AI filmmakers can submit AI-generated or hybrid video work to the 6th AI Artist Festival, with screenings in Beijing this December

The AI Artist Festival is heading into its sixth season, keeping its home in Beijing and expanding across four distinct submission sections. Works are screened live at a December festival, and award notifications land on 27 December 2026, so filmmakers get a clear, short loop from submission to result. The entry fee is €12 for all categories at the standard rate, which is broadly in line with mid-tier international festival submission costs.

The festival's scope is notably broad. Pure AI-generated films sit alongside hybrid projects that combine AI with live-action footage or traditional animation, and there are separate tracks for AI VJ and music work plus AI-produced advertisements. Any AI tools are permitted, which gives submitters flexibility in their pipeline. The central requirement is that AI technology plays a meaningful role somewhere in production, whether that is story generation, character creation, scene synthesis, or AI-assisted post-production and effects.

What you submit

The festival accepts work across three main categories: short film, music video, and advertising. Within those, four programmed sections cover AI-generated films, AI-and-real-shot or animation hybrids, AI VJ and music, and AI advertisements. Submitted work must demonstrate involvement of AI technology in film or video production in a verifiable way.

Prize structure

Awards are presented across six named categories:

- Best Film
- Best Director
- Best Screenplay
- Best Visual Effects
- Best Music and VJ
- Best Business Market Application

The page does not specify cash prizes attached to these awards. They are festival laurels and named awards, presented at the Beijing screenings on 26–27 December 2026. Filmmakers seeking cash prizes should note this distinction before entering.

Terms worth reading

Submissions are processed through Festhome, a standard festival submission platform. The page does not detail a rights-grab or broad licence on submitted work, which is consistent with typical festival screening agreements, but submitters should review the full Festhome submission terms at the entry page before confirming. The €12 fee applies across all categories at the standard rate; early or late-rate pricing is not specified on this page. Eligibility centres on AI involvement in production rather than the nationality or professional status of the filmmaker, so the festival appears open internationally.

The submission deadline is 5 December 2026. No cutoff time is published, so submit at least a day in hand to avoid timezone complications. Festival screenings take place 26–27 December 2026 in Beijing, China, with award notifications on 27 December 2026.

Submit via the official Festhome entry page at filmmakers.festhome.com/en/festival/ai-artist-festival. The aggregator listing is at aifilmcontests.com.

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Source: AI Film Contests — AI Artist Festival 6th Season 2026