Rules & Eligibility
KEY COMPETITION RULES
The submitted film must be one of the director’s first SIX (6) works within the entered category.
The director must have no more than THREE (3) years of professional experience as a director at the time of the film’s release.
All submitted films must have been released after January 1st 2025.
By submitting an entry to the Young Director Award (YDA), entrants confirm that all the following rules and eligibility criteria are met.
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
The Young Director Award is an awards programme, not a film festival.
Films are submitted for jury evaluation only. No premiere status is required, and submission to YDA does not restrict future festival participation, distribution or release.
All necessary rights and permissions, including copyright and music rights, must be fully cleared by the entrant prior to submission.
The organisers reserve the right to exclude entries that do not fulfil the eligibility criteria, or to move an entry to a more appropriate category if necessary.
USE OF AI TOOLS
AI-based tools may be used as part of a creative process. However awards are given for directing, creative vision and execution, not for the use of specific technologies.
YDA exists to support emerging directors in developing cinema as an art form. The jury therefore evaluates authorship, intent, collaboration and decision-making, rather than automated or fully AI-generated outputs.
DIRECTOR ELIGIBILITY
For all categories except First Feature Film and First Series:
– The submitted film must be one of the director’s first six (6) works within the entered category.
– The director must have no more than three (3) years of professional experience as a director at the time of the film’s release.
For films directed by more than one director, all directors must fulfil the eligibility criteria.
FIRST FEATURE FILM – SPECIAL ELIGIBILITY
The First Feature Film category is defined by the director’s transition into feature-length filmmaking.
– A feature film is defined as a film with a minimum running time of 60 minutes.
– The maximum running time accepted is 120 minutes.
– The submitted work must be the director’s first feature-length film.
– Previous work in short films, documentaries, commercials, music videos or series does not count as a feature film.
FIRST SERIES – SPECIAL ELIGIBILITY
The First Series category is defined by the director’s transition into serial storytelling.
– A series is defined as a completed production intended as episodic storytelling within a shared narrative universe.
– A full series submission must consist of a minimum of two completed episodes.
– A pilot submission must be a completed episode produced as part of a series.
– The submitted work must be the director’s first completed series.
– Previous work in short films, feature films, documentaries, commercials or music videos does not count as a series.
FILM LENGTH
For all categories, submitted films must not exceed 60 minutes in length, unless otherwise specified in the category description.
Exceptions include, but are not limited to:
– Commercial (maximum 120 seconds)
– Super Short (maximum 60 seconds)
– First Feature Film (60-120 minutes)
LANGUAGE & CREDITS
Films in a language other than English are strongly encouraged to include English subtitles.
Where possible, director and producer credits should be removed or obscured from the submitted version of the film.
Credits and full film details must be submitted via the online entry form.
CAMPAIGNS & MULTIPLE ENTRIES
Campaigns consisting of several films may be entered, but each film must be submitted individually and will be judged as a separate entry.
Films may be entered into more than one category, where applicable, in accordance with the category definitions.
MATERIALS & SUBMISSION
All entries must be submitted via the official entry platform with:
– a completed entry form
– an uploaded film file
– a thumbnail image
– payment of the administration fee
The submission process is only complete once payment has been received.
For submissions exceeding 10 minutes, a teaser, trailer or edited version (maximum 5 minutes) must also be provided for judging purposes and potential use at the awards ceremony.
Preferred technical specifications:
– Resolution: HD 1920 × 1080
– Formats: .mov or .mp4
– Thumbnail image: .jpg
Payment by bank transfer is available on request and must be completed within five (5) working days of submission.
REGIONS
Entrants must indicate the region where the film was produced.
The director’s nationality is not relevant.
Regions:
– Europe
– North America
– Latin America
– Asia Pacific
– Africa
– Middle East
JUDGING
Initial judging takes place online.
Final judging takes place ahead of the awards ceremony.
The jury is composed of active producers and industry professionals working across commercials, short films, series and feature films.
SHORTLIST & WINNERS
A shortlist will be selected from all eligible entries.
Shortlisted directors will be notified directly.
YDA trophies are presented in Cannes. If a winner is unable to attend in person, and cannot appoint someone to collect the trophy on their behalf, a handling and shipping fee of €100 plus international shipping costs will apply.
It is possible to order additional trophies for team members who wish to receive one.
If a trophy cannot be collected in person, the winner will be responsible for international shipping costs.
Winners may be required to provide additional materials for promotional use following the awards.
TREATMENT & PUBLICATION
By entering, filmmakers grant the Young Director Award the right to screen, publish and promote the submitted work, or excerpts from it, in connection with the competition across all media.
Entrants agree to hold YDA harmless against any claims arising from such use.
Entrants also authorise YDA’s partners and sponsors to share and promote submitted work, including on websites, social media and curated reels related to the awards.
PRODUCERS AWARD
The Producer’s Award celebrates the production company that has contributed the most to developing young directorial talent over the last year. Any production company (excluding educational institutions) that has submitted work to any of the YDA 2025 categories will automatically be entered for the award.
The winner will then be decided based on the points awarded for entries they are credited on, across ALL their entries:
2 points for each shortlisted entry
5 points for each Silver winner
8 points for each Gold winner
12 points for the Special Jury award.
Where the same film is awarded more than once then only the highest scoring award will count towards the over all winner.
The entrant with the highest total score will be given the YDA Producer’s Award.