SUBMISSIONS
There is no entry fee for this competition.
ENTRY REGULATIONS
All entries must be from UNT students currently or previously enrolled in the past school year OR high schoolers from the Denton, North Texas, or DFW area. STUDENT VERIFICATION WILL BE REQUIRED!
Additionally, only films completed within the last year are eligible. This includes films completed in spring 2025. Films that have previously screened in other festivals or on UNT’s campus are still eligible. UNT Media Arts Festival reserves the right to not screen films that it finds overly offensive, obscene, or vulgar.
Any UNT student or Denton/DFW high school student is eligible to submit a project, regardless of filmmaking or production experience. Please see the various categories for more information on submitting to each of the sections. It is important that you determine your film’s category when you submit it, as that determines eligibility for awards (for any further questions about the categories, please email mediaartsfestival@unt.edu).
HIGH SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS
High school submissions must be from students enrolled in a Denton High School or a student enrolled in the surrounding North Texas high schools. High school students in Denton, Aubrey, Argyle, Ponder, Krum, Lake Dallas, Lewisville, Carrollton, Dallas, Fort Worth and any other surrounding DFW high schools are all eligible to submit.
SCREENPLAY REQUIREMENTS:
Screenplays must be between 1-10 pages with 10 pages being the maximum. Anything over that page limit will not be eligible. Additionally, only one screenplay may be submitted by an individual. Multiple screenplays from the same student will not be eligible. Make sure to read over all your screenplays and pick the best one. :)
All other entries that do not meet the above regulations will be disqualified for entry into the festival.
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COPYRIGHT
It is expected that filmmakers hold all of the respective rights required for their films before submitting them. This includes all music, sound effects, product placement, actor/model release forms, etc. For music, there are a number of fair-use soundtrack sites with music available online for free (we recommend reaching out to student musicians as well). Filmmakers without these rights will not be able to screen their films. UNT Media Arts Festival will contact you if we believe there is a copyright problem with your submission. Any questions on copyright can be directed to mediaartsfestival@unt.edu
FORMAT REGULATIONS
All foreign language entries must have English subtitles. Projects must be submitted through an online screener (an online screener is the preferred method; we recommend using Vimeo or YouTube and password-locking your film).
You will receive a confirmation email upon successful submission. If you did not receive an email, please follow up at mediaartsfestival@unt.edu
ENTRY DEADLINE & NOTIFICATION
Films must be submitted by February 27th, 2026
This is a hard deadline.
You will be notified of acceptance no later than APRIL 10, 2026.
PRESS MATERIALS
We want to help you show off your film! If selected, please use the FilmFreeway press kit to submit production stills, bios, trailers, etc. about your film.
PHOTO/VIDEO/PUBLICITY RELEASE
By submitting to the UNT Media Arts Festival, you agree that upon acceptance, we may use your film as part of promotional materials for the festival, in addition to your likeness in photos and video for any promotional material.
FURTHER QUESTIONS
We encourage you to ask any more questions you might have by reaching out to us at mediaartsfestival@unt.edu
