Terms and Conditions
General
1. The Producer/s and any Authorised Person entering this film has obtained from each contributor the authorisations to use of image, sound, performance and the reproduction of said image, sound, performance.
2. The Producer/s and any Authorised Person is the owner, has authorisation or license from the owner of the copyright in the sound recordings comprising the soundtrack to the film.
3. Where clearances for the use of talent, images or music are necessary, those forms must accompany the film. Films that do not have copyright approval will not be accepted.
4. By entering the Spiritus Short Film Awards and the Canberra Short Film Festival you agree that the Centre and the Festival may use your film/s for promotional and publicity purposes pertaining to the current year’s festival, including screening the film at the Canberra Short Film Festival if selected as a finalist. The Centre or Festival may also make a copy of films that are selected to screen for exhibition, and these may be used for media review purposes.
5. All films entered must be available to tour for 18 months after the festival without remuneration.
6. Otherwise, all commercial and broadcast copyright to the film will belong to the Producer/s.
7. While we will make every effort to stick to screening times once printed, the Centre and the Canberra Short Film Festival cannot be held accountable for changes to the schedule after schedule is announced.
8. Entry fees are non-refundable.
Eligibility
9. To be eligible for consideration for the Spiritus Short Film Awards 2026, each entry:
a) must be received by 11:59pm on 31 July 2026
b) must not exceed 12 minutes in length (including titles and credits)
c) must have been completed on or after 1 July 2024
d) for non-English language films, must be subtitled / dubbed in English
10. Films must be submitted in the following format:
a) Standard Resolution:1920 wide x 1080 high pixels
b) Aspect Ratio: 16:9
c) Audio: Stereo, sample rate 48khz (128 kbps)
d) Codec: Most file formats are accepted for submission, but H264-MPEG-4 or Apple Pro Res 422 files are very common
e) File Size: Initial upload size is limited to 10GB.
11. Entrants must supply evidence of age and address.
Judging Criteria
12. The Spiritus Short Film Awards are judged by a panel of judges appointed by the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture. The judges’ decisions are final.
13. The judges assess entries against three criteria:
a) How well the film engages the spiritual dimension
b) Artistic quality
c) Technical skill
14. The 18 and Under Prize may only be awarded to a film produced by a person or persons aged 18 years or under.
15. The judges reserve the right not to award one or more prizes if they are of the view that no film meets the expected standard.
16. The People’s Choice Prize is awarded to one of the finalists selected by the Executive Director of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture or their delegate, taking into account audience feedback at the screening.
