Houston Jewish Film Festival Teen Short Film Contest
Submission Guidelines: Houston Jewish Film Festival
Teen Short Film Contest
Submission deadline: February 2025
Choice of themes:
- Being a Jewish teenager today
- Tikkun Olam “Repairing the World” (giving back to the community)
- L’dor v’dor (the strength of bonds between generations)
- Antisemitism, racism, prejudice
- Any Jewish related subject that is not listed
Contest Guidelines:
- Entries will be accepted from students in 6th – 12th grade within the greater Houston area.
- Entries may be submitted by an or group.
- Film length: 30 seconds – 3 minutes
- Shoot and edit with a cell phone or other device of your choosing. No AI tools permitted.
- Videos with references to alcohol, drugs, or violence will not be accepted.
- Background music: No copyrighted music may be used. Instead, consider royalty-free options available on Pixabay (pixabay.com/music) and other web sites.
Additional information:
Winning films will be screened during the Houston Jewish Film Festival (March 22 – April 5, 2025). Houston Jewish Film Festival has the right to use parts of any submission for marketing purposes
Prizes:
1st place – $150 plus $500 donation to local charity of choice
2nd place – $100 plus $300 donation to local charity of choice
3rd place – $50 plus $200 donation to local charity of choice
All participants in the video competition will receive certificates
Submission:
Complete the online submission form and upload the film. Please preview the contest guidelines before submitting to ensure that they meet the guidelines and themes.
Judging Criteria:
Films will be judged based on the following:
- Originality & Creativity
- The uniqueness and originality of the premise or story and the effective use of imagination as evidenced in the entry.
- Pacing & Structure
- The framework of the film or script. Effective use of time.
- Cinematography & Sound Quality
- The quality of cinematography or videography demonstrated in the work and is the dialogue clear and not hindered by any noise or music score.
- Music Score & Entertainment Value
- Is the music score suited to the film, and does it help tell the story as a character of its own and does the story keep the viewer’s or reader’s attention? Is it fun, engaging, or thought-provoking?
- Message Effectiveness & Theme
- Does the film clearly depict the message it aims to send and is the message it sends effective? Does the film clearly address/explore one of the stated themes of the contest — being a Jewish teenager today; Tikkun Olam/repairing the world; L’dor v’dor/the strength of bonds between generations, Antisemitism, racism, prejudice or any Jewish related subject that is not listed?
