All submissions must adhere to the following General Requirements or be subject to disqualification:
Films must have been created since the previous Film Festival's submission date: February 9, 2024.
Films must be submitted by 11:59 PM, March 14, 2025.
Each film may only be submitted to one category of one division.
Entrants may not have more than one film submitted to a single category.
Entrants may submit separate films to separate categories.
Films must not exceed 7 minutes in length, with the exception of Commercials, which must not exceed 60 seconds. The time limit DOES NOT include credits.
iMovie Trailers are not allowed.
Films must be appropriate for a K-12 school event. Films deemed inappropriate for a K-12 audience will be disqualified.
For the K-2 division, students are still responsible for brainstorming the idea for the video, determining its structure, filming each shot, and editing the final product. Teachers may offer direct guidance with these tasks; however, ultimately, the students are responsible for completing them.
For the 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 divisions, teachers or other adults may participate in an advisory role only, offering guidance to help students meet the general requirements (avoiding copyright issues, keeping the film appropriate, determining the correct category, etc.). The students are solely responsible for brainstorming the idea for the video, determining its structure, filming each shot, and editing the final product.
For films conceptualized, edited, and directed by a group of students, the film must be submitted to the division that corresponds with the oldest participating student.
Films that have been filmed, edited, or conceptualized by a teacher must be submitted to the Teacher division.
Parent and other adult-made videos are not allowed.
Films must contain credits citing information for all music and images used in the film, including Creative Commons, Public Domain, and original music. For Canva and Adobe Express users please note the following: Unless otherwise stated, all images (or music) are licensed under Canva (or Adobe)
Films must not use copyrighted music or images without documented permission from the copyright holder. Films that do not meet this general requirement are subject to disqualification.
Please refer to the following resources for assistance in obtaining appropriate music selections while avoiding copyright issues:
Incompetech - Creative Commons music that still requires citation in credits.
Bensound - Royalty free music that still requires citation in credits.
MixKit - Royalty free music that still requires citation in credits.
Purple Planet - Royalty free music that still requires citation in credits.
For
Note: Purchasing a song through iTunes or any other platform does NOT grant you rights to use the song in your film production. You must still seek written permission from the copyright holder.
Note: Using a music-only version of a copyrighted song is still copyright infringement.