2026 ILLUMINATE Film Festival
Micro-Short Contest Rules & Regulations

Welcome to the 2026 ILLUMINATE Film Festival Oneness of Humanity Micro-Short Contest! Below are the official rules that all participants must follow. By entering the Contest, you agree to these rules.

1. Eligibility

• The Contest is open to individuals and teams (Entrant).
• Only one entry per Entrant.
• Teams must designate an Entrant Representative (ER) age 18+.
• Entrants under 18 require verified parental/guardian consent.
• Festival employees, judges, and their household members are not eligible.
• No purchase is necessary. A purchase will not enhance the chances of winning.
• Void where prohibited by law.
• Subject to all applicable federal, state, local, and foreign laws and regulations.
• Winners are responsible for all applicable taxes and that additional paperwork may be required. In the US, prizes over $600 require IRS Form 1099. International winners may face different tax obligations. Winners should consult with a tax professional about tax implications should they win.

2. Submission Requirements

• Deadline: All submissions must be uploaded via FilmFreeway by 11:59 PM PST on April 1, 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted.
• Entry Duration: Entries must be no longer than 90 seconds, with an additional 10 seconds allowed for end credits. Opening titles and graphics count toward the 90-second limit.
• Technical Requirements: Films must be: 
  • Formatted 16:9 horizontal (landscape).
  • Optional: 9:16 vertical version
  • Submitted in a digital file format compatible with FilmFreeway requirements.

Upfront Filmmaker Requirements (Transparency Notice)

To help filmmakers prepare, please note:

• If selected as a Semi-Finalist, you will be required to enter into a license agreement with the Festival, comply with all of the terms and conditions for intellectual property and rights (including an indemnification). All of the applicable terms for submissions are provided below in the Festival Submission Terms and Conditions. See below.
• Entrants will be required to provide a completed music cue sheet
• Entrants submitting Entries that contain significant non-English spoken dialogue must provide on-screen English subtitles. Applicants may submit Projects that contain some non-English spoken dialogue without on-screen subtitles as an artistic choice.
• Provide a 9:16 vertical version – (or one MIGHT be created for you by the festival)
• Submit required marketing assets (poster, logline, director bio, 2 stills, raw files if needed)
• Our mission is to expand the impact of these stories, not to monetize them.
• Previous micro-shorts have been featured on global platforms, at conferences, festivals, and community screenings worldwide.
• Marketing & Social Media Permission
  • By submitting, you grant permission for the Festival to distribute your film on social media, Festival and sponsor platforms and websites and through Festival channels and on third party distributions platforms.
• Contest Rounds
  • Semi-Finalists: Advance to jury review and People’s Choice voting
  • Finalists: Invited to premiere at the Festival
  • Winners: Announced at the Festival awards ceremony
    

3. Original Work:

• All Entries must be original creations of the Entrant and completed after January 1, 2025, to ensure contemporary, theme-aligned work.
• Entries must not:
  Have been widely distributed on broadcast, streaming, or major online platforms
  Have been previously licensed in a way that conflicts with granting the rights in these rules
• Entrants must own or control all necessary rights (see “Submission Terms and Conditions” below) for:
  • Music
  • Performances
  • Artwork & imagery
  • Archival footage
  • AI-generated elements* (with disclosure)

AI Usage Requirements

• *AI Usage: AI-assisted or AI-generated work is permitted under the following conditions:
  • Meaningful human authorship must guide and shape all creative decisions. The key creative roles (writer, director, editor, etc.) should be human-led, making fundamental creative decisions about story, character, tone, and structure. AI should not replace or impersonate them.
  • All AI tools used must be clearly disclosed in the submission form.
  • No copyrighted or unlicensed datasets may be knowingly used to generate protected elements.
    Entrants must verify that their chosen AI tools were not developed using copyrighted material without authorization.
  • Entrants must ensure they hold full rights to all AI-generated content included in their film.
  • AI may not replace core creative authorship, nor may the Entry consist primarily of autonomously generated material.
  • All music, voices, images, and likenesses produced via AI must follow copyright, licensing, and consent laws.
• Prohibited Content
  Entries must not contain obscene, defamatory, hateful, exploitative, or illegal material. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify any Entry.

4. Festival Modification Rights

• The Festival may add Contest graphics or text without affecting runtime.
• Festival may create an alternate framed version if one is not provided by Entrant.
• Entrant waives any moral rights or objections to minor formatting adjustments.

5. Judging and Awards

• Entries will be judged based on Creative Merit reflects the artistic strength, originality, and emotional impact of your micro-film. Judges will evaluate how effectively your film tells a meaningful story within the ninety-second format and how well it embodies this year’s theme: Shiny New & Treasured Old. Consider the following when crafting your entry:
  

   

  • Concept & Originality
    Is your idea fresh, imaginative, or uniquely expressed?
    Does your film demonstrate a thoughtful interpretation of the theme?
    
  • Storytelling & Structure
    Is the story clear, compelling, and engaging—even in a micro-short format?
    Does the film communicate a memorable moment, message, or feeling?
    
  • Emotional Resonance
    Does the film evoke emotion – wonder, joy, reflection, connection, surprise, or hope?
    Does it open the heart or deepen our sense of shared  humanity?.
  • Creative Choices
    Are your visual, audio, and artistic choices intentional and aligned with your story? This includes cinematography, pacing, editing, color, music, sound design, and overall aesthetic.
  • Use of the Micro-Short Format
    Does your film use its ninety seconds wisely?
    Is it tight, impactful, and well-crafted at this short length?
  • Humanity & Insight
    Does your film illuminate something meaningful across generations or across time?
    Does it honor both the “shiny new” and the “treasured old”?
    Does it reflect the Festival’s mission to uplift, connect, or inspire audiences?

• Technical Execution
  Does the film meet a high standard of production quality in picture, audio, and overall finish?
• Adherence to the Theme
  Is the film clearly connected to and enriched by the 2026 theme?
• Bonus Consideration
  Additional weight is given to films created specifically for this contest and not previously released.

• Finalists premiere at the Festival; winners are announced at the in-person ceremony.
• The Festival’s decisions are final.

6. Key Dates

• Submission Deadline: April 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST.
• Finalist Notifications: April 29, 2026.
• Winners Announced: October 2, 2026 at the Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara.

Contact Information

For questions or technical issues, please contact the Festival at microshorts@illuminatefilmfestival.com or visit www.illuminatefilmfestival.com.

SUBMISSION TERMS AND CONDITIONS
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND RIGHTS

1.1 Ownership: Entrants retain the copyright to the Entry as well as the nonexclusive right to exhibit and distribute the Entry.
1.2 License Grant: By submitting, Entrants grant the Festival a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual worldwide license to:
Screen the film at the Festival and related events and other film festivals.
1.3 Worldwide distribution of the Entry in all media and formats pursuant to the Festival’s mission for promotional, educational, and any other Festival-related uses
Use excerpts for promotional purposes
Include the film in Festival promotional materials, including online Festival, marketing and sponsor platforms, websites and social media.

Attribution: The Festival will provide appropriate credit to filmmakers when using submitted content.

1.4 Representations and Warranties:
By submitting, Entrant represents and warrants that Entrant has:

Secured all necessary (written) permissions, releases or clearances (or ensure they are in the public domain) for use of all non-original music, locations, artwork, photographs/footage/images, trademarks/logos and other copyrighted elements in your film.
Obtained in writing all the necessary rights with any talent (on camera), screenwriters, directors or other individuals who may have rights into the Entry and provide AI disclosures.
The Festival expressly disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any unauthorized inclusion of any copyrighted content or materials within or relating to the submitted Project, including any content or materials that are or may become the basis for any third-party claims for copyright infringement

2. INDEMNIFICATION AND LIABILITY

2.1 Indemnification: By submitting an Entry, Entrant expressly agrees to release, indemnify and hold the Festival, and their affiliates, officers, directors, agents, partners, insurance carriers, and any of their employees (collectively, the “Contest Indemnities”) harmless from any and all claims, damages, expenses, costs (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) and liabilities (including settlements), brought or asserted by any third party against any of the Contest Indemnities due to or arising out of the Entrant’s Entry in the Contest, or the Entrant’s conduct during and in connection with this Contest.

In the event that any claim, dispute, action or proceeding shall be brought or asserted by any person or entity that alleges that the Entry makes unauthorized or unlawful use of any trademarked content or material, Entrant shall fully indemnify and defend the Festival, and each of its representatives and affiliates from any liability in connection therewith and from any fees and expenses, including but not limited to attorneys’ fees, that any of them may incur in connection therewith.

The Contest Indemnitees are not liable for any disputes between collaborators, members, vendors, talent or any other persons arising out of or related to the Entry or the Contest. As a condition for any Entry, each member hereby warrants and represents that they will hold the Contest Indemnitees fully indemnified and harmless from any dispute with respect thereto.

2 .2 Limitation of Liability: No liability or responsibility is assumed by the Festival; or affiliated entities or person resulting from any person’s participation in, or attempt to participate in, the Festival, or ability or inability to upload or download any information in connection with participating in the Contest. No responsibility or liability is assumed by the Festival or affiliated entities or persons for technical problems or technical malfunction arising in connection with any of the following occurrences which may affect the operation of the Contest: hardware or software failures or errors; faulty computer, telephone, cable, satellite, network, electronic, wireless or internet connectivity or other online communication problems; errors or limitations of any internet service providers, servers, hosts or providers; garbled, jumbled or faulty data transmissions; failure of any e-mail transmissions to be sent or received; lost, late, delayed or intercepted email transmissions; inaccessibility of any web site in whole or in part for any reason; traffic congestion on the internet or any web site; unauthorized human or non-human intervention of the operation of the Contest, including without limitation, unauthorized tampering, hacking, theft, virus, bug, worm; or destruction of any aspect of the Contest, or loss, miscount, misdirection, inaccessibility or unavailability of an email account used in connection with the Contest. The Festival and affiliated entities or persons are not responsible for any typographical errors in the announcement of prizes or these Official Rules, or any inaccurate or incorrect data contained on any website. Use of any affiliated web site is at user’s own risk. The Festival and affiliated entities or persons are not responsible for any personal injury, death, harm, property damage or loss of any kind which may be sustained to any Entrant or any other person’s person or property resulting from participation in the Contest, use of any affiliated website or the download of any information.

2.3 Disclaimer: Prizes are awarded “as is” without warranty of any kind.

3. PUBLICITY RIGHTS : By accepting a prize, Finalists consent to the use of their name, likeness, film title, and biographical information for promotional purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law.

4. FORCE MAJEURE The Festival shall not be liable or responsible to any Entrant(s) or any other party, nor be deemed to have defaulted under or breached these Official Rules, for any failure or delay in fulfilling or performing any term of the Official Rules when and to the extent such failure or delay is caused by or results from the following force majeure events (“Force Majeure Events”): (a) acts of God; (b) flood, fire, earthquake, plague, epidemic, pandemic, natural disaster such as but not limited to violent storm, cyclone, typhoon, hurricane, tornado, blizzard, earthquake; (c) explosion, fire, destruction of machines, equipment, factories; (d) war, armed conflict, invasion, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), terrorist threats or acts, riot, or other civil unrest; (e) government order or law; (f) actions, embargoes, or blockades in effect on or after the date of these Official Rules; (g) action by any governmental authority, including an order, rule, regulation or direction, curfew restriction; (h) national or regional emergency; (i) strikes, labor stoppages or slowdowns, or other industrial disturbances; (j) breakdown or shortage of adequate power or transportation facilities, telecommunication or electric current; and (k) or any other events or circumstances that are beyond the control of Illuminate.

5 Disputes: The Contest is governed by the laws of the State of California, USA, and all claims must be resolved by binding arbitration in Santa Barbara County, State of California, under the then applicable Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures of JAMS. Entrants must notify the Festival of claims within 30 days of awareness.

6. GENERAL CONDITIONS

6.1 Acknowledgment & Agreement: By submitting, Entrant acknowledges that:
Submission is voluntary and non-confidential
The Festival is not obligated to screen any Entry
Entrant has read and agrees to all rules
Entrant acknowledges that they have the right to consult with an attorney of
their own choosing with respect to these Terms and Conditions and with respect to the Rules a for submitting a project to the Festival. By completing the submission application for 2026 Contest consideration, the Entrant acknowledges and agrees that they are doing so after having consulted with an attorney or having freely or voluntarily elected not to do so without coercion or duress.

6.2 Disqualification: The Festival reserves the right to disqualify any entry that:
Violates any of the rules or Submission terms and conditions,
Contains inappropriate or offensive content
Is submitted fraudulently

6.3 Modification: The Festival reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the Contest if circumstances beyond its control make it impractical or unfair to continue.

6.4 Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full effect.

6.5 Waiver of Injunctive Relief: Any remedies Entrant may have against the Festival in connection with the Festival or the Contest shall be limited to the right to recover damages, if any, in an action at law, and I hereby waive any right or remedy in equity, including, without limitation, the right to seek injunctive relief.