Charity Film Awards
The Charity Film Awards is a British film awards ceremony that is held annually. Each year campaign films are announced as winners following both a public vote and a final panel of judges.
Previous winners have included the UK LSD Collaborative, RSPCA, Macmillan, and NSPCC. It is recognised by the British Film Institute and IMDb.
Overview
The Charity Film Awards is an annual competition recognising films created by charities, nonprofit organisations, and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Established in 2015, the awards aim to highlight the role of film in raising awareness and supporting charitable causes. Since its inception, the awards have grown into one of the largest initiatives of their kind. More than 6,000 charities have participated, and over one million individuals have taken part in the public voting process. By 2024, participating films had generated over 500 million film impressions, and the virtual ceremony attracted an audience of more than 2.7 million viewers. The awards are recognised by the British Film Institute and listed on IMDb.The judging process consists of two stages: a public vote and final review by a panel of judges from the media, advertising, and charity sectors. Entries are categorised according to the income level of the submitting organisation, based on the turnover brackets defined by the Charity Commission to ensure comparability between organisations of different sizes. In addition to income-based categories, there are awards for long-form films and for international charities and corporate social responsibility campaigns through the “International Impact” and “Corporate Cause” categories. Winners in each income bracket may receive Gold, Silver, or Bronze awards, either through public voting or judges' selection. The highest-rated films overall are recognised as “Charity Film of the Year” and “People’s Choice Film of the Year.”
The campaign incorporates a multi-platform communications strategy, including social media, digital PR, and livestreaming. Since 2022, the awards ceremony has been hosted by a celebrity presenter and broadcast on YouTube to a global audience. Over 300 new charities participate in the awards each year, with a record 520 entries submitted in 2025.
History
The Charity Film Awards was launched in 2015 to recognise the role of film in promoting social change and to give greater visibility to films made by charities. The Charity Film Awards' first ceremony in 2015 shortlisted a number of British charities, including RSPCA, Barnardo's, the RNLI, Alzheimer's Society, and Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. The eventual winner was St. John's Ambulance for "The Chokeables".In 2021, the awards were acquired by Smiley Movement, a nonprofit supported by The Smiley Company, to expand their reach. The acquisition was led by Nicolas Loufrani, CEO of Smiley Movement, and supported by founder Simon Burton, who saw the support by Smiley Movement as a way to grow the awards' influence. The campaign and ceremony are sponsored by the Smiley brand as the main title sponsor.
Since 2022, the awards ceremony has been hosted annually by a celebrity presenter, with additional guest presenters introducing each category. Individual awards are also presented by celebrities. Presenters included Tom Allen, Julien MacDonald, Adam Pearson, Lemn Sissay, Kimberley Wyatt, Natasha Kaplinsky, Professor Green, Jodie Kidd, Shirley Ballas, Una Healy, Patsy Kensit, Anton Ferdinand, Patsy Palmer, and Kathryn Drysdale/ In 2025, television and radio presenter Lisa Snowdon hosted the ceremony at the Indigo O2 in London.
As the number of entrants expanded, so did the number of categories at the awards. In 2023, a new category—the International Impact Award—was launched to recognise cause-driven films produced outside the UK. Supported by The Bicester Collection, this category has received submissions from the United States, Europe, South Asia, and South America. Past recipients include World Connect Inc., the World Childhood Foundation USA, and Pebbles Project.
In 2024, the Charity Film Awards introduced a new category Champion of Change Award to recognise individuals who have made a substantial contribution to social progress. Past winners include: Nada Al Ahdal and Annabel Kiki.
In both 2023 and 2024, TikTok served as the sponsor for the People's Choice Awards category, supporting public voting and increasing engagement.
The ceremony is streamed live on YouTube, allowing global audiences to view the event and engage with the films showcased.
The 2025 event, held at the Indigo at The O2 in London, had a record attendance of 1,400 guests and the livestream reached 182,000 views.
Nomination
Charities entering the Smiley Charity Film Awards are grouped based on their income, using the Charity Commission’s turnover brackets from their most recent financial year. This approach ensures a level playing field, giving smaller organisations an equal chance of winning alongside larger, more established charities.There are also specific categories for long-form films that run over eight minutes. These are divided into two groups: one for charities with an income under £5 million, and another for those with an income over £5 million.
Each income bracket is eligible for Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, which are given either through public voting or selected by a panel of judges. The People’s Choice Awards go to the films that receive the most public votes during the voting period. Finally, the highest-rated entries from both the judges’ selection and public voting are awarded the prestigious titles of Charity Film of the Year and People’s Choice Film of the Year.
Winners and nominees
2017
; Grand Prix Winners| Category | Prize | Film name | Charity Name |
| Grand Prix | Film of the Year | The Chokeables advert: save a choking baby | St John Ambulance |
| Grand Prix | People’s Choice | Soi Dog Foundation: Love Will Always Triumph Over Evil | Soi Dog Foundation |
; Category Winners
| Category | Film name | Charity Name |
| Under £10,000 | Welcome to Bulambuli Valley | Communities for Development |
| £10,000 – £100,000 | I Won't Go Quiet | The Loss Foundation |
| £100,000 – £500,000 | Support and Love Via Education International | Support and Love Via Education International |
| £500,000 – £5 Million | The Forever Project | Beth Shalom Ltd – trading as 'The National Holocaust Centre and Museum' |
| £5 – £50 Million | Royal Trinity Hospice: A Trinity story | Royal Trinity Hospice |
| Over £50 Million | Memory Walk 2016 | Alzheimer’s Society |
| Longform | RWD/FWD – The Restorative Justice Council | The Restorative Justice Council |
2018
; Grand Prix Winners| Category | Prize | Film name | Charity Name |
| Grand Prix | Film of the Year | The National Autistic Society – Make It Stop | The National Autistic Society |
| Grand Prix | People’s Choice | Hedgehog Close | British Hedgehog Preservation Society |
; Category Winners
| Category | Film name | Charity Name |
| Under £10,000 | DLD 1-2-3 | RADLD |
| £10,000 – £100,000 | Mothers' Stories | Heart4More Foundation |
| £100,000 – £500,000 | The Guardians of Leuser | Sumatran Orangutan Society |
| £500,000 – £5 Million | Suicide Notes Talk Too Late | Movember Foundation |
| £5 – £50 Million | REACH: help fund more nurses for young people with cancer | Teenage Cancer Trust |
| Over £50 Million | Made in Britain | Save the Children |
| Longform under £5 Million | Richmond Park: National Nature Reserve | Friends of Richmond Park |
| Longform over £5 Million | Prostate Cancer UK Appeal Film | Prostate Cancer UK |
2019
; Grand Prix Winners| Category | Prize | Film name | Charity Name |
| Grand Prix | Film of the Year | # One More Minute | Macmillan Cancer Support |
| Grand Prix | People’s Choice | Kozal's Christmas: a festive tale from Cats Protection | Isha Foundation |
;; Category Winners
| Category | Prize | Film name | Charity Name |
| Longform over £5M | Gold | Inside Childline 360 | Childline / NSPCC |
| Silver | Why I Chose to Donate my Daughter's Brain | The Brain Tumour Charity | |
| Bronze | One billion treatments for neglected tropical diseases | Childline / NSPCC | |
| Gold | The Living Thames | Thames Estuary Partnership | |
| Silver | Island of Grief | WAY Widowed and Young | |
| Silver | Dance Beats Cancer | Youth Cancer Trust | |
| Bronze | Grief as a Teenager | Tynedale Hospice at Home | |
| Over £50M | Gold | Stars | RSPCA |
| Silver | Carl's Story | Change Grow Live | |
| Silver | Strawberry Field Liverpool: The Story Behind the Song | The Salvation Army | |
| Bronze | Touchline Tactics | ActionAid UK | |
| Highly commended | Somebody I used to know: Wendy Mitchell | Alzheimer's Society | |
| £5–£50M | Gold | Booberang breast check | Breast Cancer Care |
| Silver | Escape Robot | War Child | |
| Bronze | Patrick's Privilege | Help for Heroes | |
| Highly commended | Pillow Fight | The IET | |
| £500K–£5M | Gold | # One More Minute | Child Bereavement UK |
| Silver | We Are Chickenshed | Chickenshed | |
| Silver | 5 years through the eyes of a mum. | Macular Society | |
| Bronze | A story of hope | Keys of Change CIO | |
| £100K–£500K | Gold | The Grasvenor Project – #RoleModels | The Grasvenor Project |
| Silver | What does AngelmanUK mean to you? | AngelmanUK | |
| Bronze | Educating the Future | COINS Foundation & PEAS | |
| £10K–£100K | Gold | The FAB Gift of Life – To educate children on the subject of Organ donation | Believe – Organ Donor Support |
| Silver | 20 Men 1 Question | HUMEN | |
| Bronze | Hyperemesis Gravidarum is definitely not Morning Sickness – Animation | Pregnancy Sickness Support | |
| Under £10K | Gold | The Mouse | Voicing CSA |
| Silver | Sponsoring kindness | Sunshine People | |
| Bronze | Welcome to Woodlands School | Woodlands School Charitable Trust |