URBANITE ARTS & FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL RULES & TERMS
Eligibility
- Entries submitted are for artists between 13 to 26 years of age. Projects must have been produced while the submitter is between the ages 13 to 26 with principal photography having wrapped no later than the age of 26. The Urbanite Arts and Film Festival is subject to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
- By entering a Submission, you agree to abide by the Official Rules of The Urbanite Arts and Film Festival and agree you are within the specified age range.
- If accepted and the submitter is younger than the legal age to enter into contracts in the state or country of the undersigned’s principal place of residence, the festival will request written consent from the undersigned’s parent or legal guardian.
- Entry fees are as stated for short films (ranging from one to fifteen minutes in length), Short screenplays (ranging from one to fifteen pages in length), music videos (no longer than ten minutes), photographs (either as a single or a group), spoken word (poetry with film work).
ALL FEES ARE WAIVED FOR APRIL AND MAY 2025.
Please complete the custom form. Answer each question thoughtfully. Please do not leave it blank or place a nonsensical comment in the answer field.
Waivers will be provided to artists if requested and based on board selection. There is a limited number of waivers we will release to artists. When you submit a request for a waiver, please include a cover letter explaining why you should be given a waiver. Each cover letter must be a minimum of 100 words to a maximum of 300 words explaining who you are and what your submission is about. There is no limit to submitting entries that a Submitter may make, and individual videos can be entered in more than one category.
- The entering of a submission grants The Urbanite Arts and Film Festival the right to use footage, stills, titles, and information from or relating to the Project for promotional purposes as well as the right to issue and authorize publicity concerning the Project and all personnel related to the Project for the festival.
Content Requirements.
- No inappropriate or sexually explicit submissions will be accepted. The festival reserves the right to remove any submission from the competition that we feel violates these terms.
- Any footage submitted as part of a Submission (“Footage”) must be produced initially after June 1, 2024. At least two-thirds of a Submission must contain original material. Previously produced material must have copyright and other necessary clearances and licenses (e.g., video, music, photos, audio) for use as outlined in the Official Rules.
- Submitters must specifically identify and give credit to all non-original material included in the Submission and provide the necessary documentation and licensing information upon request. All submissions must be the submitter's original work.
- By entering a Submission in the UAFF, you hereby warrant and represent that your Submission conforms to the entry requirements outlined in these Official Rules. Submissions may not include any: (a) copyrighted works without permission of the copyright owner, (b) false or defamatory statements about any person or any third party; (c) third-party trademarks that suggest affiliation with any trademark owner without permission of the owner or that dilute the value of any trademark; (d) nudity, profanity, depictions of violence, threatening language, bullying, inappropriate, indecent, harmful, discriminatory, or obscene content as determined by UAFF, in their sole and absolute discretion; or (e) depiction of an act which is dangerous or suggests any person undertake a dangerous activity.
- All Submissions must be in keeping with The Urbanite Arts and Film Festival's image, as determined by the UAFF with their sole and absolute discretion. UAFF shall have the right, but not the obligation, to review the Entries for compliance with these entry requirements.
- UAFF, its jurors, and festival coordinators may, at their discretion, disqualify submissions including unsuitable content or that are in, or alleged to be in, violation of third-party rights (including, but not limited to copyrights). UAFF retains sole discretion as to what constitutes unsuitable content and will not be liable in any way for disqualified entries.
- UAFF is not responsible for lost, stolen, illegible, unreadable, incomplete, misdirected, or late Entry submissions. UAFF assumes no responsibility for any computer system, phone line, hardware, software, or program malfunctions or other errors, failures of any kind, delayed computer transmissions or network connections that are human or technical, as well as delays or errors in postal service concerning the UAFF website or any Submission. By entering a Submission, you agree that your disclosure is gratuitous, unsolicited, and without restriction and will not place UAFF under any obligation that UAFF and others are free to disclose the ideas contained therein on a non-confidential basis to anyone or otherwise use the ideas without any additional compensation to you. You acknowledge that, by acceptance of your submission, UAFF does not waive any rights to use similar or related ideas previously known to them, developed by their employees, or obtained from sources other than you. Any waiver of any obligation hereunder by UAFF does not constitute a general waiver of any responsibility of Submitters. By entering, you acknowledge that UAFF has no obligation to use or post any submission you submit.
- UAFF reserves the right to change its rules and regulations at any time and for any reason it deems necessary.
WINNER SELECTION
Selection of Finalists
All Submissions will be pre-screened for eligibility. Entries meeting the age requirement and submitting a cover letter will be deemed eligible. Eligible entries will be viewed and scored by UAFF. Those selected for the UAFF will be considered for Official Selections. Official Selections will be scored by persons within the respective industries of television, film, photography, production, writing, music, or broadcasting industry experience, otherwise known as the “jury.”
Any person within the jury may not have any direct involvement in the production of any entry or official selection or have a personal relationship with the submitter of said entry.
Jury members will alert UAFF if they find an entry they are judging has their direct involvement. The entry will be removed from that juror’s queue and assigned to another juror. That jury member will abstain from rating any eligible entry to maintain compliance with the previously stated guideline.
UAFF will have two categories: Official Selections and Winners. The jury will select up to three (3) "Finalists" in each Award Category based on the criteria below for each category.
Films with the highest average score, as compared to Finalists as determined by the Jury, will be grouped into a second pool of eligible entries known as "Official Selections."
Category winners will be determined based on the criteria for each Category. The jury will treat the recommended maximum total run time in each category as a guideline, not a hard rule. It will use professional discretion to select a pool of finalists representative of a range of student filmmaking.
CATEGORIES
Submissions will be generally screened based on four essential elements: Story (Structure), Production Value, Audio, and overall visuals.
Category I - Photography
Submissions into the photography category will require original photography captured on a smartphone. Submitted MUST be the owner of said work and have all rights and permissions to submit work. Sub-categories are:
Story Telling
Social Justice
A Day in the Life / Show us Your World
All submissions will be based on composition, lighting, and aesthetics.
Category II - Short Screenplay Writing
Submissions into the Short Screenplay category will emphasize the story, characters, and writing. These short-form writings are meant to tell a story about our world.
Categories are:
LGBTQIA
Social Justice
Drama / Comedy
Horror / Experimental
Female Centered Stories
LatinX
Category III - Spoken Word
Submissions must be original works performed and recorded on smartphones. Editing is allowed. Sub-categories are open themes.
Category IV - Short Films
Submissions into the Short Films category can range from one minute to a maximum of ten minutes. Short films must be shot and edited using a smartphone. Please know what your film is about when you select a category. When selecting all categories it sends a message you do not really know what your film is about. Please limit yourself to three categories.
Categories are:
LGBTQIA
Social Justice
Drama
Comedy
Horror
Experimental
Female Centered Stories
LatinX
Documentary
Category V - Music Videos
Submissions into the music video category can range from one minute to a maximum of five minutes. Music videos must contain original songs and be shot and edited using a smartphone.
By participating in the UAFF, Submitter will hold harmless and indemnify UAFF, employees, directors, officers, jurors, interns, volunteers, and agents of each from and against any and all liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses, harm, damage (including but not limited to property damage, personal injury and/or death), claims, actions, costs and expenses (including without limitation, all attorney’s fees and court costs) arising directly or indirectly from or in connection with his/her/their participation in the UAFF, use of the Submission, acceptance, possession or use/misuse of the prize or participation in any prize-related activity.
The winning Submitters are solely responsible for any local, state, provincial, or federal income taxes on prizes (if any).
UAFF reserves the right to take such action as it deems necessary to enforce these Official Rules and ensure the fair operation of the Film Festival, including, without limitation, barring and disqualifying participants who do not comply with these Official Rules.
By entering, Submitters agree, and by accepting a prize, the Submitters agree that (1) all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, participant’s rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of UAFF in connection with the Film Festival, shall be (i) governed by, and construed by, the laws of State of New York without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules.
Additional Terms and Disclaimers.
UAFF reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any Submission it finds where the Submitter is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the UAFF or acting in violation of the Official Rules. UAFF reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend the Film Festival in its entirety if the UAFF cannot be operated as planned or should virus, bug, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or other causes beyond UAFF's control corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper play of the UAFF. UAFF is not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry information, whether caused by Internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the UAFF by any technical or human errors which may occur in the processing of the entries in the UAFF. The Urbanite and Arts Film festival is not responsible for any typographical or other errors in the offer or administration of the UAFF, including, but not limited to, errors in the printing or posting of the offer or Official Rules, the selection and announcement of any winner, or the distribution of any prize. The Urbanite Arts and Film Festival, sponsors, and donors will not replace any lost or stolen prize items.
Interested in a waiver? Then please visit our website at www.urbanitefest.org and learn on how to apply for one. Thank you.
UAFF DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE TO ANY COMPUTER SYSTEM RESULTING FROM ACCESS TO OR THE DOWNLOAD OF INFORMATION OR MATERIALS CONNECTED WITH THE AWARDS. CFF DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE CONDITION, FITNESS, OR MERCHANTABILITY OF ANY OF THE PRIZES. EACH SUBMITTER AGREES TO EXECUTE ANY DOCUMENT CONTAINING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES.
