The third annual Specsavers x Flickerfest TVC Competition 2026 has reached public voting stage. The competition, created in partnership with Flickerfest, Australia’s leading Oscar qualifying and BAFTA recognised short film festival, challenged creatives to produce an original 30-second Should’ve Gone to Specsavers TVC. From over 160 nationwide entries, five talented finalists were selected, with the winning film set to receive up to AU$70,000 from a significant AU$150,000 total prize pool.
The five finalist films, each offering a fresh and humorous take on the iconic Specsavers catchphrase, are premiering at Flickerfest’s flagship Bondi festival from January 23 to February 1. The public’s vote will determine the winner, announced on the festival’s closing night.
The finalists are
- Sammy Lewis: Garbologist, a stop motion adventure that unfolds during the weekly rubbish collection.
- Justin Villar: The Chase, a high-octane pursuit through the streets of Melbourne.
- Edvard Christie: The Expert. A wine connoisseur uses his refined senses to identify a wine – but one sense is in need of assistance.
- Hannah Dougherty: Sketch Artist. The victim of a bag snatch describes the culprit in great detail to a police sketch artist.
- Muraya Moore: Fishtank. A young man “sees” a potential love interest for the first time through a fish tank.
Festival director, Bronwyn Kidd, stated, “This is the third year of our partnership, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to work with the team at Specsavers again to be able to support and nurture Australian creative’s through this wonderful career initiative. At Flickerfest we are committed to finding pathways to support Australian filmmakers beyond our festival and it’s fantastic to partner with Specsavers who support us in our vision to discover, reward & further career opportunities for Australian talent in such a meaningful way. I’m so excited to see audiences’ reactions to these talented finalist films over the coming weeks.”
“I want to extend a big thank you to all the talented directors who took the time to create and submit an entry to the competition. We were blown away by the quality of the submissions,” added Anri McHugh, head of marketing awareness & consideration at Specsavers. “By showcasing new creative voices through Flickerfest and inviting the public to be part of the decision, we’re not only celebrating emerging talent but also reinforcing the simple human insight at the heart of the Should’ve Gone to Specsavers platform, that when people don’t see clearly, everyday moments can go humorously wrong.”
Public voting is open from Jan 19 to 31 2026. The winning film will be announced on the closing night of Flickerfest short film festival on February 1.
