American Cinema Editors (ACE) Announces New Shorts Category, Will Accept Submissions from Digital Platforms
American Cinema Editors (ACE) and the ACE Board has announced a new competitive award category—Best Edited Short—and will, for the first time, accept submissions from YouTube and other digital platforms across compatible existing categories.
Additionally, ACE will present YouTube with the ACE Visionary Award, recognizing its profound impact on visual storytelling at the 76th Annual ACE Eddie Awards taking place Friday, February 27, 2026 at UCLA’s Royce Hall, as previously announced.. These updates reflect ACE’s response to the evolving media landscape and its support for the creative work emerging across both traditional and digital spaces.
The newly approved Best Edited Short category will celebrate exceptional editing in short-form storytelling. Eligible submissions will include:
Theatrical short films (such as those eligible for Oscar consideration)
Original short-form content made specifically for digital platforms
Narrative, documentary, animation, and experimental works
ACE is considering aligning the maximum runtime with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science’s 40- minute standard, though the final parameters will be confirmed and announced on the ACE website before the next submission period.
In addition to the new short film category, ACE has broadened eligibility across compatible existing categories to include work released exclusively on platforms like YouTube. Whether reality or variety series or feature-length documentaries, these projects will be judged by the same rigorous artistic and technical standards ACE applies to all entries. This shift acknowledges the caliber of editing now seen in digital-first storytelling and ensures that editors working in these formats are recognized for their craft.
To honor its transformative influence on the world of storytelling, ACE will present YouTube with the ACE Visionary Award at the 76th Annual ACE Eddie Awards. The recognition is given in the spirit of previous honors bestowed upon pioneering companies such as Avid, and celebrates YouTube’s role in empowering a global generation of visual storytellers.
“YouTube has radically expanded the boundaries of who can tell stories and how those stories reach audiences,” said Anita Brandt-Burgoyne, ACE, chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee. “This award celebrates its role in democratizing visual storytelling and inspiring a new generation of editors.”
“This is not about catching up to a trend,” said ACE Executive Director, Jenni McCormick. “It’s about planting our flag and saying: ACE is committed to leading the way into what’s next—without ever losing sight of where we came from.” The new Eddie Award category and expanded eligibility reflect where storytelling is going—and they keep ACE right at the heart of it with the goal of honoring the giants of editing and nurturing the next generation concurrently
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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