Chicago's Token Institute will pay filmmakers to show their AI seams, not hide them
Four categories, $250 each, free entry. The Token AI Film Festival wants films that expose exactly how much artificial intelligence shaped them, tools, errors and all.
Most AI film festivals ask you to produce something impressive. Token Institute, a nonprofit based in Chicago, is asking for something different: honesty. The Token AI Film Festival 2026 wants filmmakers to show their working, specifically which AI tools they used, what percentage of the film those tools shaped, and where the model got things wrong. That transparency requirement is not a footnote; it is the entire curatorial premise.
The result is a festival built around four categories that have no obvious equivalent elsewhere. Best World Building rewards AI-assisted environment and setting construction. Best Previsualization recognises films that demonstrate how AI functions as a planning tool before production. Best Ethicist goes to the film that most thoughtfully interrogates the technology it uses. Best Storyboarding celebrates AI-assisted narrative sequencing. An Audience Choice Award sits alongside all four. Films screen in person in Chicago from 12 September to 10 October 2026.
What you submit
Films must run between three and fifteen minutes. Submissions are open globally. The festival accepts short film and experimental formats. Every submission must include full disclosure of the AI tools used and an honest account of how much those tools contributed to the final work. The page does not specify a technical delivery format beyond runtime, so check the official entry site for file specifications before preparing your export.
Prize structure
Each of the four named categories carries a cash prize of $250. That is $1,000 in total category prizes. The Audience Choice Award is listed separately but no cash value is specified for it on the page; treat it as a recognition prize unless the festival confirms otherwise. Winners also receive an in-person screening in Chicago during the festival window.
Terms worth reading
Entry is free. The page makes no mention of a rights grab or a broad licence over submitted work, which is a meaningful absence given how common such clauses are in film festival small print. IP terms are not explicitly stated either way, so if retaining full rights to your film matters to you, write to the organisers at tokenfilmfest.org before submitting to get confirmation in writing. Eligibility is global, so no geographic restriction applies. The disclosure requirement is firm: filmmakers must be able to articulate exactly how AI shaped each film, including where it failed or produced unexpected results.
Deadline and entry
The submission deadline is 31 August 2026. No cutoff time is published, so submit at least a day in hand to avoid any timezone complications. Entry is via the official festival site at tokenfilmfest.org.