The AI film calendar
Where to send your AI film, and by when. A hand-checked calendar of 54 AI film festivals, AI video contests and awards — where each one screens, who can enter, and the day submissions close. Updated by people, and every entry says when it was last checked.
Next deadline
FestivalIn personShenyang, China
A three-day festival in Shenyang pairing AI filmmaking with robotics, on an escalating deadline schedule.
Submissions close Sep 21, 2026
Rules & submission ↗Deadlines inside the next 30 days
Filed by the day submissions close — or, once that has gone, by the day the festival opens. Pick a month, or narrow it down.
53/53
In personShenyang, China
A three-day festival in Shenyang pairing AI filmmaking with robotics, on an escalating deadline schedule.
HybridHollywood, Los Angeles, United States
by AI International Film Festivals, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Running since 2021 and billed as the first AI film festival, this nonprofit now screens monthly in Hollywood with a live award show, filmmaker discussions and a worldwide stream. Around 75% of its submissions come from outside the United States.
Who can enter AI, hybrid, live-action, documentary or animated work that uses AI tools or explores AI’s impact. Vertical and horizontal accepted. English subtitles required.
In personMontréal, Quebec, Canada
A Montréal festival for AI-assisted cinema, screening in spring 2027 with submissions open more than a year ahead.
In personToronto, Canada
A shorts-only AI film night in Toronto, screening in November.
Online
by iQIYI, with NadouPro and Alibaba’s Wan3.0
The first international contest on iQIYI’s professional AI filmmaking platform NadouPro, run on Alibaba’s Wan3.0 model. Note that 150 of the 156 awards are participation awards.
Who can enter Open worldwide. Videos 30 seconds to 5 minutes, at least 60% generated by Wan3.0 and 80% produced on NadouPro.
In personSan Francisco, California, United States
by Sparknify
A Bay Area festival that screens traditional and AI-generated shorts side by side for a blind jury comparison, with every film built around one of eight core human emotions. Submissions for this edition have closed.
In personTokyo, Japan
Four days of AI cinema in Tokyo over the start of November, on a final-deadline submission schedule.
In personTaiwan
A Taiwanese international AI film festival screening in late November, on a final-deadline schedule.
In personLondon, United Kingdom
by Morphic Studios
A UK awards programme for AI-assisted film, animation and music, with a London ceremony and 15 categories. Worth reading the fee table first: categories are priced separately across four escalating tiers, and there is no cash prize.
Who can enter At least 50% of the content created or significantly assisted by AI.
In personWarsaw, Poland
A three-day AI art and film event in Warsaw in late November, on a final-deadline schedule.
Online
by OpenArt
A contest for 30-second AI-generated advertisements, made on OpenArt with any supported video model. The prize pool is published; the number of awards is given inconsistently on the same page.
Who can enter Entries must be made with OpenArt; model-award finalists verify the primary model they declared.
In personMelbourne, Australia
The Victorian edition of Australia’s state-by-state AI awards, held in Melbourne at the end of October.
In personAstana, Kazakhstan
A free-to-enter AI film festival in Kazakhstan advertising by far the largest prize fund of any dedicated AI film event. The figures are extraordinary and the site names no legal organising entity, so treat them with care. Submissions for this edition have closed.
Who can enter Films of 3 minutes or longer, with generative AI integral to the work.
In personSan Francisco, California, United States
A San Francisco AI film festival screening in April 2027, taking submissions well over a year ahead of the date.
In personAustin, Texas, United States
by SXSW
Austin’s convergence festival, where the Innovation Conference’s AI track and the Film & TV Festival share one badge system. There is no AI-only category — AI work competes in the standard sections.
Who can enter No AI-specific category; AI work is judged alongside everything else.
In personToronto, Canada
A Toronto festival that takes its name from the insult, screening AI work in late January. Now in its second year.
In personBurbank, California, United States
An awards programme in Burbank covering both conventional and AI-assisted filmmaking, with the ceremony in April 2027.
HybridValencia, Spain
by Galaxia Televisión
Spain’s international festival for AI-generated work, built around a 24-hour creation challenge, an industry summit and an international short-film competition.
Who can enter Over-18s. Shorts generated wholly or partly with AI, 15 minutes maximum including credits, 16:9.
In personToronto, Canada
A separate Toronto shorts festival for AI work, screening in March 2027.
In personSão Paulo, Brazil
Three days of AI film awards in São Paulo, and the main dedicated AI film event in Latin America. Trade press has reported different dates from the organiser — check before booking travel.
In personLondon, United Kingdom
A two-day London AI film festival in mid-November, on a final-deadline submission schedule.
In personUtah, United States
A one-day AI film festival in Utah in early October. Submissions for this edition have closed — worth watching for the next call.
Online
by Curious Refuge, with Epidemic Sound
Curious Refuge’s annual Halloween competition, and one of the largest cash prizes in AI filmmaking that costs nothing to enter. Original horror shorts of no more than three minutes, with AI used in every shot.
Who can enter Open worldwide. AI in every shot, three minutes maximum, original story, Epidemic Sound audio required.
In personLondon, United Kingdom
by AIMA Productions
A two-day London awards event for AI-generated film, music video, art and advertising. The organiser’s own pages give two different closing dates; the earlier one is listed here.
Who can enter Work created primarily with AI tools. Films must run over 2 minutes, except in the ads and art categories.
In personSanta Monica, Los Angeles, United States
by Neu Wave Films
A Los Angeles AI film festival and industry conference aimed at the professional Hollywood pipeline, running alongside LA Tech Week with panels on copyright and legal ethics. Now in its third year.
In personAustin, Texas, United States
by Austin AI Film Festival, a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit
A two-day AI film festival and conference run by a Texas nonprofit, pairing a competition across eleven categories with sessions on how the films were made. Submissions for this edition have closed; tickets are on sale.
Who can enter Eleven categories with runtime bands, from 30-second micro-shorts to 90-minute features.
In personMelbourne and Sydney, Australia
by TBWA
Australia’s first generative-AI film festival, created by the agency TBWA and themed around human-in-the-loop creativity. Free to enter, with a real cash pool — but restricted to creators based in Australia.
Who can enter Australia-based creators of any nationality. Generative AI required, completed within 12 months, final cuts only.
Online
by Civitai, with MiniMax
A Civitai contest built around the MiniMax H3 model: a model-training track and a short-form video track judged head to head by genre. The prize is Civitai platform currency, not cash.
In personSwitzerland
A Swiss award for AI-generated advertising, animation, art, fashion, music video and narrative work, judged by a jury plus a public vote. Submissions for this edition have closed.
In personBiberach an der Riss, Germany
Germany’s first dedicated AI film festival, running five days from the end of October. Submissions for this edition have closed.
In personSeoul, South Korea
Three days of AI cinema in Seoul in mid-December, on a final-deadline schedule.
In personKakkanad, Kerala, India
India’s dedicated AI film festival, held in Kerala in April 2027 with an early-deadline window open now.
HybridSeoul, South Korea
A Seoul AI film competition with a two-day awards ceremony and screening block. Read the terms first: categories are priced individually, there is no cash prize, an official selection does not guarantee a screening, and attending the ceremony costs extra.
Who can enter Online screener only. English subtitles required for non-English films.
In personLondon, United Kingdom
A London awards ceremony for AI filmmaking held in May 2027, with entries open on an early-deadline schedule.
In personKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
by ACM SIGGRAPH
The Asia-Pacific edition of ACM SIGGRAPH, covering computer graphics, AI, animation and games, including the juried Computer Animation Festival. The 2027 edition moves to Tokyo.
In personBusan, South Korea
by Busan Cinema Center
A free-to-enter AI film festival hosted by the Busan Cinema Center, the public institution that also houses the Busan International Film Festival — though it is a separate event, not part of BIFF’s official selection.
Who can enter One entry per person or group, produced after September 2025, with a description of the AI used.
In personToronto, Canada
Toronto’s generative-film festival, screening in early December. One of three separate AI film events now running in the city.
In personMelbourne, Australia
A December screening of AI-made films in Melbourne, one of several AI festivals now running across Australian state capitals.
In personUkraine
A Ukrainian AI film festival screening on Christmas Eve. Submissions for this edition have closed.
In personLondon, United Kingdom
A London festival for AI-assisted work, screening at the end of December. Submissions run on an escalating deadline schedule, so the fee rises as the date approaches.
In personBerlin, Germany
A two-day Berlin festival for AI film in February 2027, with a final deadline at the end of the year.
In personDubai, United Arab Emirates
by 1 Billion Followers Summit
A single-prize award attached to the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai, carrying the largest published individual cash prize for an AI film. The summit is dated; whether a 2027 call for entries opens is not yet confirmed.
Who can enter Open worldwide, one entry per person. The last cycle asked for a 7–10 minute film.
In personParis, France
by Artefact, with mk2
A Paris AI film competition run with mk2, France’s arthouse cinema group — the winning film gets a week’s theatrical run in mk2 cinemas. Submissions open on 9 December 2026.
In personLos Angeles, United States
by World Artists Guild
The US chapter of the World AI Film Festival circuit; five US selections go forward to the WAIFF finale in Cannes. Open to US-based creators only, and not affiliated with the Festival de Cannes.
Who can enter Creators aged 13 and over, based in the United States. AI must be used in production.
HybridHelensburgh, New South Wales, Australia
by LundinStudio
A small independent AI short-film festival, streamed as well as screened, with a single competitive category. Fees escalate steeply across eight monthly tiers against a modest prize, though winners get their fee refunded.
Who can enter Over-18s. Films 1–10 minutes including credits, original script, all visual footage AI-generated.
HybridHong Kong
A Hong Kong festival for AI-native cinema built around a "51% AI participation" standard, with an AI film market alongside it. Note that the awards are computing-resource grants which the festival itself says are not convertible to cash.
Who can enter At least 51% AI participation, completed on or after 1 August 2026.
In personGeneva, Switzerland
by ITU, the United Nations telecommunications agency
A film festival run by the UN’s International Telecommunication Union as part of the AI for Good Global Summit, for shorts in which AI is core to the filmmaking process.
Who can enter Films completed between 1 Sep 2026 and 1 May 2027, 1–10 minutes, with AI core to the process.
HybridNew York, Los Angeles and Tokyo
by Runway
The best-known competition in AI film, run by the video-model company Runway, with gala screenings in three cities. Free to enter, and the largest prize pool of any established AI festival. The 2026 edition has wrapped; 2027 dates are not yet announced.
Who can enter Films 3–15 minutes that include AI-generated video, told as a fully contained linear narrative. Over-18s.
In personCulver City, Los Angeles, United States
The largest conference on generative AI in film and media, held on the Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios lot: two days of panels, workshops and showcases. The 2026 edition ran in May; 2027 dates are not yet announced.
Who can enter Open to ticket holders, with a student rate.
In personLondon, United Kingdom
by AIFA Ventures
Annual awards for AI-powered creativity across film, fashion and music. There is no open call: finalists are drawn from a network of qualifying festivals, so the way in is to win or place at one of those.
Who can enter No direct entry. Finalists come from AIFA-qualifying festivals.
HybridVenice, Italy
by Reply
A free international competition for films generated or enhanced with AI, run by the Italian technology group Reply, with winners announced at a premiere event alongside the Venice International Film Festival. The 2026 round has closed; no 2027 window is published yet.
Who can enter Work generated or enhanced with AI. No length limit.
Online
by Runway
Runway’s 48-hour film challenge, separate from its AI Festival: teams get a brief and two days to deliver a short, with most of the runtime generated in Runway. Five editions have run, the last in August 2025, and no 2026 edition has been announced.
Who can enter Over-18s. Excluded in some sanctioned territories.
Online
by ElevenLabs
A film, music and games competition billing itself as the largest AI media contest, backed by Google, Adobe, a16z, Luma, Freepik, fal and Kling. It began life in 2023 as Project Odyssey and has awarded more than $300,000 in cash across its seasons.
Who can enter Categories for film, advertising, music video, song, game and behind-the-scenes. Season 2 rules not yet published.
Huski Studio turns a story into a finished short — characters, shots, voices, music and final cut — so a deadline four weeks out is a schedule rather than a problem. Start free, and read the tutorials for how to keep a film consistent across forty shots.
Start your filmListed because their sites are still up, and in at least one case still advertising a deadline that has long passed.
Online
An open AI filmmaking competition that ran two seasons around open-source tooling. A third season was never opened and the site still advertises a deadline that lapsed in 2025. Its organisers now run The Chroma Awards, which is where to look instead.
AI film festivals, entry rules and deadlines — what people ask before they submit.
An AI film festival screens and awards films whose images, sound or edit were made with generative AI tools. Most run like any other festival — an open submission window, a jury, a screening — but the rules turn the usual expectation around: work has to be AI-assisted rather than avoid it. Some are AI-only, others run an AI strand inside a conventional programme.
Rarely. Most set a threshold rather than demanding purity: a common one is that AI has to be integral to the work rather than a finishing effect, and several publish a specific bar — half the content AI-assisted, or a majority of the runtime AI-generated. Hybrid live-action and AI categories are now standard. A handful go the other way and ask for AI in every shot, so read the category you are entering rather than the festival.
Usually yes, and increasingly it is a condition of entry rather than a formality. Most festivals ask for a tool list or a short process note, and some want the prompts or a making-of. Several also require that you hold the rights to anything you fed the models, which rules out conditioning on a copyrighted film. Assume you will have to account for how the film was made.
Sometimes, but this is the rule that catches people out. Many festivals give preference to world premieres, and a few treat any public upload as a prior release that makes a film ineligible. If you are aiming at a festival with a premiere requirement, keep the film unlisted or private until you hear back. Check the rules before you post it, not after.
It ranges from nothing to around a hundred dollars. The competitions run by model companies are typically free, because the sponsor wants films made with their tool, and a few festivals are free on principle. Festivals with a physical screening usually charge, often on a tiered schedule that gets dearer as the deadline approaches, and some price each category separately — so entering five categories costs five fees. The listings above record the fee we last saw, and when we checked it.
The largest published single prize is the 1 Billion AI Film Award in Dubai at $1,000,000, and the Astana AI Film Festival has advertised a fund of $2,000,000. Treat very large advertised funds with some care — the payment terms are not always spelled out, and some competitions award platform credits or compute rather than money. Among established, free-to-enter events, Runway's AI Festival is the largest at over $135,000 across its tracks.
Many do, but almost none run a separate AI category — an AI film competes against conventional work in the standard sections and is judged on the same terms. That is a high bar, and it is why the dedicated AI festivals are where most AI work actually screens. Check the submission rules either way: a few conventional festivals now ask about generative tools explicitly.
Most AI film competitions cap entries somewhere between one and ten minutes, and a large share sit at three to five. Shorter is not a handicap: juries watch a great many entries, and a tight three-minute film with one clear idea tends to travel further than a loose ten-minute one.
Yes. Films made in Huski Studio are yours, and the tools are the generative ones these festivals exist for. Check each festival's rules on tool disclosure and on the rights to whatever story you adapted, the same as you would for any other pipeline.
By hand, and each entry carries the date we last checked it against the organiser's own site. Dates and deadlines move, and organisers' own pages sometimes disagree with each other, so treat this page as the shortlist and the official link as the authority — especially in the last week before a deadline.
Email the studio with a link to the official rules page. We list open, legitimate competitions regardless of which tools they favour; we do not list events that charge a fee without publishing judging criteria, or that claim rights to your film as a condition of entry.
This calendar is maintained by hand, which means it is only as complete as what we have found. If you run an AI film competition — or you spotted a date that has moved — send us the link and we will check it.
AI Film Festivals & Contests: 2026–27 Deadlines. Dates, fees and prizes are the organisers’ and change without notice — each entry shows the day we last checked it, and the official link is always the authority. We are not affiliated with any festival listed here, and the pictures on this page are our own illustrations, not the festivals’ artwork.
