Halloween Contest 2026

Bring your nightmares, dark comedy, and strange Halloween stories to FilmsAI.

1. The FilmsAI Halloween Contest 2026

Two categories · $500 in total prizes

• AI Shorts / Films / Animation — $250
• AI Music Videos — $250

One winner per category. Feature-length films are welcome. Prizes are funded by FilmsAI and will be paid by November 5.

Submission dates

Submissions open October 1 and close October 28.

How to enter

Select the Halloween contest checkbox when uploading your work. Only Halloween-themed content is eligible.

Halloween contest entries must be at least 90 seconds long. There is no maximum length. This applies to both contest categories.

Independent judging

Neither Paul nor Krista will judge. Judges will be independent—not part of FilmsAI and not friends of either of us. Judges will be selected by Wednesday, September 30.

Halloween broadcast

Our Halloween livestream on X will run October 30–November 1 and include all contest submissions that meet the guidelines.

2. Submission Guidelines

Runtime clarification

• Halloween contest entries: minimum 90 seconds, with no maximum length.
• Regular October uploads outside the Halloween contest: the minimum remains 30 seconds.

Other requirements

• Submit your own original work and hold the necessary commercial rights to all included music, visuals, footage, voices, and other assets.
• No stolen or infringing content, pornography, or nudity.
• No artificially padded runtime, blank or silent uploads, or duplicate uploads intended to game the contest or creator programs.
• Use accurate titles, descriptions, categories, age ratings, thumbnails, and creator credits.
• Disclose AI-generated or synthetic content honestly. No deceptive impersonation or fabricated endorsements.
• All submissions must comply with FilmsAI's Community Guidelines and are subject to review.

October collaborations

Collaborations are welcome in October, including for the Halloween contest, as long as every participating creator has a verified FilmsAI account.

Credit all participating creators and ensure you have the necessary permissions for the submitted work.

(We will have an auth form for all parties to sign.)

3. Branding & Watermarks

Creators may include their own personalized branding or watermark on the left side of their content.

All other watermarks must be removed before submission. FilmsAI branding will be added to all content shown during our livestream broadcast.

Starting October 1, FilmsAI will no longer accept uploads displaying watermarks from other platforms or video generators. This applies to all new uploads, including content outside the Halloween contest.

Other creator uploads

Keep uploading your series, episodes, music videos, films, and other work! Content that isn't Halloween-themed belongs in the regular FilmsAI categories and will not be entered into the Halloween contest.

The minimum runtime for regular October uploads remains 30 seconds. The 90-second minimum applies specifically to Halloween contest entries.

On October 1, 2026 the site will be updated to include the Halloween category for the content and the upload section.

October creator sponsorship

October creator sponsorship is separate from this contest. Those details will be announced October 6, after we complete September creator payouts on October 5.

Questions

Please email all questions to krista@filmsai.com.

Follow @filmsaicom for updates.

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