Entrants must be 18+ and currently enrolled at an institution in an eligible European country. Enter alone or with up to four students; students must do the principal creative work. Eligible-country coverage needs confirmation. One film per person/team; no principal team member may enter twice.1
What to prepare
Prepare a 1–5-minute film, with up to 30 extra seconds of end credits, a still/poster and the Production & Technology Form. Significant non-English dialogue needs English subtitles in the video. Explain the main AI tools/models and their contribution; spelling correction alone does not qualify.1
Beyond the entry fee
Section 3 explicitly makes entry free. Tool brands and equipment cost do not earn points. Budget separately for production, subtitles and rights clearance; free entry does not establish that these costs will be reimbursed.1
Publication and permissions
You retain ownership, but shortlisted films can be published in full on competition channels. Publication need not end with voting; removal requests are reviewed. Check compatibility before committing the film to another event that requires it to remain unpublished.1
Understanding the prize
The three prizes are EUR 500, EUR 300 and EUR 100, not a EUR 900 individual payout. A winning lead must verify a school email and receive a SEPA transfer into their own European bank account.1
Our take
A practical option for eligible students with a finished film. Confirm school/team and payout eligibility, then use the organiser-linked FilmFreeway route and retain the receipt. The short lead time makes starting from scratch a poor fit.1
Both tracks free to enter · production credits are separate
PixLight 2026 · Pilot and Script tracks
Recorded deadline shown above
Who can enter
For individuals/teams aged 18+ worldwide, subject to legal/payment restrictions. Pilot needs a 3–20-minute narrative film made primarily in Canvas. Script needs a complete English screenplay for a 45–90-minute feature and a 1–5-minute video pitch; no finished film or Canvas project is required. Storyless visual experiments are excluded.1
What to prepare
Both tracks need a 16:9 cover, pitch up to 500 characters and synopsis up to 3,000. Pilot adds the film with official intro, Canvas link and public-film post. Script adds a PDF/DOC/DOCX screenplay and video pitch. Dialogue/narration requires English subtitles in the video, even for English speech. Up to three entries per track; no edits after submission.1
Beyond the entry fee
Free entry does not mean free Canvas production. The project-credit offer applies only to eligible paid members entering Pilot, up to 100,000 credits. Membership fees, external costs and gifted credits are excluded. The return is Bonus credit with no cash value, not a cash refund. All four advertised Starter Pack release dates have passed.1
Publication and permissions
Pilot requires a public full-film post with both specified hashtags; Canvas projects are viewable and cloneable. Script does not require public posting or disclosure of the full screenplay, but cover, synopsis and pitch video may be shown. Entry carries a five-year promotional/display licence; winning scripts also have a 90-day exclusive first-negotiation period.1
Understanding the prize
The published pre-tax cash pool is USD 300,000 across 33 awards, with one award per creator/team. Credit incentives are separate. Payment remains subject to identity, tax and payment checks and the applicable agreements.1
Our take
If you already have a complete English feature script, assess Script before spending on a finished film. For Pilot, accept the public-film and project-cloning requirements before entering. The 10 November deadline is only for the BTS credit application, not an entry extension.1
Free entry · new-film and specified-model requirements
1 Billion Followers Summit · AI Film Award 2027
Recorded deadline shown above
Who can enter
For creators aged 18+, with an authorised individual representing a team/company. Make the film specifically for the award: no previous public release, broadcast, publication, entry in or award from another competition. A film already posted online is not a suitable reuse. Sanctions and organiser-affiliation exclusions also apply.12
What to prepare
A complete 5–7-minute story, 16:9, at least 1080p, MOV/MP4, English subtitles and the official intro, addressing one of the five themes. The homepage caps total duration at seven minutes; clause 5.3(a) excludes reasonable credits. Clarify borderline runtimes. The homepage requires at least 70% Seedance generation; the terms also address visual/audio verification.12
Beyond the entry fee
Clause 3.2 makes entry free, with no purchase required. Tools, compute, licences, translation and production remain your responsibility and are not reimbursed. Starting a new Seedance film can make this an expensive production commitment despite the absence of an entry fee.2
Publication and permissions
You retain rights you lawfully own while granting a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable non-exclusive screening/promotional licence. Keep the film unpublished until the award announcement or formal non-finalist notification. Retain process evidence for 24 months and provide it within seven days if requested.2
Understanding the prize
One USD 1 million grand prize, not a payment shared among all finalists. Eligibility, identity, banking and tax conditions still apply. Do not offset your production budget against a prize you have not won.12
Our take
Check publication and entry history first, then model evidence, duration and theme. Submit a private/unlisted film link through the official form; a social post is not an entry. Do not invent a 23:59 cutoff where the organiser has not published one.12
All nationalities/residences, individuals or teams; under-19s need guardian consent at entry. Films must have been completed from 1 Jan 2025. Prior publication, screenings and awards are allowed if disclosed; report distribution/exclusivity contracts first. Narrative, animation, documentary and Arirang: up to 20 minutes; ads: three; music videos: seven, including credits.21
What to prepare
AI must generate or substantially assist at least 50% of visual content or core narrative elements; denoising/subtitles alone are insufficient. Verify email, register film/poster and upload MP4; answer 12 questions and provide roughly two pages of process notes plus three timecoded evidence scenes. Accept the terms, submit and confirm the review version. Retrospective process notes are allowed.12
Beyond the entry fee
Korea entry is free. The 19 cash-prize winners must enter the global final, with its USD 99 fee covered by the Korea organiser. The 31 encouragement winners may decline the final and keep their award; opting in costs USD 99 per film. The guide/form also specifies commercially usable paid AI plans: clarify free-tool/open-source workflows first. Travel and accommodation are separate.12
Publication and permissions
Korea-stage online publication of the full film requires separate consent. The global final differs: its organiser can publish winning films non-commercially on official/third-party platforms without an end date. Global-final winners also face a 12-month same-terms priority-collaboration arrangement. Resolve distribution or release restrictions before entry.12
Understanding the prize
The Korea grand prize is KRW 10 million before tax; encouragement awards carry no cash. Korea and global-final awards are separate. A Korea cash-prize winner cannot take the money while declining the disclosed global-final obligation. Attendance at the US ceremony is optional.12
Our take
Best assessed with a finished film and a documented process. Check AI-plan commercial rights, global publication and later fees first. Free Korea entry does not mean every stage is cost-free for every winner.12