At SciFilmIt we aim to bring scientific research from the lab (or office) to the cinema, but with the pandemic keeping much of the world at home, we want to help you to bring your science stories to the world!

The SciFilmIt Science Film Competition is open to scientists, science communicators and artists across the world. The criteria for your short science film are simple:

- 5 minutes or less
- backed up by science
- aimed at a non-scientist audience

We are excited to offer the Nikon Award for Best Swiss Film and the SciFilmIt Award for Best Global Film! The jury will evaluate the films primarily on how creators use story to accurately communicate science to the public and secondarily, how beautifully this is done. In this way, we are not asking you to use the most expensive equipment and build a huge team, rather we want you to explore how you can communicate your science in a new way. What story is hiding in your research that is yet to be told?

And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to drop us an email: info@scifilm.it

FAQ:

What constitutes a science film?: A film explaining, discussing or investigating a scientific concept that is accurate, clear and unbiased.

What should the film aim to do?: Bring new information to the public. This information could inspire, educate, inform or bring reflection.

Can SciFilmIt Hackathon films be entered? Films produced at SciFilmIt events cannot be submitted, however, we would love to receive submissions from former participants and will happily try to find you a scientist or filmmaker should you need connecting!

What is a 'Swiss film'. We define this as a film made by a team for which the primary film submitter is based in Switzerland.

There will be two awards:
- the Nikon award for Best Swiss Film (for films from within Switzerland)
- the SciFilmIt award for Best Global Film (for films from the rest of the world)

LENGTH: 5 mins or less

TEAM SIZE: No strict limit but we recommend that teams are no larger than 4 due to the prizes that can be awarded

LANGUAGE: English or with English subs

DEADLINE: June 18th 23:59 CET

PERMISSIONS: the film submitter must have permission to submit the film and must have obtained necessary permissions for the inclusion of copyrighted music and/or images within the films. By submitting the submitter confirms that they possess all rights necessary for the screening of the film.

RECENCY: for a film to qualify for selection, the film must have been created since April 1st 2020

DISQUALIFICATION: Films must not contain any material that may be considered offensive. This includes material of a racist, sexist, ableist or homophobic nature. Films containing any such material will be disqualified.

SHORTLISTING: The jury will look at the films and create a shortlist. You will be notified if your film is included in the shortlist. Shortlisted films will be shown at the online show and are eligible to win prizes.

WINNING FILMS: the results of the competition are final and cannot be disputed.

HOW WE WILL USE SUBMITTED FILMS:
- Excerpts can used for advertising of the online event
- Films are shown at the online event
- SciFilmIt will not share your data with anyone
- SciFilmIt will not accept responsibility for anything that breaks copyright law
- The online show will be recorded and the films will be available to the public in the recording that will be on the SciFilmIt YouTube channel