HOW DO I ENTER?

2026 ENTRY WINDOW:

January 19 - March 31 

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FESTIVAL CEREMONY: 

Saturday, May 23, Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library, Los Angeles | 11:30-2:30pm

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ELIGIBILITY:

Any PreK-12 California Student enrolled in Public, Private, Charter schools, Extracurricular Programs, Extended Day and Home School Programs.

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COST: FREE

ENTRY GUIDELINES:

1. REVIEW OUR RUBRIC - Age-appropriate language for each category! 

2. All entries must be the work of TK-12 students attending school in the state of California. Entries must have a valid, public web address accessible to everyone. Please make sure the project link is available through June and does not "time out." All film/video entries must be 15 minutes (or less) in runtime.

3. Please be sure the students' teachers, administrators, coordinators or librarians have permission on file for all of the students featured in the project. It will be the adult's responsibility to save all forms releasing student likeness until requested by media festival officials. Contact info@mediafestival.org for any questions on permissions.

4. We offer THREE GRADE LEVEL DIVISIONS: Elementary (grades TK-5), Middle (grades 6-8) & Secondary (grades 9-12).

5. For each project, choose only ONE CATEGORY BELOW. NOTE: since most entries are Film/Video, we encourage any entry that features a different medium to choose the category you would like scored.

   • ​Film/Video, Fiction: A made-up story or concept. Not based on a real event.*

   • Film/Video, Nonfiction: A documentary-style recap of an actual event, educational or 'how-to' presentation or public service announcement (PSA) are all examples of Non-fiction film/video entries.*
     * NOTE: Both types of Film/Video entries use the same Film/Video Rubric. 

   • Animation: Technique to create the illusion of motion. Examples include: stop-motion, computer or hand-drawn moving images, claymation, 2-D, 3-D, machinima and LEGO.

   • Photography:  A static image produced through a traditional or digital camera. Editing is allowed - be creative!

   • Audio, Music: Any original musical work, including songs, instrumentals, or soundscapes. 

   • Audio, Podcasting: Any interview, podcast or spoken word.

   • Interactive Media: multimedia, Book Creator projects, AR/VR, AI, 3-D models, Original Apps, Games, etc.

6. All entries must be NO LONGER than 15 minutes in length. if longer, please edit your project down to your best 15 minutes for the judges to consider. 

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

8. 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.

9. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. PDT on the day of the entry due date.

10. Entries must represent work that was completed after March 30, 2025.

11. Save a complete, high-resolution copy of your project, as this is required for all winning projects.

PRIZES!

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• All winning projects receive one plaque. Additional plaques are available for purchase. 

• In-kind prizes for each of the following:

  • Media & Information Literacy (two awards) - details

  • Greatness of Libraries Serving Youth - details

  • Park Adventures: 175 Years of California Dreaming (two awards) - details

  • Use of Artificial Intelligence - details

  • Grand Prize winners: Elementary, Middle, High School Divisions

• ​Other Category and Special Award Winners may receive additional gifts for winners! 

STEPS FOR SUCCESS​

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1. We use the Film Freeway platform for our festival. PLEASE CREATE AN ACCOUNT at filmfreeway.com. It is free and does not require an entry fee. This is a two-step process and should take about 10 minutes to complete. View our Film Freeway instructions!

2. Upload your project to a public-facing URL. We recommend YouTube, iCloud, Google Drive as options. Film freeway handles YouTube and Vimeo links best.

3. NOTE: Copyright & Citation Aligned: All entries should follow copyright law & fair use guidelines. Credits should include original student work as well as all other contributors and sources. Judges need to know when they are seeing original student work.