Winton Arts Film Fest 2025

Film Categories and Technical Guidelines
Categories:

1. Drama: Serious fictional or non-fictional stories. (3–10 min)
2. Comedy: Lighthearted fictional stories. (3–10 min)
3. Horror: Suspenseful, PG-13 stories without gore or death. (3–10 min)
4. Animation: Animated or partially animated stories in any genre. (2–10 min)
5. Super Shorts: Any video, 30–90 seconds long (including vertical formats like TikToks).
6. Experimental: Films exploring unconventional storytelling in any genre. (3–10 min)
7. Middle School: Short films by middle school students in any genre. (3–8 min; restricted to Contra Costa County students).

Media Requirements:

Format: MP4 or MOV
Resolution: 1080p (1920x1080) or higher
Layout: Horizontal (16:9); vertical (9:16) acceptable for Super Shorts and some Experimental films.
Titles/Intro: 15 seconds or less
Credits: 30 seconds or less; no post-roll scenes
Title Length: 50 characters max (on-screen and in submission form)

Size: No larger than 8 GB

Submission Rules:

Maximum two submissions per participant, one per category.
Submit each film via a separate JotForm submission.
No late submissions accepted.

File Naming Format: [SimpleTitle][dot][YourEmailMinusDomain][dot][Extension]
Examples:

CastleSunset.JRowling22.mov
DancingGrape.TBrady21.mov

Additional Notes:

The Winton Arts Film Festival team may reassign your film to another category.

Export your film as an MP4 or MOV file, then upload it to Google Drive. Adjust the sharing permissions to "Anyone with the link can view." Finally, copy and paste the shared link into the field below. Please note: submissions via YouTube or Vimeo are not permitted.

You may also submit downloadable files from Dropbox.  

WINTON ARTS FILM FESTIVAL CONTEST RULES & TERMS

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES

The Winton Arts Film Festival [Festival] will accept entries from Monday, December 2, 2024, at 8:00 AM through Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at 11:59 PM. Entries submitted outside this period will be considered ineligible.

ELIGIBILITY
To participate, entrants must complete the entry form in full and adhere to the requirements outlined herein. Entries received after the stated deadline will not be considered and will be deemed ineligible.

Entrants must reside in or attend school within Contra Costa County, California, to be eligible for participation in the contest.

PERSONAL INFORMATION
To submit an entry, participants must provide their first and last name, current school and grade level, city of residence, and email address. This information will be used solely for contest administration and winner notification purposes. It will not be shared with third parties unrelated to the Festival.

SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS
Film award nominees will be notified via the email address provided on the entry form by mid-March 2025. Winners will be announced during the Winton Arts Film Festival on March 7, 2025. Winners will be selected based on the merits of their entries, as determined solely at the discretion of the Festival organizers.

RULES FOR ENTRY

• Entries must be original works created by the entrant and must not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other intellectual property rights of any person or entity.
• 
  If an entry includes materials not owned by the entrant, such as third-party music, images, or appearances, the entrant is responsible for securing all necessary permissions, releases, or licenses prior to submission. This includes obtaining permission for the use of any names, likenesses, locations, or copyrighted material included in the submission.
• 
  The Festival reserves the right to request proof of these permissions at any time. Failure to provide requested documentation may result in disqualification.
  Entries not in English must include English subtitles.
• 
  By submitting an entry, the entrant represents and warrants that all persons appearing in or identifiable within the entry have consented to its use as described herein.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SIMILARITY
By participating, entrants acknowledge that the Festival may receive multiple entries with similar themes, ideas, or formats. Entrants waive any claims that such similarities entitle them to compensation or other recourse.

PRIZES
Prizes are non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or substituted for other items. Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of submissions.

GENERAL CONDITIONS
By entering the contest, participants agree to:

Abide by these rules and the decisions of the Festival, which are final and binding.
Release and hold harmless the Festival, its affiliates, Carondelet High School, and its representatives from any claims, damages, or liabilities arising from participation in the contest or acceptance of a prize.
Permit the use of their name, voice, performance, photograph, and/or likeness for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, in perpetuity, without compensation or prior notice (unless prohibited by law).
Indemnify the Festival and its representatives against any claims or liabilities resulting from their participation in the contest.

OWNERSHIP AND USE OF SUBMISSIONS
By submitting an entry, participants grant the Festival a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, and sub-licensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, and display their submission in whole or in part. This includes the right to exhibit the entry during the Festival, use it in promotional materials, and distribute it in any medium now known or developed in the future.
Entrants retain ownership of their work but acknowledge that the Festival is under no obligation to use or display any submission.

PARENTAL PERMISSION (FOR MINORS)
If an entrant is under 18 years of age, they must obtain permission from a parent or legal guardian to participate in the contest. Parents or legal guardians must also agree to these terms and conditions on behalf of the minor. By submitting an entry on behalf of a minor, the parent or legal guardian acknowledges and accepts these rules, agrees to be bound by them, and assumes full responsibility for the entrant's participation, including compliance with contest rules and permissions related to the submission.

LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY AND CONTEST ADMINISTRATION
The Winton Arts Film Festival and its affiliates (collectively referred to as the "Released Parties") are not responsible for any issues that may affect or interfere with participation in the contest or the processing of entries. This includes, but is not limited to, lost, late, incomplete, damaged, stolen, or misdirected entries; technical failures such as server disruptions, network connectivity issues, or hardware and software malfunctions; and errors in entry transmission or submission caused by compatibility problems or system interruptions. The Festival is not liable for unauthorized access, tampering, or hacking that may corrupt or alter entries or participant data, nor for typographical, printing, or other errors in contest materials or communications. Participants assume full responsibility for ensuring their entries comply with all legal and safety requirements during production and waive claims for injuries or damages incurred during filming. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify entries that violate rules, contain offensive or inappropriate content, or fail to meet submission criteria. Additionally, decisions by the Festival regarding eligibility, selection, and prizes are final and binding, and participants waive the right to dispute outcomes. In the event of extraordinary circumstances, such as natural disasters, pandemics, technical disruptions, or other force majeure events, the Festival reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the contest. Entrants acknowledge and agree that the Released Parties will not be liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from participation in the contest or related activities, nor for any losses or inconveniences caused by circumstances beyond their reasonable control.