Key features of the North Bellarine Film Festival are the Emerging Filmmaker Award, the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award and the People's Choice Award.

 

The Emerging Filmmaker and Emerging Documentary Filmmaker awards are presented to Victorian filmmakers 25 years of age or younger.  These awards are sponsored by, respectively, the Portarlington Film Society and the Geelong Waterfront Film Foundation.

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The recipient of the People's Choice Award is chosen by audience ballot on the second night of the festival. This award is open to all Emerging Filmmaker and Emerging Documentary Filmmaker award finalists and is sponsored by the St Leonards Film Society.

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Award winners receive a trophy and cash award and all finalists get to see their films screened in front of a live audience. 

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The submission period for the 2025 NBFF is now open.​​