*Web Series World Cup and Audio Fiction World Cup Participant!*

One of FilmFreeway's Best-Reviewed Festivals is now entering our seventh year, and we continue to get bigger and better thanks to the amazing talent that has been part of our events! Thank you to all the creators who took time to leave thoughtful reviews! We are #AllAboutTheCreators, and they clearly felt it! Just read the reviews and see for yourself.

Submissions from all over the world, and from every genre, are welcome. Quality is the only criteria: we want to showcase the very best.

We accept webseries, short films, pilots, trailers, music videos, narrative fiction podcasts, actual play fiction podcasts, actual play livestreams, and short scripts, so that all digital creators can experience the #JerseyMagic! (See our Rules section for more deets on submitting.)

Those who attend will be treated to a screening of their project at the beautiful Clairidge Movie Theater, so you can grab some popcorn and see your work up on the Big Screen!🍿 You will also have the opportunity to network and mingle with industry powerhouses, special guests, and fellow creators at the terrific 505 Cinema, where we hold our workshops and panels. Of course, parties will be part of the festivities throughout the weekend!

And our wonderful Awards Gala gives you the opportunity to eat, drink, and celebrate your work! Check out the pics, and follow our social media for videos from the events. You've never been to a festival like the #NJWebFest.

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#NJWebFest is proud to announce our new Scholarship Program and Judging Sponsorship! These initiatives allow us to address the financial barriers facing indie content creators AND ensure that our judges are paid for their time and labor: https://newjerseywebfest.com/sponsorship

Awards & Prizes

** See further below on this page for Submission Rules!

These are some of the awards that are expected for 2024 (subject to change, depending on submissions.)

WEBSERIES | PILOTS | TRAILERS | MUSIC VIDEOS | SHORTS
Best Actor in various genres (Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Fantasy...)
Best Actress in various genres (Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Fantasy...)
Best Supporting Actor in various genres (Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Fantasy...)
Best Supporting Actress in various genres (Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Fantasy...)
Best Host
Best Guest Star
Best Director in various genres (Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Fantasy...)
Best Writing in various genres (Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Fantasy...)
Best Cinematography in various genres (Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Fantasy...)
Best Ensemble Cast - Comedic
Best Ensemble Cast - Dramatic
Best On-Screen Chemistry
Best Special Effects/Video Effects
Best Editing - Comedic
Best Editing - Dramatic
Best Score/Soundtrack
Best Theme Song
Best Series Premise
Outstanding Trailer
Outstanding Music Video
Direct Selection to Partner Festivals
Outstanding Short Film
Outstanding Script
Outstanding Comedy Series
Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Animation Series
Outstanding Sketch Comedy Series
Outstanding Dramedy Series
Outstanding Thriller Series
Outstanding Sci-Fi Series
Outstanding Unscripted/Reality Series
Outstanding Mockumentary Series
Michael J. Ajakwe Jr. “Don’t Wait Create!” Achievement Award
Theresa Labreglio "Jersey Strong" Achievement Award
Best of the Best

FICTION PODCASTS | ACTUAL PLAY PROJECTS

*This list is an example of awards we are considering for 2024 and is subject to change at any time*

Fiction Podcast

Best Editing of a Fiction Podcast
Best Overall Sound Design of a Fiction Podcast
Best Action Sound Design of a Fiction Podcast
Best Environmental Sound Design of a Fiction Podcast
Best Director
Best Writing / Script
Best Leading Performance (1)
Best Leading Performance (2)
Best Supporting Performance (1)
Best Supporting Performance (2)
Best Chemistry
Best Ensemble Cast
Outstanding Comedy
Outstanding Drama
Outstanding Science Fiction
Outstanding Fantasy
Outstanding Horror/Thriller

Actual Play

Best Editing of an Actual Play
Best Sound Design of an Actual Play
Best Game Master of an Edited Actual Play
Best Game Master of an Unedited Actual Play
Best Player Character Performance of an Edited Actual Play
Best Player Character Performance of an Unedited Actual Play
Best Ensemble Cast of an Actual Play
Best Costume/Makeup in an Actual Play
Best Overlay Design in an Actual Play
Best Ensemble Character Art
Outstanding Edited Actual Play
Outstanding Unedited Actual Play

Combined Fiction Podcast and Actual Play

Best Cover Art
Best Series Premise
Best Original Scoring
Best Original Song
Best Anthology
Best Family Friendly
Best of the Best Audio Fiction
William Dufris "Those Who Dare, Win" Achievement Award

Rules & Terms

1. If you've uploaded a video file to FilmFreeway, great! No length limit on web series, and creators should also include a link for us to view your entire series. You can also email us the link to your show at info@newjerseywebfest.com. IF IT IS PASSWORD-PROTECTED, please make sure to provide us with the password.

2. Creators of Fiction Podcasts, Actual Play audio or video projects, and Audio Fiction standalones: Please submit a MAXIMUM of 30 minutes from your series for our judges. This can be a straight 30 minute excerpt, it could be a “highlight reel” of sorts, or anything in between. It is entirely up to you to decide what gets included in your submission, but know that is the primary thing our judges will use for acceptances, nominations, and awards. If your submission is longer than 30 minutes, initial judging will be just on that first 30 minutes.

For audio-only submissions, when you join FilmFreeway, you can upload your audio file by categorizing your work as “Music/Songwriting”. It’s currently the only category that allows you to upload audio-only files. Visit newjerseywebfest.com/FilmFreeway-podcasts for more detailed instructions. Contact Ned at podcasts@newjerseywebfest.com if you have any questions.

3. If you are selected, we may ask for a truncated version of your project for screening purposes, depending on the length of your episodes. Official Selections will be shown in screening blocks on The Big Screen at a wonderful movie theater in Montclair. Following the screening, we hold talkbacks where each project's representative can speak with the audience about their inspiration behind the project and where we can see more. For those who cannot attend, we will screen a shorter excerpt, i.e. a trailer, sizzle reel, etc, up to two minutes long, on which we recommend adding information on where we can view more. This will not affect your award consideration, as judges will be viewing your project in its entirety.

4. Web series and Actual Play video projects that have a spoken language other than English must be subtitled in English. If your podcast is in a language other than English. We need you to email us an English transcript after submitting (email it to info@newjerseywebfest.com; include your tracking number in the subject line). Music videos don’t need to be subtitled or translated. Scripts must be in English.

5. Actual Play creators. All audio-only projects should submit as “Actual Play (Podcast)" and all livestreams and pre-recorded/edited video projects should submit as "Actual Play (Video)”. Your submission must be a maximum of 30 minutes, which you could submit an excerpt of an episode, or create a highlight reel of sorts. If you have any questions at all, contact Ned at podcasts@newjerseywebfest.com.

6. Official Selections will be announced on or before July 21, 2024.

7. Award nominees will be announced on or before August 15, 2024.

8. Event date: September 26-29, 2024
144 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Rah Rah

    Being a part of this webfest and winning my first award in the ttrpg space will be a core memory for so many years to come. Thank you for what you do!

    November 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Congratulations on your success and thank you for the kind words! Keep making great art!

  • Debra Markowitz

    A fest that cares about its filmmakers. Lovely screening room, good films, a fest that knows your films and you!
    We'll be back!

    October 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you! You rock! Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

  • Chido Mwat

    Great festival to be part of! Couldn't be there in person but definitely "felt the love." Hope to make it in the future.

    October 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you! Glad you felt the love from afar, and we hope to meet you in the future!

  • Yolanda Brown Melián

    It's a great festival with good vibrations. They have lots of categories and the event is awesome! Worth trying to repeat next year.
    Thank you!

    October 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Yolanda! Looking forward to seeing more of your amazing work 🙏🏽🙏🏽

  • Mixed Nuts Productions .

    The one thing that is most apparent is that the people who run the festival are excited the event and having the filmmakers there. Each organizer went out of their way to approach me first to talk to me which is not always the case at festivals. It may seem obvious but it really goes a long, long way about feeling welcomed at the festival.

    I never got the pompous "too cool for school" vibes that I've gotten at some other festivals. After the screening, all of the filmmakers hung around to talk to each other and praise each other's work. We exchanged contact info and dug into deep discussions about the artistry behind each other's work. It was a wonderful atmosphere to screen a short film.

    There's clearly a lot of love that goes into the festival that trickles down to the creators in attendance and that alone makes it worth the entry fee.

    And I got this impression by only being able to attend my particular screening block. I wish I got to spend more of the weekend at the festival and it was made apparently that I would be missed. I've heard amazing things about the awards gala other events. I submitted based on word of mouth from other filmmakers and it did not disappoint.

    October 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Wow, thank you for this! It was truly a pleasure to meet you. Your work is outstanding. We also wish you could have joined us at The Gala, but congratulations on the two big award wins. The other creators in attendance who were able to see your screening applauded loudly when your film's name was called. That's how much of an impact you made at your screening. Keep making great art, and hope you can join us again in the future!