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The Henry Awards for Public Interest Documentary recognize nonfiction films and series that advance public understanding of urgent civic issues through rigorous journalism, ethical integrity, and courageous storytelling. 

Guided by the principles of editorial independence, factual accuracy, and public accountability, the Henry Awards honor filmmakers whose work illuminates complex realities and empowers audiences—not only as viewers, but as citizens. 

The awards prioritize films and series that embody the documentary form’s power to inform discourse, foster trust, strengthen civic health, and serve the public good. 

The program is administered by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

In a change from last year, the Henry Awards will consider the following formats for entries:  

• Feature-length documentary films (40 minutes or more) 
• Short documentary films (less than 40 minutes)  
• Episodic documentary series (up to three episodes for consideration) 

No more than TWO entries may be submitted by a single production company, studio, streaming platform, or distributor. A project can only be considered once (example: a project that submits at its theatrical stage is not eligible to resubmit in a later year at its broadcast stage). Filmmakers should coordinate with their production companies, studios, streaming platforms, distributors, etc., to avoid duplicate submissions per year. Projects that have been previously submitted by film teams for the 2025 Henry Awards are not eligible.

To be eligible for the Henry Awards, a documentary feature film, short, or series must meet the following criteria: 

• The entry must exhibit the qualities of the Henry Awards core values. 
• The entry must address a topic of significant public interest with clear relevance to public policy, civic life, or social justice in the United States at the local, regional, or national level. The entry should demonstrate or aim to catalyze public understanding using journalistic methodologies in the film’s creation.  
• The entry may be distributed through any platform (broadcast, streaming, online media, theatrical) but must be publicly available in the United States prior to submission. Films/series with no form of public distribution are not eligible. (This includes student films/series or films/series that have only engaged in festival circulation at the point of submission.) 
• The film/series qualifies for the Henry Awards if it has premiered on broadcast, online, or in theaters to a U.S. audience during the eligibility period of September 1, 2023, to March 31, 2025. A project can only be considered one time (example: a project that submits at its theatrical stage is not eligible to resubmit in a later year at its broadcast stage). Projects that have been previously submitted by film teams for the 2025 Henry Awards are not eligible. 
• International co-productions are eligible if the subject matter centers on or has direct impact on issues or policy in the United States. 
• An entry in a language other than English must be accompanied by on-screen English subtitles. 

Each film/series will be evaluated by a screening committee and, if selected as a semi-finalist, by a jury. All projects will be assessed without any outside influence or lobbying by distributors, production companies, publicists, or sponsors. More information here.  

At this time, the Henry Awards program will only evaluate films that have been submitted through the Submissions portal by 11:59pm ET on November 21, 2025. Please visit the Submissions page for more information.

There is no cost to submit.

The Henry Awards grand prize winner and finalists will be announced in Fall 2026.

Please contact the Documentary Film Initiative at the Shorenstein Center: [email protected].