YouTube Australia partners with Tropfest to support a new wave of Australian filmmakers and creators

Like so many Australians, I have great memories of Tropfest, so it was a particularly special moment for me this morning at Centennial Park to stand alongside the Tropfest team as they announced that YouTube Australia is partnering with this iconic festival to help bring it back for a new generation.

Tropfest is a cultural touchstone that has celebrated homegrown talent for decades. We believe YouTube Australia is the perfect partner for the festival because we fundamentally share that same mission: to find and champion the next generation of storytellers.

Our commitment is to help give these creators and filmmakers a global stage. We're honoured to exclusively livestream the main event from Centennial Park on Sunday, 22 February 2026, for the world to see. Submissions will open via YouTube from December 1st, with prizes including a special Google tech bundle. We can’t wait to see the creations.

Our support will also extend well beyond one night. Through the 'YouTube Creator Collective x Tropfest' free workshops, we will invest in equipping aspiring filmmakers and creators with the skills they need to build their careers, and these will kick off this October.

If you’re keen to get a taste of Tropfest before the main event, their official YouTube Channel is your go-to place. A special Tropfest “Marathon” will be going live there from Friday 5th September at 7.00pm for a full two weeks, 24 hours a day. “Trop ‘til You Drop” will showcase decades of iconic Tropfest short films, including many gems from the past.