The winners of the international competitions of CPH:DOX 2026 were announced March 20. The international competition line-up included a total of 74 films, hand-picked from thousands of submissions from around the world, featuring 53 world premieres, 17 international premieres, and 4 European premieres. The main prize, the DOX:AWARD, was awarded to ‘Whispers in May’ by Dongnan Chen.
DOX:AWARD
Winner: ‘WHISPERS IN MAY’ by Dongnan Chen (pictured)
Hong Kong, Netherlands, South Korea & Sweden/ 2026 / World Premiere
Special Mention: ‘THE CORD’ by Nolwenn Hervé
France / 2026 / World Premiere
Sponsored by Politiken Fonden with a prize of €10,000, the DOX:AWARD is the festival’s flagship competition, celebrating artistic excellence.
FIPRESCI AWARD
Winner: AMAZOMANIA by Nathan Grossman
Sweden, Denmark & France / 2026 / World Premiere
Introduced in 2026, the FIPRESCI Award is presented by the International Federation of Film Critics. The 12 films in the DOX:AWARD Competition were nominated for this new mark of distinction.
F:ACT AWARD
Winner: JUST LOOK UP by Emma Wall & Betsy Hershey
United States & Denmark / 2026 / World Premiere
Special Mention: THE GREAT EXPERIMENT by Stephen Maing & Eric Daniel Metzgar
United States & Mexico / 2026 / International Premiere
Supported by International Media Support (IMS) and the Danish Union of Journalists with a prize of €5,000, the F:ACT Competition bridges filmmaking and investigative journalism.
NEXT:WAVE AWARD
Winner: DREAM OF ANOTHER SUMMER by Irene Bartholomé
Spain & Lebanon / 2026 / World Premiere
Special Mention: THIS IS NOT A FRENCH FILM by Tom Adjibi
Belgium & France / 2026 / World Premiere
The NEXT:WAVE Award spotlights emerging filmmakers and new cinematic currents, offering a prize of €5,000.
NORDIC:DOX AWARD
Winner: THE SECRET READING CLUB OF KABUL by Shakiba Adil & Elina Hirvonen
Finland & Norway / 2026 / World Premiere
Special Mention: HOMESICK by Taekyung Tanja In Wol Sørensen
Denmark, South Korea & Finland / 2026 / World Premiere
The NORDIC:DOX Award honors standout documentaries from the Nordic region and includes a €5,000 prize.
HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD
Winner: THE PHANTOM PAIN OF ROJAVA by Maryam Ebrahimi
Sweden & Norway / 2026 / World Premiere
Special Mention: AMERICAN DOCTOR by Poh Si Teng
United States, Palestine, Malaysia & Denmark / 2026 / International Premiere
Sponsored by the Danish Institute for Human Rights with a prize of €5,000, the HUMAN:RIGHTS Competition highlights stories in defence of human rights.
NEW:VISION AWARD
Winner: COMPACT DISC by Rico Wong
Hong Kong & United Kingdom / 2026 / World Premiere
Special Mention: LOCAL SENSATIONS by Tulapop Saenjaroen
Thailand / 2026 / European Premiere
The NEW:VISION Award celebrates artists’ films and boundary-pushing cinematic experiments with a €5,000 prize.
INTER:ACTIVE EXHIBITION AWARD
Winner: INSIDE: THE CHILDHOOD OF AN ARTIST by Sacha Wares
United Kingdom / 2026 / Multisensory VR Experience / International Premiere
Special Mention: DARK ROOMS by Mads Damsbo & Laurits Flensted-Jensen
Denmark, Germany & Taiwan / 2026 / Immersive VR Experience / Danish Premiere
CPH:DOX awards a 10,000 DKK cash prize to the top-selected INTER:ACTIVE work.
CPH:DOX will also hand out a prize of €10,000 Audience Award, sponsored by the Danish public service broadcaster, DR. The winner will be announced on March 26,2026.
Read more about the nominated titles here. See the jury members across all competition categories here.
