Submissions for the 2026 Five16 Film Festival are now open
Submission Guidelines
ELIGIBILITY
FILM SUBMISSION
The submission deadline is Monday, March 16 at 10:00 a.m. All entries (form and film) must be submitted before this time to be considered for the Five16 Film Festival.
MULTIPLE ENTRIES
A student may submit more than one film but must submit each film separately (one film per entry form).
FILM CONTENT
The theme verse of the Five16 Film Festival is “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Films entered in the festival must not contain content that contradicts the theme of the festival. Films may not contain any copyrighted music or other media without obtaining proper permissions for use and distribution. By submitting a film, a student takes responsibility for all content contained within.
FESTIVAL ACCEPTANCE
All films will be pre-screened and then reviewed by a panel of Northwestern administration, faculty, staff, and alumni. After this panel, a select number of films will be sent out for judging and will be screened in the Five16 Film Festival on Friday, April 10, 2026. While films will be reviewed using a rubric, the panel reserves the right to make selections based on opinion and appropriateness for the festival.
FESTIVAL AWARDS
- Students who have been enrolled at University of Northwestern anytime between April 2025 and April 2026 are eligible to enter. Films by those who are not enrolled at Northwestern in spring 2026 must have had at least 50% of production completed while the entrant was a student.
- Short films that have previously screened in the Five16 Film Festival are not eligible for submission. Films that have been previously submitted but not chosen for screening are only eligible if they have been heavily re-edited.
- Films in a language other than English must be subtitled in English for festival presentation.
- All Narrative Short, Animation, and Music Video films must have a running time of eight (8) minutes or less, including credits. All Documentaries must have a running time of four (4) minutes or less, including credits.
- Filmmakers must procure location waivers for all filming locations and present them if requested.
- Any filmmaker using drone footage must have a valid FAA issued remote pilot license.
- Films may not contain any copyrighted music or other media without obtaining proper permissions for use and distribution.
FILM SUBMISSION
The submission deadline is Monday, March 16 at 10:00 a.m. All entries (form and film) must be submitted before this time to be considered for the Five16 Film Festival.
MULTIPLE ENTRIES
A student may submit more than one film but must submit each film separately (one film per entry form).
FILM CONTENT
The theme verse of the Five16 Film Festival is “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Films entered in the festival must not contain content that contradicts the theme of the festival. Films may not contain any copyrighted music or other media without obtaining proper permissions for use and distribution. By submitting a film, a student takes responsibility for all content contained within.
FESTIVAL ACCEPTANCE
All films will be pre-screened and then reviewed by a panel of Northwestern administration, faculty, staff, and alumni. After this panel, a select number of films will be sent out for judging and will be screened in the Five16 Film Festival on Friday, April 10, 2026. While films will be reviewed using a rubric, the panel reserves the right to make selections based on opinion and appropriateness for the festival.
FESTIVAL AWARDS
- Films will be selected to participate in one of the festival’s four categories (Animation, Documentary, Music Video, and Narrative Short), the winners of which are chosen by a panel of three professional judges. The winning film in each category will receive an Amazon gift card.
- All student films screened in the festival are eligible for the Audience Choice Award, which is chosen based on votes submitted by the festival audience. The film receiving the highest number of votes will receive the title of “Audience Choice”.
- All student films screened in the festival are eligible for the Best Cinematography Award, Best Editing Award, and Best Screenplay Award (if corresponding work was done by a UNW student), which are each chosen by a panel of three professional judges. The winning film in each category will receive an Amazon gift card.
- All student films screened in the festival are eligible for the Best Sound Design Award (if corresponding work was done by a UNW student), which is chosen by a panel of three professional judges. This award is sponsored by theMEL.fm student radio station. The winning film will receive an Amazon gift card.
- All UNW student actors in films screened in the festival are eligible for the Best Actor Award. This award is sponsored by the UNW Theatre program. The winning student will receive an Amazon gift card.
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