Contest Rules

Please read and carefully consider the following details and guidelines for the Kids Movie Fest (KMF) (2-minute Film Competition) September 1 – October 15, 2020 before submitting your short film.

All entrants must adhere to the following guidelines:

The KMF September – October 2020 competition is sponsored by the Phyllite Foundation, a 501c3.

  • Submit an original 2 min Short that explores the theme: JOY
  • Genre is not a barrier; you are free to come up with any idea that has to do with the theme/topic. You may like to focus on a particular aspect of this topic, such what brings you joy, the life of a joyful person, the lack of joy, the joy of family, what joy looks and/or feels like, etc.
  • Your story should be compelling so unleash your creativity and let loose your innovative skills.
  • The competition submission period begins September 1, 2020 and ends on October 15, 2020

Entrants may create a piece of fiction or a documentary. Submitted films can be animated or live-action – funny or serious.

  • Entry is free and is open to ages 13 through 19 years old.
  • All films must be made specifically for the Kids Movie Fest (2-minute Film Competition) September-October 2020.
  • Each film must be no longer than 120 seconds. Opening and/or closing credits are not required, but (if added) may add up to an additional 10 seconds in total.
  • Films may be in any language or have no dialogue at all. Non-English audio (or important on-screen text) must have English subtitles.
  • Ensure that all content in your film (including footage, music, images, props, etc.) is your own. If you include any copyrighted or trademarked content, you must be able to provide written permission for its use. Entries containing any unauthorized content will be disqualified. For more information on copyright, see below:

If you have used, or plan to use, music that is not your own (and that you have not already obtained permission to use), you will need to seek synchronization rights. This licensing will be done directly by the copyright holders, rather than by a central organization.

Two kinds of copyright can be involved:

  • The copyright on the musical composition.This copyright is connected to the writer(s) of the music and is usually administered by a publishing company (in other words, you will usually be dealing with a publisher rather than with composers/songwriters themselves). Rights attached to musical compositions are often referred to as the publishing rights.
  • The copyright on the sound recording (if an existing sound recording is being used).This copyright is connected to the recording artist(s) and is usually administered by the record company that releases the recording. Rights connected with sound recordings are often referred to as the master rights.

Any decisions about fees or any other aspect of the project will need to be negotiated between you and the copyright holder.

There is no central listing of copyright owners, as they are not required to be part of one, but there are various ways to look for the information.

  • All entries must be submitted online (including uploading of the short film and at least one still image from the film) by close of entries: midnight PST, Friday, October 15, 2020.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to winners in each of the three categories. September-October 2020 prizes will be announced by November 15, 2020!

There will be an Audience Choice Award, voted for online. The Juror’s Choice Award will be chosen from the top 15 Audience Choice Award finalists.

Audience Choice (15) Finalists:

KMF Finalist Certificate

KMF Sticker

Cash: $20

Audience Choice Award:

KMF Audience Choice Award Certificate

Cash: $200

KMF Sticker

Juror’s Choice Award:

KMF Juror’s Choice Award Certificate

Cash: $500

KMF Sticker

To enter

Submit your film:

We accept entries created by more than one person. While some assistance from parents/teachers is expected, the creative vision for the entry must be the applicants’ alone, and the bulk of the work must be done by the applicant(s).

Each film may only be submitted once. Entrants may submit multiple entries, as long as each entry differs significantly from any others submitted by that entrant.

Online Entry System

In order for your entry to be valid, you must submit it using the online entry system on this website, including:

  1. Completing all compulsory fields on each step the entry form.
  2. Uploading your short film.
  3. Uploading between 1 and 5 still images from your film.

If you have any questions, or are having trouble submitting your entry online, please email faith@kmf.com – we are here to help.

Judging

The judges may disqualify a film if they have reason to believe that it does not comply with the entry Terms and Conditions, so make sure you have read them thoroughly!

Finalists and winners

Fifteen finalists overall will be contacted via email and announced no later than November 15, 2020. Please ensure you submit a valid email address with your entry.

The entrants whose submissions best capture the theme of this year’s contest ‘JOY’, and are considered the most engaging, imaginative and innovative in content and delivery, will be deemed the winners.

Terms and conditions

By entering the Kids Movie Fest July-August 2020 (‘Competition’), competition entrants (‘Entrant’/‘Entrants’) agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions. Failure to abide by these terms and conditions may render an Entrant ineligible for the Competition.

  1. Entrants must submit their entries (‘Entry’/‘Entries’) via the Kids Movie Fest September-October 2020 entry system (‘Entry System’). Any entry form or supporting materials received via any other method shall be destroyed and will not be considered a valid submission.

All Entries must follow the entry guidelines and Entrants must ensure they meet the eligibility criteria, as outlined on Step 1 of the Entry System.

Please double-check your files before submitting your Entry. If we cannot view your submission, we will be unable to judge your film.

  1. The Entry System works seamlessly throughWoobox and most video files should be accepted. However, if you run into any difficulties uploading your footage, ADD TECH INFO HELP INFO HERE.

NOTE TO JO: LETS CONFIRM THIS INFO THROUGH WOOBOX

Frame rate: Try to maintain the video’s native frame rate when compressing your video and opt to use a ‘constant’ frame rate. Frame rates above 60 FPS will be automatically reduced.

Bit rate: Also known as the data rate, this controls the video’s visual quality and will affect its file size accordingly. Opt for a ‘variable’ bit rate. Feel free to experiment with lower bit rates if your file is too large.

Resolution: Common resolutions for standard definition (SD) video include 640 × 480 px (4:3 aspect ratio) and 640 × 360 px (16:9 aspect ratio). High definition (HD) video is usually formatted at 720p (1280 × 720 px) or 1080p (1920 × 1080 px). Higher resolutions such as QHD/1440p (2560 × 1440 px) and 4K/2160p (3840 × 2160 px) are becoming more common.

Audio: The AAC-LC codec, at 320 kbit/s and 48 kHz (maximum), is recommended.

  1. To be eligible for the Competition, Entrants must complete the online entry form and submit their film as described in points 1 and 2 (above) by the close of entries: Midnight PST, Friday, July 31, 2020. Entrants must also upload a minimum of three (1) still image from their film by this time. We recommend completing your entry submission earlier, to allow for unforeseen issues that may arise.
  2. The competition is only open to students (ages 13-19) during July-August 2020. All Entrants must U.S. residents. Employees of the Phyllite Foundation and its affiliates (as well as their immediate family members, e.g. sibling, child) are ineligible.
  3. Entries may be in any language or have no dialogue at all. Non-English audio (or important on-screen text) must have English subtitles.
  4. Each film may only be submitted once. Entrants may submit multiple Entries, as long as each Entry differs significantly from any others submitted by that Entrant.
  5. All films entered must have been made specifically for the KMF July-August 2020 Competition. All Entries must have been completed between August 1, 2020 and October 15, 2020.
  6. KMF/Phyllite Foundationreserves the right to use Entry content (including all or part of any film submitted by an Entrant) in any manner they choose. Submission of an Entry constitutes consent by the Entrant for KMF to use the content in this way and also to use the Entrant’s name and photo for publicity purposes.

Entries become the property of KMF/Phyllite Foundation. The non-exclusive worldwide rights for all media submitted must be available for five (5) years for use by KMF/Phyllite Foundation.

  1. All copyright, moral rights and rights of personality for all content, including music and actors, must be cleared. Failure to clear these rights will result in removal of the Entry from consideration in the competition.

KMF/Phyllite Foundation takes no responsibility for any failure by an Entrant to obtain the necessary authorizations. Entrants warrant that their Entries (and any material contained in their Entries, including, but not limited to, any image or footage) do not infringe the intellectual property rights or any other rights of any person. Entrants (or their parents/guardians) will fully indemnify KMF/Phyllite Foundation against any loss, costs, expenses, demands or liability, whether direct or indirect, arising out of a claim by a third party or another party.

  1. The Competition judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into regarding the judging process or any outcomes reached.
  2. KMF/Phyllite Foundationand its affiliates, as well as their respective directors, officers and employees, shall assume no liability resulting from losses, delays, mistaken addresses on email received, typographical errors, technical, computer or telephone malfunctions, loss or theft of computer or telephone data, damage to software or computer equipment, fraudulent calls or any other mistake.
  3. All personal information, such as your name, address, telephone number, email address and age, is collected solely for the purposes of administering this Competition and shall not be used for any other purpose without your consent. By providing this information, you consent to it being used by KMF/Phyllite Foundationand its affiliates for the stated purposes.

Key Dates

  • Call for entries: Wednesday, July 1, 2020
  • Close of entries: Midnight Thursday, October 15, 2020
  • Audience Voting Period:Tuesday, October 15, 2020 through Sunday, November 15, 2020
  • Finalists announced by: Sunday, November 15, 2020
  • Winners announced and prizes presented:  Sunday, November 15, 2020

Cari, given the legal above, do I need to elaborate on any of the items below?

Use of Entries.
 
Original Work of Authorship.
 
Collection of Information (I can cover this)
 
General Release.
 
Affidavit & Release. 
 
Winners List; Rules Request.
 
Copyright Notice. 
 
Contest Sponsor. 

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