Toronto's PROMPT Festival returns with fifteen award categories for AI-touched films, accepting submissions until April 2027
PROMPT Festival Toronto opens rolling submissions for AI-native cinema across all genres, with a $15 entry fee and a final deadline of 16 April 2027.
Toronto's PROMPT Festival is heading into its second season after an inaugural 2026 run at the Black Box in Scarborough, and it has quietly built one of the more generous structures in the AI film competition calendar. Ten rolling deadlines replace the single cliff-edge model used by most festivals, which means filmmakers can submit as work is ready without waiting months for a single window. The final deadline, named Last Frame, closes on 16 April 2027.
The festival positions itself as AI-native cinema rather than an AI novelty category bolted onto a traditional programme. Any project where AI touched the pipeline at any stage qualifies, whether that is generation, editing, scoring, or post-production. Genres accepted include shorts, experimental work, music videos, and hybrid projects, and the organisers place no restriction on which AI tools were used.
What you submit
Filmmakers submit via the official festival site at promptfilmfest.com. The categories listed on the tracker include Short Film, Experimental, and Music Video. Fifteen award categories are open in total, including the signature Best Prompt award, which appears to recognise the craft of the generative instruction itself rather than solely the output. All genres are welcome provided AI was used somewhere in the creative process.
Prize structure
The prize is non-cash. Winners receive official festival laurels, inclusion in the winners programme, and featured placement in festival communications. There is no cash prize listed anywhere on the page, and prospective entrants should factor that in when weighing the entry cost. The laurels and programme placement carry value primarily as a public record of recognition and potential visibility with the Toronto AI film community.
Entry fee
Submission costs $15 per entry. FilmFreeway Gold members pay $10. There is no free tier listed, so budget accordingly if you are submitting across multiple categories.
Terms worth reading
The tracker page does not reproduce the full festival terms, so creators should read the submission agreement on promptfilmfest.com carefully before paying. Key points to check include whether the festival claims any screening or distribution rights beyond the winners programme, what the definition of AI involvement must meet, and whether submitted films can simultaneously screen elsewhere. Given the rolling deadline structure, it is also worth confirming which deadline tier your submission falls into, as earlier rounds sometimes carry different fee levels at other festivals.
Deadline note
The final Last Frame deadline is 16 April 2027. No cutoff time is published, so submitting at least one full day before that date is advisable. The tracker was verified against the organiser's page on 9 September 2026. The festival is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The entry page and further submission details are at promptfilmfest.com.
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