CKFF Awards
The Academy
Filmmakers, educators and industry professionals who watch every nominated film and vote for the winners.
How judging works
- Apply: sign in with your festival account and fill in the Academy application: your experience, the sections you’d like to judge and what you judge best (directing, screenplay, acting, animation…).
- Approval: the festival reviews your application. Once approved, a “Judging queue” tile appears in My Festival.
- Assignment: you’re given categories in one or more sections, for example National · Best Feature Film, International · Best Director or Made by Kids · Best Screenplay. Sometimes only specific films.
- Watch: each film on your ballot has a private screener link.
- Score from 1 to 100: the film in film categories, and the person in role categories (the director for Best Director, the writer for Best Screenplay). Declare a conflict of interest on any film you’re connected to.
- Results: the highest averages become Top Nominees; a final round picks each section’s top prize.
Work in film, TV or media? Apply to join the Academy · or suggest someone