My Queer Career Winners for 2026

25 Feb My Queer Career Winners for 2026

This year’s My Queer Career winners were announced on the 23rd of February at Event Cinemas George Street! This year, eight short films competed for Australia’s richest LGBTIQ+ short film prize. With over $16,000 worth of cash and in-kind support.

Five awards were given away on the night:

Emerging Performer
Emerging Filmmaker
Best Screenplay
Audience Award
Best Film

Below are the winners of this year’s My Queer Career!

Emerging Performer –

Luke Wiltshire – Boyish

NIDA 2-Day Essentials Course, valued at $410
MGFF27 Flexipass, valued at $180

Emerging Filmmaker –

Mohammad Awad – Inheritance

Panavision camera hire, valued at $5,000
MGFF27 Flexipass, valued at $180

Best Screenplay –

Ziggy Resnick, AP Pobjoy – Billie and Jesse

$1,000 cash from Event Cinemas George Street
MGFF27 Flexipass, valued at $180

Audience Award –

I’m the Most Racist Person I Know
Director: Leela Varghese
Producer: Suriyna Shivashankar

$5,000 of post-production support from Spectrum Films
MGFF27 Flexipass, valued at $180

Best Film –

I’m the Most Racist Person I Know
Director: Leela Varghese
Producer: Suriyna Shivashankar

$3,000 cash from The Stephen Cummins Film Trust
$2,500 worth of legal advice from JP Media Law
Automatic entry in the Iris Prize, the world’s richest prize for LGBTIQ+ short film
MGFF27 Flexipass, valued at $180

My Queer Career 2026 Finalists

Baby Talk
Dir. Lizzie Cater
In the summer of 1992, Leo and Amy drive the final leg of a road trip together. Taking the journey to openly be themselves, the spectre of Leo’s husband-to-be haunts their get away, as the closet looms on the other side.

Billie and Jesse
Dir. AP Pobjoy
Billie and Jesse, “the perfect lesbian couple”, hit a bump when Jesse begins transitioning and realises he’s attracted to men. An encounter with Brad forces them to confront some uncomfortable truths.

Boyish
Dir. Scarlett Scherer
Josh and Cam test the boundaries of their life-long friendship when Josh asks Cam to kiss him, to find out whether he’s a bad kisser.

The Dysphoria
Dir. Kylie Aoibheann
A trans woman performs a Satanic ritual to get a vagina, but unwittingly invites a demonic presence into her home which demands a terrible sacrifice.

Howl
Dir. Domini Marshall
At a suburban house party, best friends Daisy and Lila navigate shifting desires and tough choices, forcing them to confront their place in the world and what they mean to each other.

I’m the Most Racist Person I Know
Dir. Leela Varghese
When a public romantic gesture backfires, Lali unexpectedly finds herself offered a pity date by Ana. But when the conversation takes an unexpected turn Lali must confront her internalised prejudices.

If/When
Dir. Courtney Westbrook
In a world where time is anything but linear, lonely traveller Ollie glimpses a future without Az, the one person who makes them feel grounded. Can their connection withstand the chaos of life?

Inheritance
Dir. Mohammad Awad
After the news of his father’s passing, Ameen must face old demons when he returns to the family home he was kicked out of as a teenager – his kind-of-sort-of boyfriend (Zoe Terakes, Talk to Me) in tow.

All of the films in this year’s selection pushed the boundaries of LGBTIQ+ storytelling on screen, and we would like congratulate every person involved in the development of these fantastic shorts.

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