AtomaCon is an annual 2-day media convention held in Charleston, South Carolina. Atomacon Film Festival is happy to return for 2026!

In addition to 2 days of films, enjoy our Media Arts programming track. Meet and greet with industry veterans and media experts with over 20 hours of panels, screenings, and Q+As.

As a multi-genre convention, we're looking for short films under 30 minutes that fall into any genres - science fiction, fantasy, horror, drama/suspense, comedy, action and fan films. . We love retro comedies, parodies, gaming films, and and anything that a genre convention would love. We also have a short screenplay competition. So, if you have a short script that fits into any of the above categories, please submit it. We will also be choosing a couple of accepted script finalist to be read, live at the film festival.

Female, POC, LGBT, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to submit. AtomaCon is female-run convention, and we are dedicated to showcasing voices that are not traditionally lifted on the film circuit. Additionally, we like to see good, thoughtful roles given to minority and female actors, and for their characters to be treated with dignity instead of tokenism and victim-hood. And that goes for ALL entries!

We also have a special regional category for filmmakers from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Be sure to submit in our regional film category if you would like to be considered for our Best Regional award!

Awards & Prizes

All selected entrants will be given 2 complimentary 2-day membership to AtomaCon 2025. Selected entrants will also be offered a group rate of $25/membership for any cast and crew that wish to travel with them.

We will be announcing sponsored prizes as sponsors come aboard, but for now, we offer awards in the following categories.

- BEST SCREENPLAY
- RUNNER UP BEST SCREENPLAY 1st and 2nd runner up
- BEST SHORT
-BEST FEATURE
- BEST REGIONAL (SC/GA/NC)
-BEST PERFORMANCE SHORT
-BEST PERFORMANCE FEATURE
-BEST DIRECTION
- DIRECTOR'S CHOICE
- JUDGES FAVORITE

Additionally, genre prizes and additional technical awards may be offered for the following categories, when relevant:

BEST HORROR/SUSPENSE
BEST SCIENCE FICTION
BEST FANTASY
BEST COMEDY
BEST FAN FILM
BEST NONFICTION/DOCUMENTARY
BEST MICROSHORT (Under 3 Minutes)
BEST MUSIC
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

Rules & Terms

We do not offer waivers. Our entry fees are intentionally kept low so that our festival is accessible for most budgets.

You will be asked to provide a digital screener if selected. No hard copies will be accepted.

There is no minimum age for entry.

Submissions must be in English or have English subtitles.

Entries may have violence, sexual content, and language, but no real people or animals can be harmed in the making of your film., nor do we accept unsimulated depictions of sex acts.

AtomaCon memberships are not exchangeable for cash.

Physical prizes will be shipped to U.S. winners only. International winners will still receive any digital and monetary prizes earned.

Refunds may be issued in the event of festival cancellation. Otherwise, fees are nonrefundable. You are not eligible for a refund if your film is not selected.

We don't have any hard premiere requirements, but we do prefer films that have had their world premieres after January 2022.

31 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Liesel Kopp

    C Michael Whaley was very communicative and wonderful to email with. So sad I couldn't make it in person, the events and information detailed on their website/provided by the Fest are so awesome!

    May 2026
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  • Brad Gallagher

    We had an amazing experience at AtomaCon. For a small festival, there was a remarkable array of things going on (films and discussion events on a variety of topics). The selected films were great - such a variety, all cool and original - and we felt right at home. Michael and the whole team was incredibly welcoming and enthusiastic - and just the whole vibe and energy about the place was uplifting. I would definitely go back - and definitely recommend AtomaCon!

    May 2026
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  • Jonathan Riles

    AtomaCon was such an awesome pool of nerds, creators, vendors, and crazy talented artists. This is also an event that is a goldmine/safe space for die-hard fandoms - it is so cool to see everyone get into the most niche dicussions about all things pop-culture. The film festival portion was such a cool blend of original works, but also dedicated fan films. It is rare to see a film festival value those kinds of creators, and really uplifting to see.

    May 2026
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  • Mark Williams

    AtomaCon Film Festival was a wonderful experience, even though I unfortunately was not able to attend in person. From the beginning, the communication and professionalism from the festival were excellent. I had several friends attend in my place, and every single one of them told me what a great time they had. I heard nothing but positive things about the event, the atmosphere, and the people involved.

    After hearing so many wonderful things, AtomaCon is now a festival I fully intend to attend in the future, whether I have a film selected or not. I also plan to continue submitting my work to them. Based on my experience as a filmmaker and the feedback from those who attended on my behalf, I highly recommend AtomaCon Film Festival to other filmmakers looking for a well-run, welcoming, and genuinely enjoyable festival.

    May 2026
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  • Karen Aristegui

    Great festival! Celebrating all things sci-fi and fantasy!

    July 2025
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