The Festival de Cannes is one of the most prestigious European film festivals graced by auteurs and has seen the rise of some of the best directors working today including Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh, the former upsetting the order with ‘Pulp Fiction‘, and the latter making an indelible mark with the James Spader-starrer ‘Sex, Lies, and Videotape’. 

Much like the Oscars in the US, Cannes also has a range of awards, and while the main categories do not come with prize money – offering exposure and fame instead, there are smaller categories over the course of the week that include cash prizes. 

The Palme d’Or 

Literally meaning the Golden Palm, this is the most illustrious prize at the Cannes film festival. It is the Oscar equivalent of the Best Motion Picture and was introduced to the Cannes festival in 1955. 

The Grand Prix 

The Grand Prize is the second most prestigious award at the festival and is conferred upon one of the competing films by the jury. 

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Neither of these awards come with cash prizes. 

La Semaine de la Critique (Critics Week)

The Cannes film festival, this year, runs from May 17 to 28. Every year, the duration is similar, which means there’s time for smaller movies to be screened, and awards for these include cash prizes. 

The Nespresso Grand Prize is for budding directors and emergent talent. The prize money amounts to £13,200. 

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The Leica Cine Discovery Prize for Short Film gives £3,500 and the best actor or actress in their first movie can win £4,400 via the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star award. 

The Gan Foundation Award for Distribution gives £17,600 for a marketing strategy, so a first-time filmmaker can distribute their movie in France. 

LA CINEF, an Official Selection of the Festival de Cannes

Since the Cannes festival is focused on nurturing new talent, this category focuses on entries from film schools. 

Winners receive a €15,000 grant for the first prize, while second place gets €11,250. The third spot snags €7,500. The money is split in case of ties. 

All Awards 

Palme d’Or – Golden Palm

Grand Prix – Grand Prize of the Festival

Prix du Jury – Jury Prize

Palme d’Or du court métrage – Best Short Film

Prix d’interprétation féminine – Best Actress

Prix d’interprétation masculine – Best Actor

Prix de la mise en scène – Best Director

Prix du scénario – Best Screenplay

Prix Un Certain Regard – Young talent, innovative and audacious works

Cinéfondation prizes – Student films

Caméra d’Or – Best first feature film

Prix de la FIPRESCI – International Federation of Film Critics Prize

Prix Vulcain – Awarded to a technical artist by the CST

Prize of the Ecumenical Jury

François Chalais Prize

L’Œil d’or – Best documentary film

Trophée Chopard

Palm Dog, for best canine performance

Queer Palm, for best LGBT-related film