Leave with a cost sheet, not a headline price
For each opportunity, record the edition, category, submission route, deadline tier, original currency, discount eligibility and cutoff time zone. Separate what you must spend now from costs that arise only after selection. Mark unpublished amounts as unknown, not zero.
An early-bird price, a member price and a total prize pool describe different things. Check eligibility before paying: a successful payment neither clears your film’s eligibility nor secures selection.
Record the whole fee
| Field | Common mistake | Keep this evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Edition, category and tier | Using last year’s price or another category’s fee | The actual entry page and date checked |
| Route and original currency | Mixing direct and platform prices; treating every dollar sign as USD | An explicit currency code, route and original amount |
| Discount eligibility | Assuming a student, member or waiver price applies | Required proof, validity and combination rules |
| Checkout extras | Buying an optional service by mistake or missing a payment charge | The itemised checkout and final receipt |
| Cutoff time zone | Treating local midnight as midnight at home | The official zone and end of the price tier |
FilmFreeway’s Gold discounts apply to eligible members entering participating Gold festivals. A basic account does not grant that price, and not every festival participates. Compare savings only on entries you already intend to make and can legitimately discount, then subtract the membership cost. Do not add unsuitable festivals just to justify a subscription. Official Gold guidance
If the organiser’s site and checkout disagree, save both and ask which category, tier and route apply. Do not silently choose the cheaper figure or supply an unspecified currency yourself.
Separate refunds, delivery and attendance
FilmFreeway says ordinary refund requests are at the festival’s discretion; non-selection alone is not grounds for a refund. Its separate Submission Protection has conditions, and its own fee is not refundable. It is not an unconditional right to withdraw for a refund. Refund guidance, platform terms
Before paying, establish whether selection requires a DCP, another subtitle version, shipping, attendance, a visa or accommodation, and who pays. Do not buy an unnecessary deliverable early. Do not enter zero for an unresolved requirement. Check that existing music and tool licences cover the intended use; list additional clearance, translation and delivery work separately without counting past production spending twice.
Read prizes in four separate columns
| Wording | What to record |
|---|---|
| Total pool or combined value | An aggregate across awards or tracks, not an amount promised to every entrant |
| Individual cash award | Original currency, amount, number of recipients and claim conditions; check taxes and team allocation |
| Tool credits or membership | Quantity, permitted use, expiry and transfer restrictions; keep separate from spendable cash |
| Production support or commercial opportunity | Whether it is guaranteed, separately assessed or subject to a contract; unresolved support is not confirmed income |
For example, Runway’s 2026 Film rules list the Grand Prix’s USD 50,000 cash and 1,000,000 Runway credits separately. Record cash and tool credits separately, rather than treating the package as cash. This is a historical edition, not evidence of next year’s awards or a currently open call. 2026 Film rules
A prize may also depend on verification, a response deadline, documents or licence conditions. A poster does not establish every claim requirement. Where itemised and aggregate figures conflict, retain the uncertainty and ask; do not publish your own correction as an official total. Do not finance the budget with an assumed prize or an invented probability of winning.
Fictional exercise: budget for three entries
Events A, B and C, every price and every condition below are invented for this exercise. They are not quotations from listed opportunities. Assume the film is complete and the stated prices have been checked within the scenario. Keep currencies separate; no exchange rate is assumed.
| Item | Pay now | Possible cost after selection | Exercise assumption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event A standard entry | CNY 120 | None | Current standard rate for this fictional category |
| Event B entry | CNY 0 | None | The scenario explicitly confirms no entry fee |
| Event C entry and payment charge | USD 25 + USD 2 | None | Both amounts are confirmed within the exercise |
| English subtitle review | CNY 180 | None | One review shared across the three entries |
| Screener export | CNY 0 | None | Completed with existing equipment in this scenario |
| Event A DCP | None | CNY 300 | Produced only if selected and that version is required |
| Travel and accommodation | None | Unknown | Mandatory attendance and any subsidy are unconfirmed |
Known spending now is CNY 300 + USD 27. If the DCP is required, the known portion becomes CNY 600 + USD 27. Travel remains outside that figure, so it is not a complete final quotation. If an A membership saves CNY 30 but costs an additional CNY 45, buying it increases this hypothetical budget by CNY 15. Comparing discounted entry prices alone would miss that cost.
Replace the exercise with your own evidence and retain unresolved amounts. Set a spending limit you can carry without winning. If necessary later costs have no workable funding plan, clarify or defer rather than relying on a prize to cover the gap.
An enquiry you can adapt
Subject: Fees and later costs — [edition/category]
Hello, I plan to submit [title/runtime] through [route]. The page shows [original-currency amount, tier and cutoff zone]; I am a [standard/student/member] entrant. Please confirm the applicable fee, required proof and refund conditions. If selected, are delivery, attendance or other payments required, and who covers them? For [award], which benefits are cash and which are non-cash, and are there claim or contractual conditions? Please point me to the relevant rules for this edition. Thank you.
Remove questions already answered clearly and identify the actual discrepancy. Keep the response with the original rules. Silence does not establish a free entry or an approved exception.
Five checks before payment
- The edition, category, route, tier and cutoff zone are correct; no clear eligibility conflict remains.
- Currency and payable amount are explicit, including discount proof and checkout extras.
- Refund and withdrawal conditions are understood; later delivery and attendance costs are listed separately.
- Cash, tool benefits and commercial possibilities are separated; no unknown pool or assumed win offsets spending.
- Rules, itemised fees, replies and submission/payment receipts are saved; important unanswered amounts stay marked unknown.
Sources and scope
Official pages checked on 27 October 2026. Each supports the stated facts above, not a universal rule for every event or future edition.
- FilmFreeway Gold for Submitters: member and participating-festival discount scope.
- FilmFreeway refund guidance: ordinary refunds versus conditional protection.
- FilmFreeway Terms of Service: payment and protection provisions; festival-side settlement charges are not automatically entrant charges.
- Runway AIF 2026 Film rules: separate cash and credit components, and claim conditions; a historical edition.
Apply this to your film
Use the matching questionnaire to narrow your shortlist, then confirm unresolved requirements with each organiser. Public kit previews are open; full ZIPs are free with an account. Reading or downloading does not subscribe you to reminders.