The Awards · 2026
65+ honors.
One unforgettable night.
Every CineDream Kolkata award is an act of recognition — a sculpted brass trophy, a hand-engraved certificate, and where applicable, prize money to support the artist's next project. Our awards span features, regional cinema, foreign films, OTT, ad-films, shorts, documentaries and the performers behind them.
20 cash-prize awards
45 honorary awards
*Conditions Apply
Awards with Cash Prize + Trophy + Certificate
Cash Prize
₹ 25,000 Tier
13 awards · Cash prize, trophy & certificate
Best Film
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Foreign Film
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Regional Film
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Director — Female
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Director — Male
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Regional Film Director
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Foreign Film Director
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Foreign Film Story / Screenplay / Dialogue
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Regional Film Story / Screenplay / Dialogue
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best OTT Film
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best OTT Director
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Ad Film
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Ad Film Director
₹ 25,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Cash Prize
₹ 21,000 Tier
3 awards · Cash prize, trophy & certificate
Best Story
₹ 21,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Screenplay
₹ 21,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Dialogue
₹ 21,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Cash Prize
₹ 15,000 Tier
4 awards · Cash prize, trophy & certificate
Best Short Film
₹ 15,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Short Film Director
₹ 15,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Short Film Writer
₹ 15,000*
Trophy + Certificate
Best Documentary
₹ 15,000*
Trophy + Certificate
*Conditions Apply. Prize money is paid post-event, subject to terms of submission and verification of rights.
Awards with Trophy & Certificate
The following categories will receive a spectacular trophy and a certificate — celebrating craft, performance, music and genre across feature films and short films alike.
Best Actor
Trophy + Certificate
Best Actor — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Actress
Trophy + Certificate
Best Actress — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Debut Producer
Trophy + Certificate
Best Debut Producer — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Debut Director
Trophy + Certificate
Best Debut Director — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Male Character Artist
Trophy + Certificate
Best Male Character Artist — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Female Character Artist
Trophy + Certificate
Best Female Character Artist — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Child Actor — Male
Trophy + Certificate
Best Child Actor — Male — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Child Actor — Female
Trophy + Certificate
Best Child Actor — Female — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Music — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Lyrics — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Male Singer — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Female Singer — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Background Music — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Background Music — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Choreography — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Sound Design — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Sound Design — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Cinematography — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Cinematography — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Editor — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Editor — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Art Director — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Art Director — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Costume — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Costume — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Action Sequence — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Action Sequence — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best VFX & Graphics — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best VFX & Graphics — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Horror Film — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Horror Film — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Comedy Film — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Comedy Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Thriller & Suspense — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Thriller & Suspense — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Family Drama — Feature Film
Trophy + Certificate
Best Family Drama — Short Film
Trophy + Certificate
A Tribute to the Greats
Legends of Bengal —
Honorary Awards
Eleven annual awards instituted in the names of luminaries whose work defined Bengal — and through Bengal, defined Indian cinema, music, literature and the arts.
Icon Award
Rabindranath Tagore
The highest honour of CineDream Kolkata — a salutation to the gurudev whose verse, song and vision continue to teach the world how to feel.
Director
Satyajit Ray
In memoriam · Honorary Award
Music Director
Salil Chaudhury
In memoriam · Honorary Award
Singer
Hemanta Mukherjee
In memoriam · Honorary Award
Actor
Uttam Kumar
In memoriam · Honorary Award
Actor (Critics' Choice)
Soumitra Chatterjee
In memoriam · Honorary Award
Actress
Suchitra Sen
In memoriam · Honorary Award
Art Director
Nitish Roy
In memoriam · Honorary Award
Comedian
Bhanu Banerjee
In memoriam · Honorary Award
Soulful Music
Bhupen Hazarika
In memoriam · Honorary Award
Writer
Mahasweta Devi
In memoriam · Honorary Award
Awards are conferred on living artists whose contemporary work most embodies the spirit of each legend's craft.
Mark Your Calendar
2 & 3 December 2026.
A festival of light.
Screenings
Dec 2 – 3, 2026
Venue
PVR INOX — AVANI MALL, Howrah
Awards Ceremony
Dec 3 · 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Submissions Open
Open Now
Feel free to reach us