Festival start: 22 April 2026
Festival end: 28 April 2026
Launched in 2023, the Sobh Media Festival aims to introduce leading international content creators and promote cooperation among them in the global media arena. The festival seeks to discover and honor media talents while providing a platform to sustain artistic creativity and strengthen an international media movement.
Through specialized workshops and seminars, the festival also works to acquaint artists with the evolving media landscape and support the development of independent thinking and creative vision.
The fourth edition of the Sobh Media Festival is now accepting submissions in two categories: the main section and a special section dedicated to Palestine.
This year’s edition also features three special awards:
- The “1500th Birth Anniversary of the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH)” Award
- The “Sahar Emami” Special Award
- The “BRICS” Award
Festival Themes:
The central theme of the Sobh Media Festival is “Media and the New World Order,” underscoring the importance of local and regional identities, spirituality, family values, resistance discourse, and anti-imperialism.
Market Section:
The Market Section serves as a platform for presenting media works, products, and projects to audiences, investors, and professionals. It enables artists, producers, and companies to build new business connections and collaborations. This section also allows participants to promote and sell their works while offering opportunities for networking and brand development.
Cash Prizes: 29,500$
Main Section:
- Best TV Series: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €5,000
- Best Talk Show Program: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €2,000
- Best Hybrid-Format Program: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €2,000
- Best Cinematic Documentary: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €4,000
- Best Television Documentary: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €3,000
- Best News Report: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Narrative Report: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Motion Graphics: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
Radio Productions:
- Best Podcast: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Radio Documentary: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Radio Drama: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Talk Show: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Hybrid-Format Program: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
Social Media:
- Best Animation: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Short Film: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Videocast: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Vlog: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Technology and AI-Based Program: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
Written Content:
- Best Feature Story: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Viewpoint Article: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Investigative Report: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
Palestine Section:
- Best Feature Film: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €5,000
- Best Documentary: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €3,000
- Best TV Program: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €2,000
- Best Music: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Music Video: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Short Film: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Short Animation: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best News Blogger: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
- Best Illustration: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €1,000
Special Awards:
- 1500th Birth Anniversary of the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) Award: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €3,000
- Sahar Emami Award: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €3,000
- BRICS Award: Festival Trophy, Certificate of Honor, and €3,000
- Festival Rules:
1. Registration and submission of all required information must be completed exclusively through the festival’s official online platform.
2. Submitted works must adhere to ethical and legal standards. Content deemed offensive, violent, or inconsistent with the festival’s public and cultural values will not be accepted.
3. The producer or distributor is fully responsible for any claims related to material, moral, or civil rights. The festival assumes no liability in this regard.
4. The producer or distributing company is responsible for registering the work, and the award will be granted to the producer.
5. Works previously submitted to other festivals or media outlets are eligible for participation in the Sobh Festival.
6. Works submitted to earlier editions of the festival are not eligible for resubmission.
7. All promotional, legal, and copyright responsibilities based on the information provided in the submission form lie with those who complete and sign the form.
6. According to festival regulations, if any submitted documents are found to be inaccurate or if the attribution of the work is proven invalid, the entry will be disqualified, and the applicant will be held accountable for all resulting consequences.
Each individual or organization may submit up to two entries per category. For series or multi-part productions, a maximum of two episodes may be submitted within the relevant category.
7. All submitted works must have been published since the beginning of 2025, except for entries in the Music, Music Video, and TV Series Categories, which may include works released after 2023.
8. A single work cannot be submitted simultaneously to both the Main Section and the Special Palestine Section.
9. Submitting the festival entry form signifies full acceptance of all festival terms and conditions.
10. The festival committee reserves the right to use 3 to 5 minutes of selected entries for promotional or informational purposes.
11. A copy of each submission will be stored in the festival’s archive for non-commercial use.
12. If an award in any category is shared among multiple recipients, the cash prize will be divided accordingly.
13. For all categories, the final clean version of the work—without subtitles—must be submitted upon selection for competition.
14. The required technical specifications for each category are detailed in its respective registration form.
15. Submitted works must not contain broadcasters’ watermarks or logos.
16. Non-English entries must include English subtitles, while audio submissions such as podcasts and radio programs must be accompanied by an English transcript.
In the Social Media section, submissions are accepted only through the link to the published post, along with complete post details.
17. For this edition only, there is no time restriction for feature films in the Palestine section or TV series in the Main section.
18. Submissions with incomplete documentation or technical issues will not enter the competition process.
- Technical Requirements:
1. Television entries must be produced in one of the following formats: 4K, 2K, Full HD, HD, or SD.
2. For review, TV submissions should be provided as H264 or MP4 files, with a bitrate of 6 to 8 Mbps and video dimensions of 1080i or 1080p. For SD, the required resolution is 576p.
3. Final versions of selected TV works must be submitted as data files in MOV, MPEG2, MXF, AVI, or H.264 (MP4) formats, either via upload link or in-person delivery to the festival secretariat.
4. Audio entries must be submitted in WAV or MP3 format.
5. Participants in the written content section must submit their work in Word or PDF format.
Main Section
Short and Feature Films (+)
No Fee
Submissions deadline
05 Feb 26
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Main section includes the following sub-sections:
1. Television Series
2. Talk Show
3. Hybrid-Format TV Program
4. Documentary (Cinematic and Tv)
5. News Report
6. Narrative Report
7. Motion Graphics
8. Radio Production: o Podcast o Radio Documentary o Radio Drama o Talk Show o Hybrid-Format Program
10. Social Media Section: o Animation (up to 10 minutes) o Short Film (up to 15 minutes) o Videocast (10 to 90 minutes) o Vlog (in vertical (9:16) or horizontal (16:9) formats. up to 20 minutes) o Technology and AI-Based Programs (Evaluation in this category is conducted solely based on technical criteria)
The Palestine Special Section
Short and Feature Films
No Fee
Submissions deadline
05 Feb 26
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La sección especial Palestina, que anteriormente había sido un evento paralelo del festival, se agregó a las secciones principales del festival en respuesta a los eventos que se desarrollaron en la región y después de la operación Tormenta de Al-Aqsa del 7 de octubre.
Todos los artistas, escritores, académicos y activistas de los medios dentro y fuera de Irán pueden enviar sus trabajos sobre Palestina en una variedad de categorías en esta sección.
La sección Palestina incluye las siguientes subsecciones:
1. Largometraje
2. Música
3. Documental
4. Programa de TV
5. Video musical: Un video centrado en la fusión de música y elementos visuales, con imágenes y gráficos que realzan el mensaje o la emoción de la canción.
6. Cortometraje
7. Cortometraje de animación
8. Ilustración y artes visuales, incluyendo ilustración conceptual, carteles, caricaturas, fotografía artística, gráficos en movimiento, tipografía y caligrafía.
Special Awards
Short and Feature Films
No Fee
Submissions deadline
05 Feb 26
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- The “1500th Birth Anniversary of the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH)” Award recognizes the best media work or initiative that presents the Prophet’s life, teachings, and message. - The “Sahar Emami” Special Award honors a journalist who courageously upholds truth. Journalists, individuals, or media organizations may submit nominations for this award. - The “BRICS” Award will be granted to a media work or initiative that best highlights the capacities, relationships, and collaborations among BRICS member states, emphasizing convergence and unity. Given BRICS’ expanding global influence across sustainable development, trade, and international policy, the award seeks to spotlight works that accurately depict the economic, political, and cultural interactions among member countries and contribute to global understanding of the alliance and its role in international developments.
Main Section: Written Content:
Text Project
No Fee
Submissions deadline
05 Feb 26
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Written Content o Feature Story: A deeply reported article focused on storytelling and rich details.
Opinion Article: An opinion-based piece presenting the author’s perspective or analysis.
Investigative Report: An article built on thorough research, credible evidence, and detailed analysis, aiming to uncover hidden truths or examine major issues.
