Wandura is paying out $10,000 for a 90-second AI drama episode, and entry is free
Wandura's Drama Challenge offers a $10,000 pool for a vertical AI drama episode of up to 90 seconds, made in Wandura's own studios. Free entry, closes 31 October 2026.
A ninety-second drama is a hard thing to get right. There is no room for a slow opening, no space for a second act that finds its feet, and a vertical 9:16 frame leaves very little to hide behind. Wandura is asking filmmakers to make exactly that, and it is putting $10,000 behind the best three attempts.
The Wandura Drama Challenge asks for a single short AI drama episode, any genre, built inside Wandura's Drama Studio and Cinema Studio. Entry is free, solo creators and teams of up to four can enter, and the window closes on 31 October 2026. If you already have a half-finished idea sitting in a folder, two weeks is enough time to turn it into something submittable, provided you start this week.
What you submit
You make one episode of up to 90 seconds. The page tags the contest as drama, vertical video, 9:16 and episode, so think of it as a single instalment of a serialised story and not a trailer for something bigger. Any genre is allowed, so a thriller, a family drama, a romance or something stranger all sit within the brief.
The tool requirement is firm. Wandura is listed as the required AI tool, and the work has to come out of its Drama Studio and Cinema Studio. If your usual workflow runs through other generators, check how much of the finished episode can realistically be produced inside Wandura before you commit.
Entries are judged by Wandura's team and an expert panel. The listing does not name the panellists or publish scoring criteria, so you cannot optimise against a rubric. A clear story that lands inside ninety seconds is the safest target.
Prize structure
The total pool is $10,000 in cash, split across three places:
- 1st place: $5,000
- 2nd place: $3,000
- 3rd place: $2,000
Prizes are paid by bank transfer after results are announced. The listing does not give a results date, so do not plan around when the money arrives.
Who can enter
You must be 18 or over. You can enter alone or as a team of up to four people. The contest is open worldwide except for countries under sanctions. Entry costs nothing.
Terms worth reading
The summary page does not reproduce the full rules, and that matters. It says nothing about who owns the finished episode, whether Wandura gets a licence to show or promote winning or even non-winning entries, or what happens to the rights if you win. Because the episode has to be made inside Wandura's own studios, the platform's general terms of service may also apply to your work. Before you submit, read the full rules on the official Wandura contest page, and look in particular for any licence grant, any clause on public display of entries and any rule on team prize splitting.
If you enter as a team, agree in writing how a prize would be divided before you submit, because the listing gives no guidance on it.
Deadline and how to enter
The deadline is 31 October 2026. The page publishes no cutoff time or timezone, so treat the end of 30 October as your real deadline and submit with a day in hand. The listing was last verified on 16 October 2026, and the full details and entry route are on the official Wandura contest page. The tracker's own entry for the contest is here.