Read the complete contest rules below before submitting your film.
- Submissions must be made online and are open only to students currently enrolled in a public or private Georgia college or university affiliated with the Georgia Communication Association (GCA). Recent graduates (2025) of a member school may also submit, provided the work was created while they were students and complies with the guidelines.
- Four genres of films will be accepted to the competition. Submission categories are as follows: documentary, narrative, micro-work (music video & PSA video).
- Narrative and documentary films must run longer than 5 minutes but shorter than 12 minutes, including end credits.
- Films must have been created within the past two calendar years (2024-2025)
- Only one entry per student; however, there is no limit to the number of films that may be submitted from any one GCA member institution.
- A faculty member is required to be listed on all student entries. You must identify the faculty sponsor’s name, title and contact information.
- Student’s film must be submitted with the student’s name, institution, contact information, film title, run time, sponsoring faculty, and the faculty member’s contact information (see above).
- Creativity is encouraged. In an effort to maintain the spirit of the conference and festival, judges may consider excessive/gratuitous use of offensive language, use of unsubstantiated assertions, and pornography of any kind grounds for disqualification from consideration.
- The Best of Festival winner must be present at the awards ceremony on Friday, February 27, 2026, to receive the prize money ($300) and award plaque. This is a competitive festival; submission does not mean that your work will be screened at the GCA Film Festival. Judges will view the submissions and use a common rubric to tally final scores that decide the best works submitted. Students will be notified by January 23, 2026 if their work will be screened at the festival on February 27, 2026, at Mercer University in Macon, GA.
- Violation of any of the aforementioned stipulations will result in disqualification from the festival.
Festival winners will be notified by January 23 and recognized on Friday evening, February 27, at the GCA 2026 Annual Conference during the “Dinner and a Movie” event.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the festival director, Prof. Sangsun Choi, at schoi36@kennesaw.edu.