He made his mark on horror with practically no budget, and now Sam Raimi is giving back to new filmmakers to give them their chance. Decentralized Pictures announced that they’ve partnered with the Evil Dead filmmakers for the new Sam Raimi Horror Award, offering the winning filmmaker money, mentoring, and distribution.
Decentralized Pictures is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering emerging filmmakers, and this new award is set to do just that. With an aim to “identify a director with a novel approach to horror,” the winning filmmaker will receive $25,000 to produce a short horror film, along with mentoring support, P&A support, and distribution of their finished film on the nonprofit’s forthcoming streaming platform.
“This collaboration with Decentralized Pictures to help elevate promising filmmaking talent has been both a professional and personal passion of mine,” said Raimi. “I can’t wait to discover the next standout horror visionary that will have audiences screaming in fright and delight.”
All films submitted will be reviewed by the community, and winners will be chosen by an all-star panel that Sam Raimi, Roman Coppola, Jed Shepherd, Eduardo Sanchez, Leo Matchett, and Emma Raimi. To submit their idea, participants must pay a submission fee of $25, and turn in both a one-page project description/lookbook and a short video sample demonstrating creative perspective, production capabilities, and storytelling ability.
Submissions for the Sam Raimi Horror Award are open now through December 31, with the community review period running until January 14, 2027. For full eligibility and entry requirements, you can check out Decentralized Pictures’ website.
