The Philadelphia Youth Film Festival is a student-run event dedicated to helping teenage creatives find their voice in a rapidly expanding community of young filmmakers. This festival is a great opportunity to showcase work and receive professional feedback, as well as network with peers and make connections to others in the film industry. Submissions will be judged based on story, direction, editing, performances, and production value. To encourage inclusivity, we value substance and story over a high budget.

In support of local filmmakers, we offer recognition for submissions from the Greater Philadelphia area, as well as films from all around the globe. Over the years, we’ve expanded our reach to thousands of young filmmakers from all major continents, and we are proud to represent the work and voices of a diverse range of cinematic talent. Our festival is free to enter and attend in order to allow an equal opportunity for all high school student filmmakers and film enthusiasts from all around the world to participate.

Awards & Prizes

Finalists, Official Selections, and Local Selections in each category will be honored at the festival, promoted on phyff.com and social media, and available for viewing from our website’s Virtual Screening Room. A curated selection of local, national, and international entries will be screened live at our culminating event in February 2027 in Philadelphia. Prizes will be awarded to the top entries in each category, and local winners will receive gear and prizes sponsored by our local partners. For winners outside of the United States, we may be unable to send prizes and awards to certain regions/countries due to shipping and cross-border regulations.

Rules & Terms

The contest is exclusively open to high school students (ages 14-19) or an international equivalent. The production for each film submission must have been completed when the student creators were of high school age, including the summer before their first year of high school and the summer after their senior year.

**A valid high school ID of the most recent/current year you attended high school must be attached to your submission. Entries without a school ID will be marked incomplete until the ID is provided.** Instructions for attaching your student ID to your entry can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/PHYFFID

As our film festival is student-run and hosted at a Quaker institution, our goal is to foster an environment that portrays uncensored truth and reflects our values. Controversial content in a submission will be judged based on its appropriateness and substance. Submissions that depict nudity or graphic/gratuitous violence or contain excessive profanity will not be accepted.

Primary positions for writers, directors, crew, and post-production must be within the specified age range. Only secondary roles (such as actors) may be from outside the age bracket. Otherwise, the film will be ineligible for consideration. Minimal adult help is allowed. This means adults may advise or demonstrate with the goal of teaching. Adults may drive, help secure equipment and locations, or cater for longer shoots.

All music copyright, talent, and location releases must be submitted with each entry. Accurate and complete credits are required on-screen. Music/media that is used in the film must adhere to U.S. copyright laws and must be credited appropriately. Entries with suspected copyright issues will be marked as incomplete or disqualified until the submitter provides evidence that they comply with copyright rules.

Films should be at or under 12 minutes, or up to 15 minutes for documentaries. Screenplays should be no longer than 20 pages, excluding the title page. Films must be in English or have English subtitles.

If you have any questions or concerns about our submission policies, please feel free to let us know via email: phillyyouthfilmfest@gmail.com
21 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Bahr Films Company

    Thanks to all of festival team from IRAN🦋

    May 2026
    Helpful
  • Sophia Lassi

    Thank you for selecting NECRONOMICON script
    I hope to be able to come again

    March 2026
    Helpful
  • Ibrahim Soukouna

    This festival was amazing! Great film festival for high schoolers to submit to! Staff was very communicative and friendly, the reception was noteworthy, and the speakers were very encouraging of the student submitters. The universities and workshops present also make the festival an excellent networking opportunity for young filmmakers in the Philadelphia area.

    March 2026
    Helpful
  • Beckett Hobbs

    Decent festival for local high schoolers in the PA area. Not enough communication about travel or programming. I attended as an Official Selection, but was not informed that they would not even be showing my film, which was very disheartening as I had travelled a long way. I made a really good connection there, which was positive and has been fostered into a quality professional relationship.

    August 2024
    Helpful
  • Elina Myshanych

    I`m so happy that "Adult" won the first prize in Philadelphia! Your festival is great! The filmmakers` Panel was an exciting experience for me. Thanks for all the team! Your support of Ukraine is very important for us.

    March 2024
    Helpful