Evil Dead director Sam Raimi is offering $25,000 to help an emerging filmmaker make a horror short.
Raimi’s new horror award pairs $25,000 in production funding with mentoring, help promoting the finished short, and distribution on the upcoming DCP+ streaming platform. The Evil Dead director is teaming up with nonprofit Decentralized Pictures to select 1 emerging filmmaker for the package.
The Sam Raimi Horror Award welcomes psychological scares, supernatural stories, visceral horror, horror-comedy, and unexpected approaches to the genre. Raimi said, “I can’t wait to discover the next standout horror visionary that will have audiences screaming in fright and delight.”
To apply, filmmakers need a 1-page project description or lookbook and a brief video showing their work. That sample can be a scene, an excerpt from a short, a teaser, or a proof of concept. The submission fee is $25 and pays for community review.
Entries close December 31, 2026, with community review continuing through January 14, 2027. After that review, the recipient will be chosen by a panel reported to include Raimi, Roman Coppola, Jed Shepherd (Host), Eduardo Sánchez (The Blair Witch Project), Leo Matchett, and Emma Raimi.
Applications go through app.decentralized.pictures/awards.
