The 2026

Hotlist is

Open!

Submissions are open! 

The 2026 Hotlist is a curated slate of standout nonfiction works in progress, spanning documentary features, shorts, series, podcasts, and reality. 

We connect creators with audiences, industry opportunities, and partners who can move a project forward.

Deadline to Submit September 9th, 2026

Submit Here

Shorts

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Podcasts

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Features

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Series

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Reality

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Shorts ✳︎ Podcasts ✳︎ Features ✳︎ Series ✳︎ Reality ✳︎

Where great nonfiction finds new pathways.

The 2026 Hotlist

  • A curated list of standout nonfiction projects, spanning documentary features, shorts, series, podcasts, and reality, connecting creators with audiences, industry opportunities, and partners who can move projects forward.

  • Nothing. Submission is free, and it stays free through every stage of the process.

  • September 9th, 2026

  • Yes. Submit as many as you'd like, just be intentional about what you put forward.

  • Yes. Widely pitched, never pitched, fully financed, or still looking for support, if it's a project you believe in, it's eligible.

  • Yes. Projects evolve, and yours may be in a different stage than it was last time. Each cycle is reviewed by a new pool of reviewers alongside a different slate of projects, so every submission gets a fresh look.

  • Title, logline, and any supporting materials you're comfortable sharing: pitch decks, sizzle reels, trailers, or anything else that helps us understand the project.

  • No. The 2026 Hotlist is built for works in progress. Anything from a rough cut on down is welcome: treatment, early footage, assembly, wherever you are. This isn't about who has the most polished cut; it's about the strength of the story and the commitment and care of the team behind it.

  • Only our reviewers and internal team have access to your materials, and everything stays strictly confidential. Nothing is shared publicly or outside our review process without your approval.

  • A paid reviewer cohort pulled from across the nonfiction industry: producers, directors, editors, executives, journalists, and programmers from different corners of the field.

  • Every submission is reviewed by multiple people and scored against a shared rubric: excellence in storytelling, originality, emotional impact, crowd appeal, and cultural relevance. Reviewers also meet to discuss and debate projects beyond the scores, and every selection is checked for legal and eligibility clearance before it's confirmed.

  • They recuse themselves from scoring it. Every reviewer agrees to a conflict-of-interest and confidentiality policy before each cycle begins.

  • The 2026 Hotlist is one list of 20-25 projects, mixing formats within: documentary feature, documentary short, podcast, series, and reality. There's no fixed number of slots per format. We're building the strongest possible slate, wherever it comes from.

  • Yes. Series/podcast hybrids, docu-reality crossovers, whatever the project actually is. Submit under whichever format fits best and note the crossover in your materials.

  • Not making the list isn't the same as not being valuable. We're building more ways to connect projects that don't make the final cut with opportunities and community, and that work is expanding in 2026.

  • Our first cycle drew 639 submissions. We selected 23 for the list.

  • We'll reach out directly with next steps and a timeline for the list going public.

  • No. The Hotlist isn't a grant or funding program. We never ask for money and never take any stake in your project, you keep 100% of your IP.

  • Real industry exposure: your project on a published, curated list that reaches filmmakers, producers, executives, and investors. Beyond publication, we stay a resource as your project moves forward, and selected filmmakers join a monthly gathering to connect with fellow creators.

  • Almost none. Beyond reviewing and approving your listing, there's no required commitment. We're happy to be a resource for strategy, feedback, and guidance as your project moves forward.

  • Now open.

  • November.

  • The Nonfiction Hotlist is distributed as a published list to our industry newsletter  and made available to the wider media community. It will live in our instagram link in bio. If you haven’t seen the 2025 Nonfiction Hotlist please check it out before submitting.  Join the mailing list here to receive it.

  • If you're interested in supporting the Nonfiction Hotlist, we'd love to hear from you. Contact Us Here

The 2025 Nonfiction Hotlist.

  • When We All Get To Heaven

     Peabody Win

  • A City in the Forest

     Sheffield Doc Fest Special Mention

  • Manhood

    SXSW Premiere

  • Animated Mind of Oliver Sacks

    Sundance Grant

  • Vestibule

    Catapult Film Fund Rough Cut Retreat

  • Earth to Michael

    Telluride Premiere

  • It's been a pleasure to be part of the NFH community this year. The social media presence in particular has been fantastic, and that added visibility has given us many opportunities to push forward conversations with potential funders. Being on the Hotlist also helped to connect us with composer Ari Balouzian, who recommended Max Whipple, who's proven to be an amazing collaborator.

    Florrie Priest, Father Figures

  • Since being featured on the Nonfiction Hotlist, we have been welcomed into an unbelievably warm and hospitable community of like-minded filmmakers and colleagues. The Hot List connected us with our fantastic post sound team, Full English Post, who worked tirelessly under a tight deadline to get the film ready for our world premiere. Time and time again, the selfless team behind NonFiction Hotlist has demonstrated that rising tides lift all ships.

    Dustin Nakao-Haider, Earth to Michael

  • The Nonfiction Hotlist is an incredible community that represents the best of the documentary world – open, collaborative, non-competitive. We'vre met some extraordinary collaborators on the list.

    Daniel Lombroso, Manhood

  • The Hotlist felt less like exposure and more like a shift in gravity. Once it landed, the film began moving faster and in clearer alignment. As the Hotlist gained momentum, it carried the film with it. What followed was not noise, but velocity.

    Gene Gallerano, Thank You For Listening

  • The Hotlist has supported this project in concrete, tangible ways and have been critical in our success. They connected us with legal, music clearance and other professionals when we needed them. And their support was truly invaluable while negotiating a distribution deal with Slate. Hotlist members played a part in generating Slate’s interest in the project in the first place. We call them the best friends we never knew we needed.

    Lynne Gerber, When We All Get To Heaven

Submissions

Submit your documentary feature, short, series, podcast, or reality project, still in progress. Every submission gets genuine consideration from nonfiction professionals, reviewed for craft, originality, impact and potential.

Submit Here