Film submissions for Viddsee Juree Awards Asia 2023 now open; cash prizes of up to US$3,000 to be won

Cash prizes of up to USD$3,000 (S$4,068) are up for grabs in this year’s Juree Awards Asia, with two categories available for participants to submit their short films from now to Sep 17.

Organised by creator platform Viddsee, this year’s contest is its eighth edition. It seeks to uncover new storytelling talent from creators all over Asia, and encourages them to shoot original short films across a diverse range of film genres.

Creators can submit their short films into two categories – open and vertical, with the latter in particular being made available for its second year.

The vertical category is designed exclusively for youth creators under the age of 35. With the rise in popularity of vertical storytelling – which is essentially capturing stories in 9:16 portrait mode – among young creators, the category taps into the trend and aims to “ignite an immersive experience between creators, judges, and audiences through conversations within the vibrant digital community”.

For submissions under the vertical category, a grand prize of USD$2,000 (S$2,710) can be won. As for the open category, two winners will be chosen and can receive up to USD$3,000 (S$4,068) in cash. 

All shortlisted entries from both categories will automatically qualify for the Audience Choice Awards, where viewers can vote for their favourite short film. The entry that gathers the most votes wins USD$500 (S$677).

Winners for Juree Awards Asia will also have the opportunity to collaborate with Viddsee Labs and further develop their winning works into a long-form or film series.

In order to qualify for either of the Awards’ categories, the short film must fulfil a list of criteria. These include standards like having 70 per cent of the film shot in Asia and it being produced after January 2021.

Further details on contest rules and submission guidelines can be found on the Viddsee Juree Awards Asia website.