Guidelines

ENTRY WINDOW: 

February 2 - April 17, 2026

AWARDS CEREMONY: Wednesday, May 13th, 6:00 PM at Maynard Jackson High School 

ELIGIBILITY: All APS K–12 Students - Individual or team projects (2 or more students) 
* Be sure to list all student participants' names on the entry form.
 

Production Techniques:

• 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (real-time photography to capture physical actors, props, sets, and locations)

• 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (visual/motion design and computer-aided creation)

• 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩-𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (physical, real-world objects photographed frame-by-frame to create the illusion of movement)

• 𝐌𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚: Has elements of two or more techniques (Live Action, Digital Animation, or Stop Motion)

Academic: 

Addresses a curriculum objective. 

Examples: PSA, student news, documentary of a famous person or event, or book trailer.

Aesthetic:

Made as an artistic expression.
Examples: Explores the impact of camera angles, editing, music, or storytelling techniques.

• 1st, 2nd & 3rd Place Winners

  Elementary, Middle, and High School

THREE STEPS FOR SUCCESS:

1. Include all credits for copyright or sources in your project or in the description text below the video.

2. Upload your project to a public-facing URL.
   We recommend YouTube, Flip (formerly Flipgrid), Vimeo, iCloud, or Google Drive as options.

3. Please read through the PRACTICE ENTRY FORM, FESTIVAL RUBRIC, and these guidelines BEFORE completing the application. Once you get started, the online application should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. 

GUIDELINES:

1. All entries must have a valid, public URL.
   Please double-check that your URL is valid before submitting it. 

2. Please be sure you have permission on file for all of the students featured in your project. It will be your responsibility to save all forms releasing student likenesses until requested by the film festival coordinator.

3. Enter each project only once.

4. Each project may only be submitted to ONE category - either Academic or Aesthetic.
   Choose Fiction or Non-Fiction. These terms are defined on the entry form.

5. Teachers, parents, or program coordinators submit all entries.
   All communication from the festival will be sent to the adult responsible for the entry.

6. Teachers are limited to a maximum of THREE total entries per class project.
   * Do not submit an entire class of entries - pick your top three.

7. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 16th.

8. Save a complete, high-resolution copy of your project.