🌊🎥 Free to submit • Ages 14–26 • Films under 5 minutes 🌟🎬

Have a short film about water or want to make one?

This World Oceans Day, we invite you to celebrate our precious blue planet and raise your voices – right on the Hudson River.

Submit to Water Stories to be part of our waterfront sunset screening and win cash prizes!

Presented by Here On Earth, NYU Wallerstein Collaborative, Hudson River Community Sailing and partners, Water Stories elevates youth voices through film and storytelling that center water, climate, and care for our collective future.

We’re looking for films from youths aged 14-26 that explore water in all its forms:

- a local presence (rivers, shorelines, rain, infrastructure)
- an environmental issue (pollution, access, stewardship)
- a metaphor (memory, emotion, flow, care)
- a relationship between humans and the natural world

Films may be poetic, documentary, experimental, animated, or a mix of these styles. First films and DIY approaches are especially welcome.

Set against the backdrop of the Hudson River, selected films will be screened at our waterfront showcase at sunset on June 5th at the Pier 66 Boathouse.

The evening will feature a post-screening panel Q&A with filmmakers, a special awards ceremony (win cash prizes!), as well as pre-screening interactive experiences led by guest artists, including The Ocean Project and Wick Poetry Center’s community poem to write a pledge to the ocean.

Each selected film will receive a Certificate of Official Selection (awarded to all selected films), in addition to special awards and cash prizes for each age bracket: Best Film, Most Creative, Most Impactful Water Story; and an Audience Choice Award.

Films will be selected based on three core criteria: originality, creative vision, and connection to water and local climate experiences. Authentic youth voices and community relevance are our primary focus, rather than technical polish.

More than a screening, Water Stories is also a place for emerging storytellers and young activists to connect with peers, grow, and learn from each other. Whether you’re making your first film or building your portfolio, exploring social impact through art or the creative side of climate action, we would love to hear from you!

What’s your water story?

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Feel free to reach out to info@hereonearth.world with any questions. To stay updated on showcase details, follow us on Instagram at @hereonearth.world, or subscribe to our newsletter at luma.com/calendar/cal-ulcygKrld74t0sf

ABOUT HERE ON EARTH

Here On Earth is a climate-focused youth art and filmmaking initiative in NYC that supports teens and young adults in telling environmental stories through film, sound, and creative media — with a strong focus on water, place, and care for the natural world.

ABOUT NYU WALLERSTEIN COLLABORATIVE

​​The Wallerstein Collaborative For Urban Environmental Education and Sustainability was established in 2000 in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University to promote environmental literacy and sustainability by working with educators in K-12 classroom settings, graduate students, and faculty in colleges and universities.

ABOUT HUDSON RIVER COMMUNITY SAILING

Hudson River Community Sailing develops leadership and academic success in underserved New York City youth through sailing education and provides maritime education and recreation to the community at large.

Awards & Prizes

Each selected film will receive a Certificate of Official Selection (awarded to all selected films).

There are three special awards for each age bracket:

Best Film
Most Creative
Most Impactful Water Story
(x2 Teen Division / Young Adult Division)

Each winner will receive: $100 cash prize and $100 B&H gift card for purchasing filmmaking equipment 🎥

An Audience Choice Award winner will also be chosen at the showcase!

The winner will receive: a free sailing lesson ($125 value) courtesy of Hudson River Community Sailing ⛵

*Please note:
- International special award winners (Best Film, Most Creative, Most Impactful) will receive $200 cash prizes total instead of gift card. Wiring fees may apply.
- Due to the local nature of the sailing prize, only NYC-based filmmakers are eligible for the Audience Choice Award.

Rules & Terms

Project Eligibility

1. Films must have been completed on or after January 1st, 2024.

2. Films must be under 5 minutes.

3. Any person between the ages of 14-26 may enter a film. You must have been in this age range when the film was made and completed.

4. Group projects, as well as individual works, are acceptable. All submissions must be original works produced by entrants. Adult guidance and instruction are permissible, but the primary hands-on creative work and point-of-view must be by youth. If you are submitting for a student or other multiple individuals, please make sure you note it when you submit.

5. AI-generated images, video, audio, or scripts are not permitted.

6. Entrants do not have to be based in NYC. International entries are welcome!

7. Non-English language films are welcome, but films that contain non-English spoken language(s) must provide on-screen English subtitles.

8. There is no rule prohibiting the submitting of a Film that has already made its premiere at another festival, or was previously released theatrically, on DVD, television or the internet.

Submission Requirements

1. All films must be submitted exclusively through FilmFreeway for consideration.

2. When uploading your project, please upload a file directly through FilmFreeway. Vimeo and Youtube links are not accepted.

3. **Please make sure to toggle your Download Permissions to “Festivals that I submit to may download my video” so that if selected, there is no disruption to downloading your film for festival presentation.** You can find this setting under the Privacy tab on your project form. If this setting was not changed, we will send a request to download your project through FilmFreeway, which you must approve within 7 days. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

4. All films must be H.264, 1920x1080 full HD in .MP4 Or .MOV formats. Vertical (portrait) videos are not accepted. Films shot on phones are totally welcome if filmed in horizontal (landscape) orientation.

5. Please make sure to fill out these required information on your project form: Your name, Email, Birthday (for age verification), and Synopsis.

6. Submissions are free. Please note our regular deadline is Friday, April 10, 11:59 PM EST.

7. Multiple submissions are welcome, but please submit only to your age bracket (Teen Division / Young Adult Division). Only one film per entrant will be accepted.

Important notices:

1. If copyright-protected sources are used, you must obtain the necessary permissions and include them with this application. If using material under Creative Commons (Fair Use Doctrine), make sure the necessary requirements are met in order to submit your work to a third party. For more information on copyrighted material and what constitutes fair use material, please visit:

www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use
www.copyrightkids.org

There are many options for copyright-free music. Some options are:
www.mobygratis.com
https://freemusicarchive.org/
https://pixabay.com/​

Here On Earth is not responsible for the accuracy of the information on these websites. Please do your research and try to find material that is royalty/license-free and/or falls under Creative Commons. Copyright is a complicated issue. When in doubt, do not use material you did not create. We are interested in what you can create, not what you can borrow. **AI-generated images, video, audio, or scripts are not permitted.**

2. Upon completion of the selection process, we will attempt to contact you using the contact information provided on the submission form to notify your acceptance status. Please make sure the contact information provided on the submission form is correct throughout the entire selection period.

3. Here On Earth is under no obligation to provide any comments or feedback regarding the submitted film, and any information relating to the review, consideration and/or selection process regarding the film specifically or submissions generally beyond the information set forth in these Rules and Terms.

4. Here On Earth reserves the right to copy and distribute the works submitted for exhibition and promotional purposes only.
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Thank You!

We’re excited to view your work and celebrate the power of environmental storytelling through film this June! If you have any questions, please reach out to us at info@hereonearth.world