In recent years, DOC NYC has established a track record of propelling documentary shorts towards awards season glory. In 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 DOC NYC screened “The Queen of Basketball”, “The Elephant Whisperers”, “The Last Repair Shop”, and “The Only Girl in the Orchestra”, all of which went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Short, and for the 2025 year, four out of five nominees in the Best Documentary Short were selections from DOC NYC’s Short List: Shorts program.
To support U.S. short films in awards season contention for the 2026-27 season, DOC NYC is presenting The Louies, a new $100,000 fund named after Louis Wolfson, a pioneer in television and media, and sponsored by the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation.
The Louies will award three U.S. producers with short documentaries that have qualified for and submitted (via FilmFreeway) for programming consideration to DOC NYC’s 2026 Short List: Shorts program by the September 18, 2026 deadline. Only films with U.S.-based producers that have met the criteria outlined for short films on FilmFreeway will be considered for an award from The Louies.
Eligible producers must be legal residents of the United States, possess a valid Social Security Number for tax reporting purposes, and have a full producer credit on the production (i.e., executive producers, co-producers, associate producers, or other such variations do not qualify). Funds may be used towards post-production costs. The Louies will award three cash prizes:
First Place – $50,000
Second Place – $30,000
Third Place – $20,000
All short films submitted to DOC NYC’s Short List: Shorts program for 2026 will be invited to opt-in for consideration for an award from The Louies, provided the film has qualified according to the stated criteria and the submitter attests to the producer’s U.S. tax resident status. No separate entry fee for The Louies will be required, just an opt-in as part of DOC NYC’s Short List’s submissions process.
The application portal for DOC NYC’s Short List: Shorts will open on July 20, 2026 and close on September 18, 2026.
Winners of The Louies will be chosen by jury selection and contacted in advance of the public announcement date, in order to complete a gift agreement. The public announcement will occur on October 20, 2026.
The three winning productions will be screened at DOC NYC 2026 during the in-person dates of November 11 – 19, 2026, in Manhattan.
To apply for DOC NYC’s Short List: Shorts program and opt-in for consideration for The Louies, please visit:
