IMPORTANT:
Read the rules and guidelines carefully before submitting your entry!
We really want to see as many films as possible, and we want every good submission to qualify. But we are going to be strict about eligibility. We won’t bend the rules, make exceptions after the deadline, or count an ineligible submission toward the prize pool.
The requirements are all laid out in the original post, so please check them before you get too far into production and then check them again before you submit.
Before you submit, double-check:
- Length + format: 3–5 minutes, 16:9.
- Zcon audio: More than 51% of the spoken-word audio must come from previous Zcon presentations or panels.
- Zcon credits: Every Zcon source must include the required attribution in both the film’s end credits and video description.
- Other sources: Any music, footage, images, graphics, sound effects, or other third-party material must be licensed or otherwise permitted for use in a CC BY 4.0 film and credited according to its terms.
- Film license: Your finished film must be released under CC BY 4.0.
- Entry limit: One entry per Zcash Forum user and production team.
- Two-part submission: A valid entry requires both the Zcash transaction and the matching Forum post.
- Embedded video: Your Forum post must include a working embedded video, not just a URL. We want people to be able to scroll through the festival thread and watch the entries right there.
- Matching details: The Forum username, film title, and video URL must match between the transaction memo and Forum submission.
- Hosting: Your film must remain accessible through October 28.
- Deadline: Both submission steps must be completed by October 16, 2026 at 23:59 UTC. The referenced Zcash transaction must already exist by the deadline.
If you don’t want to use YouTube or another big-tech video platform, free2z.cash is another option for hosting your final export. Just make sure the resulting video is accessible and embeds properly in your Forum entry.
Give yourself a little extra time to submit. If you run into trouble with the transaction, Forum post, video hosting, or embed, we’ll be happy to help if we can. But if you wait until the last minute, there may not be anyone available to troubleshoot before the deadline. Posting a little early gives you time to make sure everything works.
We’d hate to see a good film become ineligible because of a preventable submission issue. Please check every requirement carefully. If an entry misses an eligibility requirement, we won’t be able to accept it as eligible.
We want the judging to be about the films, not about deciding afterward which rules should or shouldn’t apply.
Read the full rules and guidelines here before submitting:
Then double-check your entry before you post it. We’re excited to see what you make.