The Shark Awards

30/04/2026

Our fantastic music video jury for 2026 seen here at Brighton Beach House, left to right:

Ella Lindsay - Sony Music
Fiona Bamford-Phillips - Prettybird
Ruth Morris - Warp Records
André Reid - RepMedia
Suzanne Doyle - Arts & Music Professional
Martyn Poyner -British MV Association
Charlie Roberson - Rogue

The shortlists will be revealed Friday 1 May.

Winners announced 15 May.

Winners Screening and Awards Presentation 4 June.

23/04/2026

Thrilled to announce another big hitter from the world of advertising film production to the Kinsale 2026 Jury, David Webb, managing director at Final Cut

David is also an award- winning editor. In his role, David oversees global operations, strategic partnerships, and creative development across offices in London, New York, and Los Angeles. His leadership has been instrumental in positioning Final Cut as one of the most respected post-production companies in the industry.

David began his career editing commercials, collaborating with some of the industry’s most celebrated directors, including Edgar Wright, Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton, Traktor, Malcolm Venville, Walter Stern and Philippe André, before transitioning into longform work at the request of director Jim Field Smith. The pair have since developed a close creative partnership, collaborating on several acclaimed series including The Wrong Mans (BBC/Hulu), Criminal (Netflix), Defending the Guilty (BBC), Truth Seekers (Amazon), and Litvinenko (ITV Studios), starring David Tennant. Many of these projects have received major recognition, including BAFTA, EMMY and RTS nominations.

Under his leadership, Final Cut continues to set the standard for editorial storytelling across formats and genres.



@

Sharks - this year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (on Weds) and finish Friday night (16/17 & 18 September), with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us) staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking. 

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition form May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

22/04/2026

.
It may seem a little while off yet, but it'll come around pretty quickly! Yes, it's Kinsale, and we're thrilled to announce our first judge for the 2026 festival, The Sweetshop's Morgan Whitlock.

Morgan joined Sweetshop in 2011, helping to launch the London office and establish it as one of the UK’s leading production companies. As Managing Director / Executive Producer, he manages the company's productions and talent across the UK and Europe. He has Exec Producer and Produced multiple innovate AI-led projects as part of AI-Studio TheGardening.Club.

Throughout his career Morgan has been passionate about the craft of directing and facilitating the careers of the most talented and exciting directors. He has brought a number of renowned world-class directors to the Sweetshop’s global roster, and has continued to support emerging directors, introducing new voices to the industry. Today he drives Sweetshop’s Diversity & Inclusion policies and initiatives, working as a mentor and with social enterprises and industry organisations in London to create pathways for the next generation of diverse talent into commercial filmmaking.



@

This year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (on Weds) and finish Friday night (16/17 & 18 September), with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us) staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking. 

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition from May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

22/04/2026

.
As Summer approaches so does Kinsale, and we're thrilled to announce our second judge for the 2026 festival, Richard Adkins from Wieden+Kennedy London

Rich has been working in the industry for the past 18 years, starting his career at BBH producing anything from ad-funded TV programming to early virtual reality and social content for brands including Johnnie Walker, Vodafone and Burberry.

His focus shifted towards film craft and after several years at BBH, he freelanced in the world of TV commercials at various agencies as an Agency Producer.  He's been at W+K London for the past 9 or so years, starting as a Producer working across global, award-winning productions for Three Mobile, Sainsbury's, Warner Brothers, Nike, TK Maxx, and Malibu before becoming joint Head of Production in 2022.  
He oversees the team of Producers, ensures a consistent quality of craft on the agency's output, and has more recently been spear-heading W+K's foray into longform entertainment. 


@

This year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (on Weds) and finish Friday night (16/17 & 18 September), with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us), staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking of course.

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition from May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

22/04/2026

.
It may seem a little while off yet, but it'll come around pretty quickly! Yes, it's Kinsale, and we're thrilled to announce our third judge for the 2026 festival, Superprime London's EP Francesca Roberts

Francesca leads Superprime’s expansion into the UK as Executive Producer, marking the company’s first formal presence in the region. In this role, she is focused on building new creative partnerships and connecting Superprime’s globally acclaimed roster of filmmakers with agencies and brands across the market.

Roberts brings 15 years of agency production experience to the position, where she produced award-winning commercial work with some of London's best agencies. With strong ties to the UK advertising community and a sharp creative sensibility, she brings a distinctive blend of cultural fluency and industry insight to her work, positioning her to drive Superprime’s continued growth and creative impact in the region.





This year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (on Weds) and finish Friday night (16/17 & 18 September), with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us) staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking. 

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition form May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

22/04/2026

It may seem a little while off yet, but it'll come around pretty quickly! Yes, it's Kinsale, and we're thrilled to announce our fourth judge for the 2026 festival -Guy Soulsby.

Guy is Chief Creative Officer at Made by Humans, a generative AI studio where creative craft and emerging AI technology collide. He leads cross-disciplinary teams with a simple but uncompromising belief: AI serves the story, never the other way around

With a commercials director background, Soulsby brings a dual perspective to the work, embracing generative AI not as a shortcut but as a creative playground. He is passionate about exploring how emerging tools can unlock new storytelling possibilities while maintaining emotional depth and human integrity. Committed to responsible innovation, Soulsby focuses on delivering work that feels both cutting-edge and deeply human.

world


This year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (on Weds) and finish Friday night (16/17 & 18 September), with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us) staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking. 

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition form May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

22/04/2026

Oh my, the Kinsale 2026 Jury selection is really coming together with another leading light from the advertising film production industry signed up, Prudence Beecroft.

Prudence is a London-based Managing Director and commercial EP with over 20 years’ experience in the advertising industry. She leads Not Just Any, championing bold, creative storytelling and forward-thinking production approaches that bring ambitious ideas to life - often blending live action with emerging technologies.

just.any
@

This year we have re-shaped the festival to start mid-week (on Weds) and finish Friday night (16/17 & 18 September), with most people departing on Saturday, and some (like us) staying until Sunday for some extra curricular relaxation and networking. 

We are now open for delegate registration, and will accept entries into the 2026 competition form May 1st (look out for Early Bird discount rates)

REMEMBER
 
BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects. Awards lead to rewards!
 
ENTER. GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

25/03/2026

14/03/2026

.
Now is the time to take advantage of our Early Bird discount (20% off) for entries received by 31st January 2026.

Close 31st March 2026

Work will be judged in Brighton on 29th & 30th April 2026.

Look out for jury announcements coming soon.

Remember, BRANDS, AGENCIES, LABELS, PRODUCTION COMPANIES & REPS are now using our Sharks Search Tool to seek out award-winning talent for their next projects.

Enter The Sharks - because awards lead to rewards.

GET RECOGNISED, GET LISTED, GET REWARDED.

22/02/2026

.
This week the 2025 Short Film & Branded Content awards were judged in Brighton, where our panel of 6 experienced film-makers spent 2 days reviewing the mass of entries totalling nearly 45 hours of film!

Windswept Brighton in January provided an inspirational getaway location for the judges to fully focus on the challenging decisions ahead.

Left to Right: Harvey Ascott, Donal Moloney, Dulcie Cowling, Louisa Connolly-Burnham, Jeremy McWilliams & Warren Berchie.

22/02/2026

.
Well, judging of our annual scriptwriting competition is nearly over, from nearly 400 entries received we're now down to the last 10 scripts. From which 1 winner will emerge, and will be announced on Thursday 26th February. The deserving writer will receive a £1000) cash prize.

Judge Mark O'Sullivan: “The sheer originality within the hundreds of  submissions speaks to a vibrant new generation of writers — Absolutely loved the fact that every writer began from the same jumping-off scene, yet delivered something entirely unique.”

.g carlotareal