From 2025, the TEDDY AWARD – BEST DOCUMENTARY/ESSAY FILM will be eligible to compete for an Oscar®.

The TEDDY AWARD is the first and only LGBTQ+ film award to be included in the very exclusive club of film awards that lead directly to qualification for the Oscar® longlist. As of 2025, the winning film of the TEDDY AWARD for Best Documentary Feature is automatically eligible for an Academy Award®/Oscar® in the Best Documentary Feature category. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences thus underlines the importance of the TEDDY AWARD for queer film and international cinema.

The TEDDY AWARD, the first queer prize at an A-festival, has been presented during the Berlinale since 1987. It is awarded in various categories to films from all sections that communicate LGBTQIA* topics on a broad social level and thus contribute to more tolerance, acceptance, solidarity and equality in society.