Calling all filmmakers, editors, and Zcash history nerds! The 10th Birthday Short Film Festival is open!
The Zcash Playlist Challenge sent us digging through years of Zcon talks to find the presentations that mattered most.
Now we want to do something with that history.
Zcash turns 10 on October 28, 2026. To celebrate, Zk Av Club is inviting the community to make short films using historic Zcon presentations and panels as source material.
Finalists will be screened online on Zcash’s birthday.
Graphic design by @zilk
EDIT: Need source material? Scroll down in this thread for the full Zcon archive and our curated playlists: Complete Collection · Top 25 · Top 40
The Challenge
Create a 3- to 5-minute, 16:9 short film that tells an important part of the story of Zcash’s first 10 years.
It can focus on an idea, breakthrough, debate, turning point, person, theme, or period. You don’t need to tell the whole story.
More than 51% of the film’s spoken-word audio must come from previous Zcon presentations or panels.
Original narration is allowed. Music, sound effects, ambient audio, and silence do not count toward the spoken-audio calculation.
Use one talk or many. Cut across different Zcons. Add music, graphics, animation, archival footage, narration, or whatever else helps tell the story.
Prize Pool
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5 ZEC: guaranteed
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10 ZEC: with at least 10 eligible entries
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15 ZEC: with at least 20 eligible entries
Every finalist will receive a prize.
We’ll announce the judging panel and prize distribution formula in September.
EDIT: As promised, here’s the prize breakdown for the festival.
If the prize pool reaches 15 ZEC:
1st — 5 ZEC
2nd — 4 ZEC
3rd — 3 ZEC
4th — 2 ZEC
5th — 1 ZEC
If the final prize pool is 5 or 10 ZEC, it will be split across the same five places using the same proportions.
Using Zcon Material
The Top 40 Zcon presentations are available to download from watchz.cash.
Until then, you can use the Top 25 playlist or the full Zcon video playlist on YouTube and download the material you need with tools such as yt-dlp.
You’re not limited to these collections. Any previous Zcon presentation or panel can be used.
Historic Zcon footage is licensed under CC BY 4.0 and may be excerpted, edited, remixed, and adapted with attribution.
For every Zcon source used, include one attribution line in the film’s end credits and in the video description:
Source: “[Presentation Title]” by [Speaker(s)], [Zcon/Event] ([Year]), Zcash Foundation. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Excerpted/edited. [Source URL]
Submitted films must also be released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0).
Any other music, footage, images, graphics, sound effects, or third-party material must be licensed or otherwise permitted for use in a CC BY 4.0 film and credited according to its terms.
How to Enter
One entry per Zcash Forum user and production team.
Your film can be hosted anywhere. Public is preferred, but unlisted is fine. It must remain accessible through October 28.
A valid entry requires a Zcash transaction and a matching Zcash Forum post.
1. Send a Zcash transaction
Send it to:
u1xltwcf084dxakan4m94nrnfgyzgjny95rckznkqjyqp28cmtjnyhfg9arsrczrz98zzzm6fc7wss3834wwr867ptxrcptlwwkn7n2eyc9cpphw2twcyc5lzhpn9ef9jh5gzm0vyf2qswpzxawued5hder7vdw8nprzs2c3pclcrsefgc
There is no minimum ZEC amount required.
Include in the memo:
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Zcash Forum username
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Film title
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Short description: one concise sentence (if it fits)
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Video link
Keep the complete memo within the 512-byte Zcash memo limit.
2. Post your entry in this thread
EDIT: To clarify the Forum submission requirement, your entry post must include a working embedded video, not just a text URL. Paste your video URL on its own line so it renders as an embedded video and people can watch entries directly in the thread.
Use this format:
Forum username:
Film title:
Short description:
https://your-video-url
TXID:
The Forum username, film title, and video url must match the transaction memo.
An eligible entry is one that meets the film requirements and completes both submission steps by the deadline.
Deadline
October 16, 2026 at 23:59 UTC
The Forum post must be made by the deadline, and the referenced Zcash transaction must already exist.
Finalists & Judging
A small panel of judges will select up to five finalists based on:
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Storytelling and significance: Does the film tell a compelling story about an important part of Zcash’s first 10 years?
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Use of Zcon material: Does it make strong creative use of historic Zcon material?
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Creative execution: Do the editing, pacing, visuals, music, sound design, and other choices serve the story?
Birthday Screening & Winners
The finalists will be screened online on October 28, 2026, the 10th anniversary of the Zcash genesis block.
The judges will select the winners, which will be announced after the screening.
Make Something With the History
For the Playlist Challenge, we asked you to help us find the Zcon presentations that mattered.
Now, dig into the archive, find a story, and make something new from it.
Don’t just watch.
