Entries now open for Flickerfest + Specsavers’ ‘Should’ve Gone to Specsavers’ TVC competition

Flickerfest, Australia’s leading and only Oscar® Qualifying and BAFTA recognised short film festival has joined forces with leading optical retailer Specsavers for a third year and are thrilled to announce an even more exciting evolution of their national competition. Up and coming talented Australian content creators are encouraged to get behind the camera to deliver their very own ‘Should’ve Gone to Specsavers’ ad.

Entries are now open, and the brief is simple; filmmakers across the country are invited to deliver a completed 30 second Should’ve Gone to Specsavers TVC that will create a lasting impression and get their talents noticed, both on the Flickerfest big screen and amplified by media around the country.

A prestigious jury will critique all entries and announce five finalists who will all be awarded $20,000 in prize money and will have their entries shown at Flickerfest’s respected Bondi event in January 2026. Then the voting will be thrown open to the public to decide the major prize winner who will take home a generous cash prize of $50,000, announced at the close of Flickerfest 2026 in Bondi on 25 of January. Specsavers are thrilled to be delivering this opportunity for Australian filmmakers to showcase their skills and gain recognition on a national stage to help advance their careers.

Festival Director Bronwyn Kidd says: “This is the third year of our partnership, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to work with the team at Specsavers again to be able to support and nurture an Australian creative to develop their skills through this wonderful career initiative.

“At Flickerfest, we are committed to finding pathways to support Australian filmmakers beyond our festival and it’s fantastic to partner with brands such as Specsavers who support us in our vision to discover, reward and further career opportunities for Australian talent in such a meaningful way.”

Says Anri McHugh, Head of Marketing, Awareness & Consideration at Specsavers: “The Should’ve brand platform is over 16 years old in Australia and we always say that everyone has had a Should’ve moment. What seems like a simple idea is actually quite tricky to get right and so we look forward to seeing which creative ideas shine through and in particular, which ones resonate with the public when it comes time for voting. To be able to help nurture up-and-coming local talent and to provide a platform for them to further their careers is a real privilege.”

The five Specsavers finalist ads will premiere on the big screen at the 35th Flickerfest 2026 in Bondi, 16 to 25 January, launching before the festival’s prestigious programmes, before appearing in 45 other venues around the country as part of the Flickerfest national tour from Feb-Oct 2026. The major prize winner will be announced at the close of Flickerfest 2026 on the 25 of January 2026.

Entries for the Specsavers Flickerfest competition are now open and close 1 December at 4pm. The five competition finalists will be announced in mid-December www.flickerfest.com.au