Austin's AI film festival has eleven categories and two days left to enter
The second annual Austin AI Film Festival closes entries on 15 August at 11:59 PM CST. Eleven award categories from 30-second micro-shorts to 90-minute features, with a live event in Texas this October.
The Austin AI Film Festival closes its entry window on 15 August 2026 at 11:59:59 PM CST, and its category list is one of the widest on the circuit: eleven awards covering everything from a 30 to 90 second micro-short to a full 30 to 90 minute AI feature. If you have finished work of almost any shape, there is a slot for it here, but you have two days.
The festival is a two-day live conference and competition in Austin, Texas, running 17 and 18 October, now in its second year. Alongside screenings it hosts panels and networking with people working across filmmaking, AI and technology, which makes selection worth more than a laurel: it is a room.
The eleven categories
AI Feature Film (30 to 90 minutes), AI Short Film (90 seconds to 30 minutes), AI Micro-Short (30 to 90 seconds), Hybrid AI/Live Action Film (5 to 90 minutes), AI Series Pilot (5 to 30 minutes), AI Commercial or Brand Film, AI Documentary, AI Avant-Garde Film, AI Music Video, AI Movie Trailer, and AI Student Film for college entrants. One winner per category.
The rules that matter
A majority of the visual shots must be created using AI software. That does not exclude live-action reference photography or real footage as models and references, and the hybrid category exists precisely for mixed work, but AI has to carry the visual load. No public figure's likeness without written permission. Entry is open worldwide to anyone 18 or over, solo or in teams with an appointed team leader, and each individual or team can submit up to two entries.
On prizes, the festival confirms cash prizes and sponsor-supported awards but has not published amounts, saying they will be announced before finalist selections. That is worth knowing before you enter: you are entering for the categories, the screening and the room, with the cash figure to follow.
Entries go through the official submission page, and the full terms are on the festival site. The festival's own computer is the official timekeeper, so do not cut the deadline fine.
Source: official festival terms, festival site.