For the 2019 and 2020 editions of the European Film Awards, the European Film Academy will welcome new festivals to participate in the EFA Short Film selection and awarding procedure. Joining the network of 15 already existing partner festivals, at each festival an independent jury will choose one short film from its competition as a candidate for the European Film Awards short film category.

When the annual cycle of participating festivals – running from October of the preceding year to September of the actual awards year – is complete, a committee of short film experts and of EFA Board Members will nominate five of the short film candidates for the award European Short Film. The members of the European Film Academy − more than 3,500 European film professionals – will continue to elect the overall winner.

For the 32nd European Film Awards Ceremony, taking place in Berlin on 7 December 2019, the festival cycle now begins. The following festivals are new in the network: Hamburg International Short Film Festival (Germany), Motovun Film Festival (Croatia), Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen (The Netherlands), Odense International Film Festival (Denmark) and VIS Vienna Shorts Festival (Austria).

They join the following 15 festivals, many of whom have been dedicated long-time partners of the European Film Academy: Berlin International Film Festival (Germany), Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (France), Cork Film Festival (Ireland), International Short Film Festival in Drama (Greece), Encounters Festival (UK), Krakow Film Festival (Poland), Leuven International Short Film Festival (Belgium), Locarno Festival (Switzerland), International Film Festival Rotterdam (the Netherlands), Sarajevo Film Festival (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Tampere Film Festival (Finland), Uppsala International Short Film Festival (Sweden), Valladolid International Film Festival (Spain), Venice Film Festival (Italy), Curtas Vila do Conde - International Film Festival (Portugal). 

In addition, the 2020 edition will then also welcome the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus, Riga International Film Festival (Latvia), PÖFF Shorts (Tallinn, Estonia) and Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur (Switzerland). 

The full cycle, always beginning in October, is