“Cotton Fever,” “Here I’m Alive” and “Summer of Three” are among the winning songs at this year’s Tribeca Festival.
In the Narrative Competition category, Daniel Blake Schwartz’s “Cotton Fever” and Joshua Z. Weinstein’s “Here I’m Alive” won top prizes, along with Marcel Ruiz, Paolo Schone, and Kiki Montigi. Carlitos Ruiz-Lewis, Mariana S. Veraval, and Ruiz won for their screenplay for Summer of Three, and Tom Acton Fitzgerald won for his screenplay for Summer of Three. Filming for “Cotton Fever.”
“This year’s winners embody the spirit of Tribeca: fearless works that reveal the power of storytelling that transcends borders, expands format, and reveals humanity in unexpected places,” festival director and senior vice president of programming Carla Cusumano said in a statement. “As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, these artists remind us that powerful stories don’t just entertain, they deepen our empathy, broaden our horizons, and bring us closer together.”
The New York City-based festival concludes Sunday. As previously announced, A$AP Rocky won the Director of the Year award. The Audience Award, determined by voting during the festival, will be announced at a later date.
See below for a complete list of 2026 winners and special mentions from the judges.
usa story contest
OKX Founders Award for Best American Narrative Feature: “Cotton Fever” directed by Daniel Blake Schwartz (USA)
Special Jury Award Best Narrative Film in the United States: “Here I’m Alive” directed by Joshua Z. Weinstein (USA) – World Premiere
Best performance in a U.S. narrative: Marcel Ruiz, Paolo Schone, Kiki Montilla “Summer of Three” (Puerto Rico) – World Premiere
Best U.S. Narrative Feature Screenplay: Carlitos Ruiz-Ruiz, Marcel Ruiz, Mariana S. Veraval “Summer of Three” (Puerto Rico) – World Premiere
Best American Narrative Film: Tom Acton Fitzgerald “Cotton Fever” (USA) – World Premiere
international narrative competition
Best International Narrative: “Labrador – Anatomy of Silence” directed by Rodrigue Jean (Canada) – World Premiere
Best Performance in an International Narration Work: Christopher Angato-Okaruk “Labrador – Anatomy of Silence” (Canada) – World Premiere
Special Jury Award for Best Performance in an International Feature Film: Duda Santos & Mak Nem “Funk” (Brazil) – World Premiere
Best International Narrative Feature Screenplay: Alex Camilleri “Zejutune” (Malta, Germany, Qatar) – North American Premiere
Best International Narrative Feature Cinematography: Mathieu Laverdière “Labrador – Anatomy of Silence” (Canada) – World Premiere
documentary competition
Best Documentary Feature: Dione Roach, Steve Happi, “Prison Time Record” (Cameroon, USA) – World Premiere
Special Jury Award for Best Documentary: “Time Warp” directed by Alison Berg (USA) – World Premiere
Best Documentary Film: Dione Roach, Ulberto Rapisardi, Steve Happi “Jail Time Records” (Cameroon, USA) – World Premiere
Special Jury Award for Best Cinematography in a Documentary Film: Lucas Gatto “Siege of Paradise” (Ireland, Switzerland) – World Premiere
Best Documentary Feature Editing: Rebecca Adorno and Viridiana Lieberman “Jean Michel” (USA) – World Premiere
Special Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature Editing: Christopher A. Peterson and Peter Norrie, “American Zoo” (UK) – World Premiere
Viewpoint Award
“Crocodile”, directed by The Critics and Pietra Brettkelly (Nigeria, New Zealand) – North American Premiere
Viewpoint Awards Special Jury Award: Sarah Caray “One Woman One Bra” (Kenya, Nigeria) – North American Premiere
Best New Narrative Director Award
Misora Sakanishi “Memorizu” (Japan) – World Premiere
Special Jury Award, Best New Narrative Director: Elise Junior Saint Preux “The Tropical Sun and Its Eyes” (Haiti) – World Premiere
Albert Mayles Award for Best New Documentary Director
Dione Roach and Steve Happi “Jail Time Records” (Cameroon, USA) – World Premiere
Special Jury Prize, Albert Maysles Award: Nathalie Bazail and Hyacinth Parker, “Harvest” (USA) – World Premiere
Nora Ephron Award
The Nora Ephron Awards recognize outstanding female filmmakers who represent the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and author.
Dina Duma “Skateboarding is not for girls” (North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia) – World Premiere
short contest
Best Short Narrative: “32B” directed by Mohamed Taher (Egypt) – World Premiere
Special Jury Prize, Short Story: Director Abby Pearce (USA) – New York Premiere “So, Boom”
Best Documentary Short: “Listen” directed by Taliesin Black-Brown (USA) – World Premiere
Special Jury Prize, short documentary “The Baddest Speechwriter of All”, directed by Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry (USA) – New York Premiere
Best Animated Short Film: Director Wesley Wang (USA) “Violet and Marlowe the Bank Robbery” – World Premiere
Special Jury Award, Animated Short: “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe” directed by Andrea Šelesova (Czech Republic, Slovakia) – North American Premiere
Best New York Short: “Insufficient Fare” directed by Michael Gagger and Varvara Canelakopoulou (USA) – World Premiere
Best Music Video: “Fingers Crossed” – The Moth & The Flame, directed by Rebecca Thomas (USA) – World Premiere
Student Visionary Award: “Found&Lost”, directed by Reza Rasouli (Austria) – New York Premiere
tribeca game awards
“There are No Ghosts at the Grand” directed by Anil Grendin and Rachel Grendin (UK) – World Premiere
Tribeca Podcast Contest
Best Audio Nonfiction Reporting: “The Fastest Girl in Somalia” directed by Teresa Krug (USA) – World Premiere
Best Audio Fiction: “THE DOUBLE(S)”, Winnie Kemp, directed by Alexander Kemp (USA) – World Premiere
Best Audio Investigative Nonfiction: “The Most Wanted Olympian” directed by Michelle Shepherd (Canada) – World Premiere
Best Audio Memoir: “Reaching Out,” directed by Thayer Quevedo (USA) – World Premiere
AT&T tells untold stories
Sid Gopinath, Aditya Joshi, Alifiya Ali “Minnesota Goodbye”
Tribeca X Awards Competition
Tribeca X Awards Competition
Grand Prize: McDonald’s meal ticket
Best Short Story: “The Book of George” by Stio
Best Commercial: Coca-Cola’s Last Coke in the Desert
Best Commercial Honorable Mention: Bang Bang from Safe School Las Vegas
Best Episode: Building to Migrate from Autodesk
Honorable Mention for Best Episode: Carvana’s Partners
Best Content Creator/Influencer: Beats Master of Speed and Stability
Best Audio/Podcast: To Catch a Thief: China’s Rise to Cyber Hegemony (via Rubric)
Social Impact Award: Accenture/Phillipstown Wirecar Grand Prix from Philipstown Wirecar
Environmental Impact Award: Yogi Tea’s Spice Theory
Director of the Year: A$AP Rocky
