A Jaipur Festival Is Offering Up to 25 Lakh Rupees in Cash for Films Made With AI
WAICF India accepts AI-generated, AI-assisted and AI-enhanced films from anywhere in the world, with up to ₹25,00,000 in cash prizes. The final deadline is 5 December 2026.
A film made with AI tools could now win real money in Jaipur. The World AI Cinema & Creativity Festival India is offering up to ₹25,00,000 in cash prizes across its categories, which is roughly 25 lakh rupees, and it will accept work from filmmakers in any country, in any language, made with any AI tools.
The festival comes from the Film Dais and Jaipur International Film Festival Trust ecosystem and will take place in Jaipur on 8 January 2027. It takes AI-generated, AI-assisted and AI-enhanced films, so a fully synthetic short and a live-action piece with AI-polished effects can both find a home. There are also separate AI innovation awards alongside the film competition.
What you submit
The festival runs eight competition categories. The listing names short film, feature and animation among them, and also tags AI documentary and advertising work. Entry is open to filmmakers, AI creators, students and studios, with no restriction on nationality, language or genre. The organisers do not limit which AI tools you use.
Submissions go through FilmFreeway on the official WAICF India entry page. The full listing, including the tracker's verified details, is on the AI Film Contests page for the festival.
Prize structure
The headline figure is up to ₹25,00,000 in cash across categories. That is a ceiling for the whole programme, not a per-film guarantee, and the page does not publish a breakdown of how much each category pays. The listing does not mention any prizes beyond cash, and the separate AI innovation awards are not described in detail, so check the festival's own materials before assuming what they include.
Entry fees and deadlines
Entry is not free. Fees rise with each deadline tier, and fees are charged in US dollars.
- Regular deadline, 15 August 2026: $35 for a short film, $70 for a feature. This has passed.
- Late deadline, 15 October 2026: $45 for a short film, $80 for a feature. This closes today.
- Extended deadline, 5 December 2026: $55 for a short film, $100 for a feature.
If you are reading this on 15 October, the late tier is the cheaper of the two remaining options, so it is worth submitting before it rolls over. Otherwise the extended deadline of 5 December 2026 is the last chance. The page gives no cutoff time or timezone, so submit at least a day ahead rather than on the final evening.
Terms worth reading
The tracker page does not reproduce the festival's rules, so there is nothing here about licences, screening rights or who keeps ownership of your film. That matters, because festivals often ask for permission to screen and promote entries. Read the terms on the FilmFreeway page before you pay, and look in particular for any licence you grant, any requirement to disclose your tools or process, and whether entry fees are refundable.
One point in your favour is that the tool policy is wide open. Any AI tools are allowed, so you do not need to check your workflow against an approved list.
Practical notes
Submissions opened on 10 July 2026. The festival date is 8 January 2027 in Jaipur. The tracker last verified these details on 1 October 2026, and the organiser's page is the final word if anything differs.
Source: World AI Cinema & Creativity Festival (WAICF) India on AI Film Contests