DISRUPT GenAI Film Festival 2026: AU$10,000 in Prizes
Make an AI film about the people behind the tools
DISRUPT is Australia’s GenAI film festival, but its 2026 brief is deliberately human: “Humans and Their Tools.” The organizers are looking for films where generative AI supports a point of view instead of replacing one. That leaves room for narrative, documentary-style work, animation, satire, or something harder to label—as long as the creative choices still feel authored.
Contest details
Deadline: October 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
Who can enter: Australian residents age 16 or older. Entrants under 18 need a parent or guardian’s consent.
Entry fee: Free.
Prize pool: AU$10,000 total—AU$2,500 each for Best Short Film, Best Long Film, Best Student Film, and the Grand Prix.
Video format: MP4. Short and student films must run three minutes or less; long films may run from three to 15 minutes.
What to make
Your film needs to use generative AI, but the rules do not prescribe a particular model or workflow. The entry form asks you to identify the tools and key prompts you used, explain the human contribution, and disclose ethical concerns such as bias or representation.
The judging panel will consider originality, creativity, technical execution, emotional impact, craft, human input, and connection to the theme. Films must have been completed within the previous 12 months and cannot have been screened or distributed in Australia before the November 18 festival showcase.
How to enter
Choose the short, long, or student category, export an MP4 that fits the category limit, and submit through the official FilmFreeway page. You may enter once in each category, but not more than once in the same category. Student entrants must currently attend a school or university.
Prepare a short statement about your AI process before starting the form. Clear every voice, likeness, image, piece of music, and other third-party element. The rules permit original music, properly licensed royalty-free or Creative Commons music, and AI-generated music when you hold the necessary rights.
Rights terms worth reading
You keep the intellectual-property rights to your film. Entry gives TBWA Melbourne a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to exhibit it for festival and promotional purposes. The terms also include a broad moral-rights consent, and winners may be asked to participate in the November 18 Melbourne showcase; travel and accommodation are not guaranteed. Read clauses 35–38 before submitting so the publicity terms work for you and every collaborator.
Read the official DISRUPT rules and enter.
Online Video Contests independently summarizes opportunities and is not the contest organizer. Confirm the current deadline, eligibility, format, and rights terms on the official page before entering.
