The Whickers Announces 2026 Film & TV and Podcast Pitch Winners at Sheffield DocFest
And that’s a wrap on another fantastic year at Sheffield DocFest 2026.
Now widely regarded as one of the most significant prizes in the documentary industry, The Whickers Pitch: Film & TV Funding Award and The Whickers Podcast Pitch, presented in partnership with Sheffield DocFest, attracted larger audiences than ever before. Industry professionals, filmmakers and festival delegates packed into the sessions to hear some of the most exciting documentary projects from around the world, before returning later to the Award’s ceremony to discover which teams would take home this year’s record-breaking prize fund.
The Whickers Film & TV Funding Award 2026
The top Film & TV Funding Award of £120,000 was awarded to Children of Honey, directed by Jigar Ganatra and Emanuel Musa Marco. (see more HERE)
Set in a remote Tanzanian valley, Children of Honey follows three friends coming of age within one of the world’s last remaining hunter-gatherer societies. As the precious honey on which they depend becomes increasingly scarce, they begin documenting their own lives, creating an intimate portrait of a community navigating profound change.
The £25,000 Film & TV Development Award was presented to Welcome to Our Bathhouse, directed by Tommaso Barbetta.
The film follows Ayako, who grew up in one of Tokyo’s oldest bathhouses. As the city modernises and traditional community spaces disappear, she fights to preserve both the bathhouse and the neighbourhood connections it has fostered for generations.
The 2026 Film & TV judging panel comprised Jane Mote (Whickers Consultant Editor), Raul Niño Zambrano (Creative Director, Sheffield DocFest), Anna Berthollet (Lightdox), David Green (Director, Whicker’s World Foundation), Fozia Khan (Head of Unscripted, Amazon MGM Studios UK) and Sam Soko (award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of LBx Africa).
Commenting on Children of Honey, judge Sam Soko said:
“Children of Honey is a beautiful, cinematic project from Tanzania which offers us a rare window into the Hadza community. This community is often only seen through the lens of outsiders, but in this film the Hadza have real agency in the telling and owning of the story, bringing authenticity and depth to the narrative.”
Judge Fozia Khan said of Welcome to Our Bathhouse:
“This project gives us a rare glimpse into a secretive world, full of heart. A story of love, friendship, belonging and age, of both people and places … told with humour and vulnerability.”
The Whickers Podcast Pitch 2026
The Whickers Podcast Pitch Award (£15,000) was awarded to The Many Gendered Mothers of My Heart, created by Shirley Abraham and Tihany Sengupta.
The project follows two young Indian women who embark on a search for hidden histories and the secret lives of women before the internet age, uncovering stories of love, resistance and connection along the way.
The Podcast Development Award (£5,000) was presented to The Riverbank, created by Chirae Cannon.
Drawing on family recordings, interviews and archival material, The Riverbank explores the impact of violence, incarceration and survival through an intimate and deeply personal audio documentary series.
The podcast winners were selected for presenting the most creative, compelling and promising projects, with all awards funded by the Whickers Foundation.
The podcast judging panel said of The Many Gendered Mothers of My Heart:
“A stand-out for its humanity, humour and clarity of purpose. A clear example of how audio documentary can lend a voice to those who can’t tell their stories to a lens. The judges appreciated the idea that this work, once completed, could be shared with isolated communities as a form of outreach and connection. The blending of a personal journey of love against the backdrop of those who have tried to pave the way through secret letters is deeply compelling and will be hugely revealing to audiences at home and abroad. We can’t wait to hear it.”
Of The Riverbank, the judges said:
“A moving, poetic example of how the most powerful stories sometimes exist in the spaces around and between the narrative. Chirae’s determination and clarity of vision shone through the painful subject matter. It is clear this project is the work of a powerful creative mind and could only be told in audio. The judges also appreciated her clear understanding of how she would build characters and story across multiple episodes.”
Congratulations to all of our finalists, winners and judges for making The Whickers 2026 another inspiring celebration of original documentary storytelling. We look forward to following these projects as they continue their journeys from pitch to production.