CPH:DOX has announced the winners of its 2026 international competitions, with Dongnan Chen’s Whispers in May taking the festival’s top honor, the DOX:AWARD, at the award show held at Social Cinema in Kunsthal Charlottenborg.

The Copenhagen festival said this year’s international competition lineup comprised 74 films selected from thousands of submissions, including 53 world premieres, 17 international premieres and four European premieres. A Special Mention in the main competition went to Nolwenn Hervé’s The Cord.

Among the other headline awards, the newly introduced FIPRESCI Award went to Nathan Grossman’s Amazomania, while the F:ACT Award was presented to Emma Wall and Betsy Hershey’s Just Look Up. Stephen Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar’s The Great Experiment received a Special Mention in the F:ACT section.

The NEXT:WAVE Award went to Irene Bartholomé’s Dream of Another Summer, with Tom Adjibi’s This Is Not a French Film taking a Special Mention. In the NORDIC:DOX competition, Shakiba Adil and Elina Hirvonen’s The Secret Reading Club of Kabul won the main prize, while Taekyung Tanja In Wol Sørensen’s Homesick was singled out for a Special Mention.

Maryam Ebrahimi’s The Phantom Pain of Rojava won the HUMAN:RIGHTS Award, while Poh Si Teng’s American Doctor received a Special Mention. The NEW:VISION Award went to Rico Wong’s Compact Disc, with Tulapop Saenjaroen’s Local Sensations also recognised with a Special Mention.

In the INTER:ACTIVE strand, Sacha Wares’ Inside: The Childhood of an Artist won the exhibition award, and Dark Rooms by Mads Damsbo and Laurits Flensted-Jensen received a Special Mention. The INTER:ACTIVE winner carries a cash prize of DKK 10,000.

CPH:DOX will announce its Audience Award, sponsored by Danish public broadcaster DR and carrying a prize of €10,000, on March 26.