Howdywood 2026 Submission Rules
*Please Read Carefully*
I. Project Creation Deadline
I-a. All projects that are submitted must have been completed on or after January 1st, 2022. Projects completed before this deadline will not be considered for competition.
I-a-1.Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis. Email the festival director before submitting to see if you qualify for an exception.
I-b. Howdywood Film Festival does NOT require a particular premiere status, projects will be considered regardless of their premiere status.
II. Event Details
II-a. Attendance Policy
II-a-1. In order to claim any prize money, a representative must be present at the film festival. The film’s submitter must be present at the presentation of awards. If the submitter is not present, the next in show will be moved up to take the next place up.
II-a-2. A proxy may also be there in the place of the submitter as long as it was conveyed to the festival team prior to the presentation of awards.
II-b. MSC Aggie Cinema does NOT cover travel expenses for selected competitors. If your film is selected, it is the individuals’ responsibility, both financial and logistical, to get themself to the festival.
III. Student Status
III-a. Projects may only be submitted by current & former students of Texas A&M University.
III-b. Current Student
III-b-1. All current students of Texas A&M University are eligible to submit to the “Current Student Short” or “Feature Film” category.
III-b-2. A picture of your Student ID will be required to be attached to your profile in order to be considered for competition.
III-c. Former Student
III-c-1. All former students of Texas A&M University (those who graduated from Texas A&M) are eligible to submit projects to either the “Former Student Short” or “Feature Film” category.
III-c-2. In order to be considered for competition, your Full Name & Graduating Year will be required at submission.
IV. Project Runtime
IV-a. Short Films
IV-a-1. Only films with a runtime of less than 45 minutes (<45 min) will be eligible for the Short Film categories.
IV-b. Feature Films
IV-b-1. Films with a runtime of greater than or equal to 45 minutes (≥ 45 min) will be eligible for the Feature Film category.
V. Standards & Practices
V-a. Since Howdywood Film Festival is a student film festival, some attendees may be minors, for this reason, we will use “NC-17” as a standard for all selection processes. It is the responsibility of the festival team to determine if your submission meets these criteria and is suitable for a college age audience.
V-b. Standard Advisory
V-b-1. Violence: Mild violence is acceptable, but avoid graphic or excessive violence.
V-b-2. Substances: Depictions of alcohol and tobacco use can be included if they are not glorified or promoted. Avoid showing illegal drug use.
V-b-3. Weapons: Real or toy weapons can be shown in a non-glorified manner. Avoid excessive focus on weaponry.
V-b-4. Sexual Content: Mild sexual content and innuendo are acceptable, but avoid explicit scenes or nudity.
V-b-5. Profanity: Limited use of mild profanity is acceptable. Avoid strong or offensive language.
V-b-6. Sensitive Topics: Sensitive topics can be addressed, but they should be handled with care and sensitivity. Avoid graphic depictions of distressing themes.
V-c. Specific material that will cause automatic disqualification:
V-c-1. Animal Cruelty
V-c-2. Child Nudity
V-c-3. Adult Full-Frontal Nudity
VI. Submission Specifications
VI-a. A filmmaker may submit as many projects as they wish for either category as long as it meets the requirements laid out previously.
VI-b. Multiple submissions of the same film do NOT increase the likelihood of selection. If a film is submitted multiple times, it will be considered solely upon its first submission and refunds will not be issued for excess submissions.
VII. File Type
VII-a. MSC Aggie Cinema does not take physical media files (dcp, blu-ray, dvd, usb, etc). VII-VII-b. Please ensure your file is digital (.mp4, .mov, YouTube (Public or Unlisted), Vimeo) and readily available for review upon submission and screening upon festival dates. If your project is not visible to the team at the aforementioned specifications, your project will not be considered for competition.
VIII. Press & Media Coverage
VIII-a. If your project is selected for competition, submitters will be asked to submit a press kit. Specifics of the press kit will be provided upon notification of selection.
IX. Submission Purchases
IX-a. All submissions must be purchased via Flywire and confirmed with the Order Number upon submission in FilmFreeway.
IX-a-1. Failure to confirm order number will result in disqualification.
X. Generative Artificial Intelligence
X-a. Zero-Tolerance Policy
X-a-1. Howdywood Film Festival holds a zero-tolerance policy for Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage
X-a-2. All submissions that are deemed to use Generative AI are subject to rejection from Howdywood Film Festival, nor will they be screened in competition
X-b. Deeming of Generative AI
X-b-1. Howdywood Film Festival has a team of nonpartisan individuals carefully judging every submission, if use of Generative Artificial Intelligence is flagged by multiple judges, your submission will be reviewed for AI usage.
X-c. Elements of Film
X-c-1. When looking at the submissions to Howdywood Film Festival, Generative Artificial Intelligence may NOT be used in the:
X-c-1-a. Visuals
X-c-1-a1. Footage, Video Effects (VFX), Animation, Title Cards, Graphics, etc.
X-c-1-a. Sound
X-c-1-a1.Sound effects (SFX), Music, Scores, Songs, or Voice Overs, etc.
X-d. Artificial Intelligence Tools
X-d-1. Artificial Intelligence Tools of a non-generative nature are permitted for use (i.e. Adobe Premiere Pro’s audio enhance feature)
X-d-1-a. If the AI tool is used to assist in the development of a project, but not in the creation of.
X-d-2. Tools that are NOT permitted include but are, not limited to: Sora by Open AI, Adobe Premiere Pro’s Generative Extend, Google Gemini, etc.
XI. Closed Captions/Subtitles
XI-a. Howdywood Film Festival requests that all submissions have access to English subtitles.
XI-b. All submissions selected for competition and to be screened during the festival must have English subtitles, failure to provide subtitles will result in disqualification and not be screened at the event.
If a submission fails to meet its specific requirements, it will not be considered for competition, and no refund may be issued.
