AI film contests for students

African AI Film Festival 2026

African AI Film Festival

Free to enter if you're based in Africa — and the winners screen in Hollywood on Nov 21 and Kampala on Dec 12. The first festival built specifically for African and diaspora filmmakers working with AI, with Runway and Adobe credits for winners plus access to industry mentors and pitch sessions. Late deadline Oct 20.

Atlanta AI Ad Fest — AIAF 2026

Atlanta AI Ad Fest (AIAF)

Inaugural Atlanta AI Ad Fest for AI-made advertising. Three divisions: Youth (Grades 6 to 12), University (currently enrolled college and university students) and Open. Choose one of four official Brand Exclusive Tracks, make your spot, publish it, then submit. $10 registration fee (includes 5,000 Bloomway credits), no separate submission fee. Entry deadline October 25, 2026; finalists announced November 10; awards night November 22 in Atlanta. $2,500 guaranteed cash prizes, $500 for each division Grand Prix and $1,000 for Best of Festival. Judged 40% idea, 30% craft, 20% brand, 10% impact. Verified on atlantaaiadfest.com Sep 19, 2026.

OpenCV AI Competition 2026

Open Source Vision Foundation (OpenCV)

This global competition invites developers to create applications using image or video analysis to solve real-world problems. Prizes total $12,000, with $5,000 for first place. The competition runs from August 26 to October 26, 2026.

VISIONARIA — International Festival of AI Cinema & Creativity

Visionaria

First-year Rome festival for films where AI plays a significant creative or production role, screening across six award categories with talks, masterclasses and immersive installations.

AI Creativity Awards 2026

AI Creativity Awards

The launch edition of a major new international AI awards programme — 8 categories including Motion & Film. £25 early entry through September 1, £35 standard through November 1. Judged on creative ambition, originality, execution, and quality of AI disclosure. Results announced December 1, 2026 — get in on the inaugural class.

Jaipur International Film Festival — World AI Cinema Competition

Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF)

A dedicated AI competition within the 19th Jaipur International Film Festival, open to AI-driven and AI-assisted storytelling across all formats, genres and languages.

World AI Cinema & Creativity Festival (WAICF) – India

Film Dais / Jaipur International Film Festival Trust

A Jaipur-based global AI film festival from the JIFF/Film Dais ecosystem, accepting AI-generated, AI-assisted and AI-enhanced films across eight competition categories plus separate AI innovation awards.

Global AI Music Video Awards (GAIMVA) 2027

GAIMVA / Festhome

The first international awards festival dedicated exclusively to AI-generated and AI-assisted music videos. Deadline January 1, 2027. Welcomes fully AI-generated, hybrid, experimental, narrative, performance-based, animated, vertical, student-made, and human+AI collaboration works — the widest AI music video category set anywhere.

Hollywood AI Short Film Awards (HASFA) 2027

Hollywood AI Short Film Awards

Second season of the Hollywood AI Short Film Awards, honouring films that make meaningful creative use of AI across development, production, post, animation, visual design and audio. The 2027 ceremony runs during Super Bowl Weekend at the London West Hollywood Screening Room on 13 February 2027.

WAIFF Los Angeles 2026 — World AI Film Festival USA

World AI Film Festival (WAIFF) / Institut EuropIA

Hollywood's biggest AI cinema moment of 2026. The U.S. edition of the World AI Film Festival lands in Los Angeles in late March 2027, and the top five films advance to the WAIFF Cannes 2027 Grand Finale at the Palais des Festivals. Nine categories — Live Action Short, Feature, Animated, Doc, Vertical/Mobile, Music Video, Ad, AR/VR/XR, Gaming. Submit before the LA cut-off and your film could be on a Cannes red carpet at WAIFF Cannes 2027.