An AI film festival offering a $2,000 custom statuette and a global screening slot closes on 1 September 2026
The New Technologies AI Film Festival awards a custom-designed $2,000 AI Statuette plus a limited-edition winner's merchandise set to creators of AI-generated or AI-enhanced short films.
With roughly eighteen hours left on the clock, the New Technologies AI Film Festival 2026 is still accepting submissions for its headline prize: a one-of-a-kind, custom-designed statuette valued at $2,000 USD. The festival positions itself as a meeting point between generative AI tools and cinematic storytelling, inviting short films, experimental works, and artistic visions that interrogate how algorithms and human imagination are reshaping narrative.
The event itself screens on 6 September 2026, giving winners a public stage alongside the broader AI film festival circuit. Entry is routed through FilmFreeway, which means fees will be listed there rather than on the festival's own page. Creators working outside the AI space are also catered for: a non-AI category runs alongside the headline AI category, so the submission pool is not limited to generative work alone.
What you submit
The festival accepts short films, experimental pieces, and artistic works. AI-generated and AI-enhanced projects are welcome in the AI category; any AI tools are permitted. A separate non-AI category exists for filmmakers who prefer to enter without generative tools. Eligibility is open globally with no geographic restriction stated. Precise runtime or technical delivery specifications are not published on the contest page, so check the FilmFreeway listing for full submission requirements before uploading.
Prize structure
The top prize is a custom-designed New Technologies AI Statuette, valued at $2,000 USD. This is an object prize, not a cash transfer. Winners also receive a limited-edition merchandise set printed with the winner's name and work title, plus an official screening slot on 6 September 2026 and recognition across the festival's wider promotional network. No runner-up or category prizes are listed on the official page.
Terms worth reading
The entry fee is described only as "See FilmFreeway listing," meaning it is not free to enter and the cost is not disclosed on the festival's own page. Check FilmFreeway before committing. The official page does not publish a licensing or rights clause, so it is not possible to confirm from available text whether the festival claims any licence over submitted work. Creators with concerns about IP retention should review the full FilmFreeway submission agreement and any festival-specific terms linked there before submitting. No broad rights-grab language appears on the contest page itself, but the absence of a public terms statement means that position cannot be verified here.
Deadline note
The submission deadline is 1 September 2026. No cutoff time or timezone is specified on the page. Given the "18 hours remaining" framing at the time of writing, treat this as effectively end-of-day 1 September in whatever timezone the festival operates. Submit immediately if you intend to enter.
Apply via the official FilmFreeway listing. Full contest details are on the official contest page.
Source: AI Film Contests, New Technologies AI Film Festival 2026