- ELIGIBILITY
Films are eligible for submission provided that they fulfil the following conditions:
Completed after January 1, 2025
Maximum duration of 30 minutes
Any genre is accepted (fiction, animation, documentary, experimental, etc)
Films that are freely available to the public online are not eligible.
Films that have had a limited online festival screening are still eligible. Leiden Shorts may make an exception in specific cases.
Films that have previously been submitted and rejected are not eligible to be considered for the festival again.
Works in progress are accepted, as long as they are submitted before the deadline and will be completed before March 2026.
- SUBMISSIONS
You can submit your film via one of the following platforms:
https://leidenshorts.filmchief.com
https://www.filmfreeway.com/LeidenShorts.
The complete entry form must be filled out.
Please provide us with complete credits and promotional materials (stills, trailer, press kits) via submission.
- COMPETITIONS & PRIZES
The submitted films will be reviewed by Leiden Shorts Programming Team who will select the films for the following competitions:
International Competition, “Best International Film Award”: all films that fulfill the above conditions (“Eligibility”) and are not Dutch productions are eligible.
National Competition, “Best National Film Award”: only Dutch productions are eligible for this competition.
Brand New Eyes Competition, “Brand New Eyes Award”: only student works and debut films outside of an academic context films can be selected for this competition.
The winning films are selected by a professional jury.
All selected films are automatically also eligible for the “Audience Award” in addition to any other competition for which they might be selected. The “Audience Award” is voted for by the audience.
All awards include a financial award given to the filmmaker(s).
- DEADLINES & FEES
International Competition & National Competition
Early Bird Deadline: 3 October 2025 – €12.00 submission fee (€10.50 via Leiden Shorts website)
Regular Deadline: 6 December 2025 – €15.00 submission fee (€13.50 via Leiden Shorts website)
Last Chance Deadline: 25 January 2026 – €21.00 submission fee (€18.50 via Leiden Shorts website)
Brand New Eyes Competition
We are pleased to offer discounted submission fees for the Brand New Eyes Competition:
Early Bird Deadline: 3 October 2025 – €9.00 submission fee (€7.00 via Leiden Shorts website)
Regular Deadline: 5 December 2025 – €11.00 submission fee (€9.00 via Leiden Shorts website)
Last Chance Deadline: 25 January 2026 – €17.00 submission fee (€15.50 via Leiden Shorts website)
For any questions, do not hesitate to contact us via submissions@leidenshorts.nl
- SCREENING FILES & PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL
Requirements:
Digital file (ProRes or H264) or DCP, with embedded English subtitles or with subtitles in a separate .srt file. The festival may create a DCP of the films on location.
All films need to be available for an English-speaking audience (either spoken language or subtitles need to be in English). Films with strong dialects may require English subtitles, even though the film is English-spoken.
3 High-Resolution Film Stills
Film Poster (digitally)
Trailer
Synopsis & Credits
The data and pictures provided through the submission will be used for diverse publications (programme, trailers, website, and social media). By submitting your data you agree to their usage by Leiden Shorts for promotional purposes only. In case no promotional material is provided, we can use excerpts from the film for promotional purposes.
The selected films will be stored in the archive of the festival but will not be screened again unless agreed upon with the rightsholder of the film.
- SCREENING DELIVERY
The films’ screening copies must be sent to the festival no later than April 17th 2026.
- PLEDGE OF SOLIDARITY
Leiden Short will consider granting waivers or discounts to filmmakers who cannot afford the submission fee due to lack of funding opportunities. In such cases, please email us at submissions@leidenshorts.nl, and explain your situation in detail.
- AGREEMENT TERMS & CONDITIONS
By submitting a film to Leiden Shorts the submitter accepts the terms and conditions. Leiden Shorts has the right to cancel the submission if the film does not conform to the rules. Once the film is submitted, there will be no refund of the submission fee.
A selected film cannot be withdrawn from the programme after accepting the selection invitation.
By submitting a film, the submitter guarantees they have cleared all intellectual property rights needed for screening during Leiden Shorts and shall indemnify the festival against all third-party liabilities.
Leiden Shorts is entitled to consider films for another competition that the one originally submitted to.
The festival has the right to invite films to be submitted or considered.
The festival reserves the right, in consultation with the rights holders, to screen the selected films for promotional purposes during preview events held up to one month prior to the festival edition.
The management of the festival can decide on exceptions to the regulations.
For any questions regarding submissions, please email: submissions@leidenshorts.nl.
