Competitions & Awards

AI Filmmaking Resources · Next New Wave

Thirteen competitions, including tool-specific challenges. Cash prizes reward selected work; they are not production grants. Open calls are ordered by final deadline. Fees and prizes remain in the organiser’s currency.

Last source check: 11 November 2026. Where a closing time or timezone is missing, it remains unconfirmed. Check category rules, rights and account costs before entering.

Open now

AI Film Award 2027 — 1 Billion Followers Summit

Dubai, UAE · Worldwide, age 18+.
Deadline: 20 November 2026; time unconfirmed. Summit: 9–10 January 2027.
Submit a 5–7-minute film, 16:9 and at least 1080p, with English subtitles and a prescribed humanity/social theme. At least 70% must use Seedance. Grand prize: USD 1,000,000 cash. Entry fee not stated in the reviewed rules. Hold the film back until the winner announcement or finalist rejection notice; review the broad promotional, archive and online licence. Creators retain copyright.
Official call · Rules · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

Gossip Goblin × Showrunner — Film Competition

Online · Malaysian eligibility needs confirmation.
Deadline: 15 December 2026; time unconfirmed.
Create a 2–20-minute film in Showrunner Studio, using the prescribed story world and beginning in a chair. The required watermark must remain. Advertised cash pool: USD 20,000, including USD 15,000 for Best Film. Entry fee and country restrictions are not clearly established. Submit before posting on social media; check platform distribution terms and tool costs.
Official competition brief · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

AKOOL AI Film Challenge 2026

Online / international · Confirm local eligibility.
Deadline: 20 December 2026; time unconfirmed. Winners: 15 January 2027.
Meaningful AKOOL use, a public post and required tags are compulsory. Durations depend on category; trailers run 30–90 seconds. Cash prizes: USD 50,000 first, USD 25,000 second, USD 15,000 third and ten USD 2,500 finalist prizes. A no-purchase-necessary provision applies, but the separate USD 100 creator bonus has Premium-account and other conditions. The broader creator-rewards pool is conditional, not guaranteed prize money.
Official rules and entry · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

MetaMorph × TapNow — Winter Activation

Online / UK · Worldwide creators.
Deadline: 30 December 2026; time unconfirmed. Opens: 16 October 2026.
Free entry. At least 50% must use TapNow; submit the public workflow canvas and final entry through TapTV Arena. FilmFreeway registration alone does not complete entry. Follow the activation’s format brief. Winner: GBP 500 cash plus 20,000 credits; runner-up: 10,000 credits, not cash. This is separate from the paid MetaMorph main award.
Official activation brief · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

UK Film AI Awards 2027

London, UK · Worldwide.
Early fee deadline: 30 November 2026. Final deadline: 21 April 2027. Event: 23 May 2027.
The direct entry form accepts 3–10-minute films; enquire about longer work. Meaningful AI use is required, with no fixed percentage stated. Fees: GBP 10 early, GBP 20 regular through 28 February, GBP 25 late through 31 March and GBP 50 final. The top ten screen; awards are advertised, with no cash prize verified. Check category-specific release and duration rules. Closing times are unconfirmed.
Official awards and submission · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

MetaMorph AI Film Award 2027 — Main Award

London, UK · Worldwide; English subtitles.
Regular deadline: 30 April 2027. Final deadline: 15 May 2027. Late tier: 8 May. Event: 15 June 2027.
At least 50% of the creative/production process must involve AI; this does not necessarily mean 50% of frames. Formats vary, including short categories up to five minutes. Many categories charge GBP 25 regular / GBP 35 final. Awards include trophies and TapNow credits; credit quantities need confirmation. Longer films may screen as excerpts. This is separate from the free TapNow activations.
Official categories, fees and rules · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

Upcoming rounds

MetaMorph × TapNow: the same official activation page lists a 31 December 2026–15 March 2027 window, followed by 16 March–15 May 2027. Recheck each brief and prize terms when that window opens. These are later rounds of the programme above, not additional programmes.

Watchlist · submission access or dates unconfirmed

Chroma Awards — Season 2

Online / international · Formerly Project Odyssey.
Advertised deadline: 7 January 2027; access is not confirmed.
The official page contains both “Submissions closed” and an October 19–January 7 open-call message. Treat this as a status conflict until the organiser clarifies access. Film categories, durations, eligibility, fees and AI-tool requirements vary. The advertised USD 450,000+ total combines cash, travel and other benefits; it is not all cash. Sponsor bonuses have separate conditions.
Official categories and status · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

NEXTALE Award

Online · Worldwide; all AI tools.
Page states 14 December, but the year and closing time are unverified.
For completed AI short drama series with at least twenty episodes. Free entry; advertised cash pool USD 3,000: USD 2,000 grand prize plus ten USD 100 awards. Publication and monetisation are required. Six months of 100% viewing revenue is contingent income, not a grant. Confirm the round’s year, submission access and platform rights before entering.
Official award and conditions · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

Expired / Try next round

Historical terms below are for planning only. No future dates or prize pools should be assumed.

Korea AI Content Awards — KAICA

South Korea · Formerly K-AIFF; distinct from KCAIF.
2026 deadlines were in July; next round unannounced.
AI content awards across short, mid-length and special categories. International eligibility, durations, fees, tools and next prize pool require fresh verification. Check Nam June Paik and other special-category restrictions separately.
Official programme listing · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

NAiEF — National Youth AI Film Challenge

Malaysia · Youth aged 15–25; nationality/residency rules need next-round confirmation.
2026 registration closed 18 August.
A team AI filmmaking challenge; 2026 entry was free. The winning team, up to five people, received sponsored flights, accommodation and meals for Pattaya, 28–31 August 2026. This was travel support, not cash production funding. The next call, format and tool rules are unannounced.
Official challenge · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

Higgsfield Global Film Festival 2026

Online / international · Tool-specific film competition.
Closed 16 September 2026, 23:59 UTC / 17 September, 07:59 Malaysia time.
The historical competition used the Higgsfield ecosystem and advertised a USD 1,000,000 prize pool. Results were announced in November. The next edition, eligibility, runtime, tool rules and fees are not announced; the 2026 pool is neither a current grant nor a guaranteed future award.
Official 2026 competition rules · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

CAIF Awards 2026

Malaysia / FINAS · International participants welcome.
Closed 31 October 2026. Event: 8 November 2026.
Especially relevant to Malaysian AI creators, covering film, video, microdrama and other AI formats. Category-specific eligibility and tools apply. Awards were advertised; cash amounts were not verified. Next-round dates, durations and fees are unannounced.
Official awards · Verified 11 Nov 2026.

PixLight — PixVerse 2026

International / online · Film and screenplay competition.
Closed 31 October 2026, 23:59 UTC / 1 November, 07:59 Malaysia time.
The film track accepted 3–20-minute pilots; the separate screenplay track covered 45–90-minute features. Consult the relevant PixVerse/Canvas workflow brief. Historical prize pool: USD 300,000, including a USD 100,000 grand prize. Results are due in late November, not a new submission round. Next-round eligibility, fees and dates are unannounced.
Official challenge and category rules · Verified 11 Nov 2026.