The Seattle Worldcon 2025 Film Festival is a celebration of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction films from around the world. The festival will take place August 13–17, 2025.

The Seattle Worldcon 2025 Film Festival is being held as part of Seattle Worldcon 2025, which is the 83rd Worldcon. Worldcon is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society, first held in 1939. Each year it is held in a different city. In 2024 it was held in Glasgow, Scotland, and in 2023 was held in Chengdu, China.

You must be a member of the Seattle Worldcon to attend the festival. The Seattle Worldcon will be held at the Seattle Convention Center Summit Building, which is located in downtown Seattle.

The Seattle Worldcon 2025 Film Festival wants to embrace and foster new voices in speculative fiction, including those of BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ creators. We will have judges who represent these voices. We also have a way for BIPOC and women directors to submit their films to the festival at no charge.

The festival director has run seven previous film festivals in the Seattle area.
https://seattlein2025.org/

Awards & Prizes

The filmmakers of the films selected to play at the Seattle Worldcon 2025 Film Festival will be invited to attend the Seattle Worldcon, and will receive one complimentary membership pass for the day their film is shown. Travel and lodging is not included.

Attending filmmakers will be able to speak to the audience directly through Q&As following their film screenings.

Selected works can win in several categories of Seattle Worldcon 2025 Film Festival:
• Best Short Film (under 40 minutes)
• Best Feature Film (over 40 minutes)
• Best Pacific Northwest Film
• Best Science Fiction Film
• Best Fantasy Film
• Best Horror Film

Each film that wins an award will receive an award laurel graphic. Winners will be announced during the last day of the convention. The award-winning entries will be selected by the festival jury. Judging decisions are final.

Rules & Terms

TERMS & RULES FOR SUBMITTING YOUR FILM

• Films must be speculative fiction, which includes science fiction, fantasy, horror, and fan films.
• Short Films must be 40 minutes or under, including credits, in duration.
• Feature Films must be over 40 minutes, including credits, in duration.
• Pacific Northwest films must be films that were filmed in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, or the Canadian province of British Columbia.
• Only one title per entry.
• Seattle Worldcon 2025 does not pay screening fees under any circumstances.
• You agree your film is available for selection and exhibition during our festival dates.
• If your film becomes unavailable for selection and exhibition, you agree to withdraw your submission PRIOR to our final submission deadline (March 31, 2025).
• If your film has not been withdrawn and remains in consideration after our final submission deadline, you agree that your film may be selected and exhibited regardless of other arrangements, including distribution deals or other festival premieres.
• Films must be complete upon submission. No works in progress please.
• Film submissions must be made available as streaming screeners through FilmFreeway.
• If your film is not in English, it MUST be subtitled.
Seattle Worldcon 2025 Film Festival does not provide transportation or lodging for filmmakers. If selected, filmmakers will receive a free one day pass to attend the in-person show.
• There are no refunds on submission fees.
• Successful submissions granted a screening must submit downloadable .MP4 or .MOV media files (via FilmFreeway, Dropbox, Vimeo, or similar).

By submitting, you represent and warrant that you have full legal right and authority to submit the film for consideration by Seattle Worldcon 2025 Film Festival, and that all necessary consents, licensing, and approvals have been obtained. You agree the work is original and owned by the submitter, is not the subject of any disputes regarding ownership, and there is no invasion of privacy, defamation, violation of rights, intellectual property infringement, or similar violation of law. You agree to hold Seattle Worldcon 2025, the World Science Fiction Society, and their sponsors harmless in any and all matters pertaining to the consents, licenses, and approvals of the film.

You understand that your submission is in no way a guarantee of acceptance into the Seattle Worldcon 2025 Film Festival. No one from Seattle Worldcon 2025, the World Science Fiction Society, or their sponsors has guaranteed you selection into the festival.

Should your film be selected for the Seattle Worldcon 2025 Film Festival, you retain all rights to ownership of the film, but grant Seattle Worldcon 2025 the right to exhibit the film at the festival. You also grant the Seattle Worldcon 2025 the right to use any materials pertaining to the submission, including publicity photos and still frames from the film, and to advertise and display the work in whole or in part for promotional purposes without limitation.

If you are not sure about something, please email us before you submit. We'll answer your query as quickly as possible.

"World Science Fiction Society", "WSFS", "World Science Fiction Convention", "Worldcon" are service marks of Worldcon Intellectual Property, a California non-profit corporation managed by the Mark Protection Committee of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society. You can contact the WSFS Mark Protection Committee at mpc@wsfs.org.