web series entered.
5. The submitter(s) acknowledge that entering their work and paying the submission fee does not guarantee selection of the work into the Festival. Submitter(s) agree that they are aware that all series received will be judged by a selection panel whose decision is final. They accept this risk; understand that the entry fee is non-refundable, and that withdrawing entries is not permitted.
6. The onus is on the submitter to ensure their series is available for viewing by the Melbourne WebFest panel and that the submitted material adheres to the submission criteria and terms and conditions.
7. Australian and Victorian laws apply.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Dusty Saunders

    Words can't describe how grateful I am for this fest. Great people, great selections, and all around an amazing experience!

    March 2023
  • Andy Wolf

    Thank you for having us, Melbourne WebFest!
    What a wonderful festival to attend in-person. The team was professional and delightful to work with. The screenings were fun and joyful. It felt fantastic to be networking and connecting with creatives after being apart during the pandemic.

    October 2022
  • Tserruya Nili

    Fantastic experience at Melbourne WebFest despite COVID forcing an online edition. Super friendly with a fabulous team. Wish we could physically attend, hopefully next time. Many thanks on behalf of all the One Woman web series team!

    November 2020
  • alexandra guerineaud

    Wow! Melbourne WebFest was outstanding. They threw an amazing online festival: days packed with industry panels, classes, discussions, an awesome platform to showcase series, and connect with other creators, a fun awards ceremony. We left the festival with so much valuable info. It was fantastic. They did a great job at promoting creators too. We loved doing an interview for their blog. Their questions were a lot of fun.
    The festival team is very professional, helpful, friendly and accessible. I can only hope to experience it in person.

    September 2020
  • Excelente festival. Gran comunicación y difusión de los contenidos y proyectos. El despliegue que tuvo la versión online fue impecable, con una plataforma ideal para la ocasión. Y además de todo eso, un gran equipo en la organización, siempre con buena onda y predisposición.

    September 2020