Tropfest 2026 concluded last night in Centennial Park, Sydney, with Lianne Mackessy winning for her film Crescendo.
The film festival had a star-studded jury, featuring English actor Taron Egerton, Avatar and Titanic director James Cameron (appearing virtually), Australian filmmaker Danny Philippou, Succession star Sarah Snook, globally acclaimed producer Bruna Papandrea and trailblazing First Nations director Dylan River alongside President Margot Robbie.
Founder and Director John Polson said, “This jury really captures what Tropfest has always been about — bold ideas and fearless storytelling. These people are some of the most influential artists working in the world today and that’s incredibly inspiring for our finalists. We are so thankful for their time – and for their commitment to supporting the next generation of filmmakers.”
The jury described Crescendo as “absolutely pitch perfect.”
Mackessy accepted the $50,000 award, saying, “I’m so grateful to John Polson, the Tropfest team and all the sponsors – without them we couldn’t have connected with audiences the way we have.”
Second prize winner ‘We don’t take breaks’. Image: supplied
Tropfest 2026 winners announced
Second prize went to Jasper Sharpe (Melbourne, VIC) for his film We Don’t Take Breaks, and in third place was Nicky Tyndale-Biscoe (Melbourne, VIC) for her film Silent Night.
Made possible by the newly established CommBank Tropfest Emerging Filmmakers Fund, the first, second and third prize winners received $50,000, $30,000 and $20,000 respectively. The top three got Sony camera packages worth approximately $10,000 each, and all 16 finalists received premium technology bundles from Google.
The NIDA Emerging Performer Award for Best Female Actress went to Laura Bunting for her role in Crescendo, while the NIDA Emerging Performer Award for Best Male Actor was presented to Ben Keller for his performance in We Don’t Take Breaks.
The inaugural Chery Creative Acceleration Award was presented to Georgina Haig, director of No Thank You. Celebrating storytellers who are pushing boundaries and driving the industry forward, this award spotlights talent on the rise. As part of the honour, Haig also took home a brand-new Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid valued at $34,990.
Best Cinematography, presented by Sony, was awarded to Josh Flavell for his work on Project Hourglass. Flavell received a complete Sony camera and lens package valued at almost $20,000.
Taking home the new Pandora Women’s Brilliance Award, created to recognise a woman in film whose vision, voice, and creative impact truly shine, was Tyndale-Biscoe for Silent Night. As part of this recognition, Tyndale-Biscoe was gifted a Pandora Infinite lab grown diamond jewellery set. Tyndale-Biscoe will also be invited to collaborate with Pandora on a bespoke piece of content.
The winner of the iconic Tropicana Award went to Sean Bayles for The End.
Feature image: Crescendo