The LUX Audience Award is presented annually by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in partnership with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas, aiming to spark conversation about important societal issues. It has been awarded since 2020. A panel selects five films to compete for the award, with the winner chosen equally by EU citizens and members of the European Parliament based on one- to five-star ratings, weighted evenly.
The deadline for rating the films is 12 April 2026. The five nominated films for 2026 are Christy (an Irish/UK production), Deaf (Sorda) (a Spanish film), It Was Just An Accident (an Iranian/French/Luxembourg production), Love me tender (a French film), and Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverd) (a joint production between Norway, France, Denmark and Germany). For the first time, all five nominated films will be subtitled for deaf and hard of hearing people in all 24 languages.
The 2026 prize-giving ceremony will take place on Tuesday 14 April at 18:00 in the European Parliament hemicycle in Brussels, bringing together MEPs, representatives of the five nominated films, and members of the public. Accredited journalists will have the opportunity to interview representatives of the five shortlisted films on the day of the ceremony, and a press point with representatives of the winning film and the vice-president of the European Parliament Sabine Verheyen will occur after the ceremony, outside the hemicycle. Around 1,200 visitors attended the 2025 ceremony, though it is unknown how many will attend in 2026.
Euronews' LUX Audience Award 2026 debate will be streaming live on Euronews' YouTube at 10 CET, but the exact date of this debate remains unspecified. The specific representatives of the nominated films attending the ceremony and the themes each film addresses beyond brief descriptions are also not confirmed.