Rules and Terms
UralShorts |
Rules and Terms
Please read these Rules & Terms carefully before you submit your film. By submitting your film into competition in the Ural Shorts, you clearly acknowledge these Rules & Terms and agree completely to them.
Eligibility
- Short films with a running time of up to 40 minutes and debut feature films (defined as the director’s first or second independent feature-length work) with a running time of 40 to 150 minutes are eligible for submission.
- There are no restrictions on genre, production year, country of origin and premiere status. To participate in the Ural Shorts your film may be available online and/or be shown earlier at other festivals.
- You can apply through the festival’s official website or through the online platforms FilmFreeway, Festhome, WFCN.
- An entrance fee is required for all the Main Categories. All Technical & Performances Categories are free of charge and are included by submitting your film in any Main Category.
- Multiple entries in Main Categories from the same submitter are accepted. The same film can be submitted in several Main Categories and qualify for several prizes. But each submission must be accompanied by a completed online entry form and a separate entrance fee.
- Each film must be entered for at least one of the main categories. In some cases, though, the selection committees reserve the right to assign it to another competition or special program.
- The official languages of the festival are Russian and English. Films with spoken dialogues in languages other than Russian and English are accepted only with English subtitles.
- We don’t accept work in progress, copies of films.
- Entrants are responsible for securing all rights and permissions from copyright and other holders relating to their short.
Competitions
Main Categories — Short Film Section:
- Fiction short
- Documentary short
- Docudrama, docufiction
- Animated short
- Experimental short
- Student short
- Debut short
- Micro film
- Music video
- New Media
- One Person Film
- Fiction Film
- Documentary Film
- Best Director
- Best Screenplay
- Best Leading Actor
- Best Leading Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Best Cinematography
- Best Editing
Entry fee
In the Short Film Section, the submission fee depends on the application period (deadline):
We work hard to keep our submission fees as low as possible – consequently we cannot provide fee waivers.
- Early deadline (through the 25th day of the first month of the season) — $23
- Regular deadline (through the 25th day of the second month of the season) — $29
- Late deadline (through the 25th day of the third month of the season) — $35
- Single deadline (through May 25, 2027) — $70
We work hard to keep our submission fees as low as possible – consequently we cannot provide fee waivers.
Awards and Prizes
- Each season, all films submitted to the Ural Shorts competition are reviewed and evaluated by the Selection Committee, composed of representatives of the film and media community. The committee compiles the season’s Official Selection for short films, which is published on the festival website and social media platforms. All selected films receive Official Selection laurels and become eligible for the Season Awards.
- Season winners receive Winner laurels, a festival diploma in digital format (Certificate of Achievement) ready for printing, and an invitation to the Annual Awards Ceremony.
- Feature films submitted to the competition participate only in the Annual Competition, without seasonal Official Selection or seasonal winners. In the Feature Film Section, an annual Official Selection is compiled.
- Winners of the seasons in the Short Film Section and films included in the annual Official Selection in the Feature Film Section compete for the title of Annual Winner in their respective categories, as well as for the competition’s Grand Prix. Annual winners receive the Ural Shorts Trophy and a winner’s diploma. The Grand Prix winner receives a trophy, a diploma, and a cash prize of 100,000 rubles.Special prizes and certificates can also be awarded by the jury, festival management, partners, and sponsors.
- Monetary and material awards are only given to winners who are physically present at the annual awards ceremony. They cannot be sent or delivered by mail or any other means.
Notification
The applicants of submitted films that have been selected will be notified via e-mail. The Official Selection list will also be published on our website https://uralshorts.com and on our social media. The Winners list will be published no later than two weeks after the official selection notification.
Screenings
- Every Season we make a list of films which are going to be screened in the theatre and/or on TV. Due to the duration of the screening in some cases we may not screen all the winners.
- Selected films not received an award will not participate in the screenings, unless the festival management has made a different decision.
- Copies of films included in the screening program must be provided to Ural Shorts by transmission over the Internet within 10 days from the date of notification of such inclusion. Formats of copies to display: DCP, HD files. The Festival has the right to demonstrate the copy that was attached to the application in case of compliance with its technical requirements.
- The winning films and films of the competition program of the year can be shown no more than 3 (three) times without the written permission of the film producer or his authorized representative. Ural Shorts has the right to show films in all screenings organized under the Ural Shorts brand. The festival does not pay license fees for screening films selected for the competition.
Annual Award Event
Each edition of the festival runs for one year: it opens on June 1 of the current year and concludes on May 31 of the following year, and consists of four competition seasons. The Feature Film Section is not divided into seasons; its results, along with the overall results of the festival edition, are announced during the Annual Ceremony.
Winners of each season in the Short Film Section and films included in the Official Selection of the Feature Film Section are included in the festival’s annual competition program and compete for awards in categories corresponding to the Main and Technical and Performances categories. By the jury’s decision, special nominations are possible.
The Ural Shorts Annual Event takes place in August or September in the 300-year-old city of Nizhny Tagil, on the border of Europe and Asia, which is called the "Russian Manchester" in the middle of the Ural Mountains. Annual Award Event consists of a cultural and educational program, the annual awards ceremony, meetings, TV interviews, workshops, and other activities.
Invitations to the awards ceremony are extended to the winners of all four seasons (summer, autumn, winter, and spring) in the Short Film Section, as well as to films included in the Annual Official Selection of the Feature Film Section. Participation terms are specified in personal invitations.
Winners of each season in the Short Film Section and films included in the Official Selection of the Feature Film Section are included in the festival’s annual competition program and compete for awards in categories corresponding to the Main and Technical and Performances categories. By the jury’s decision, special nominations are possible.
The Ural Shorts Annual Event takes place in August or September in the 300-year-old city of Nizhny Tagil, on the border of Europe and Asia, which is called the "Russian Manchester" in the middle of the Ural Mountains. Annual Award Event consists of a cultural and educational program, the annual awards ceremony, meetings, TV interviews, workshops, and other activities.
Invitations to the awards ceremony are extended to the winners of all four seasons (summer, autumn, winter, and spring) in the Short Film Section, as well as to films included in the Annual Official Selection of the Feature Film Section. Participation terms are specified in personal invitations.
Conclusions
- Changes to the submitted films will only be accepted if accompanied by a new submission fee.
- The decisions of the festival team, the selection committee and the jury are final and non-negotiable. Thank you for your understanding.
- By submitting your film, you authorize Ural Shorts International Film Festival to use, distribute and share the film poster, trailer, synopsis, movie stills and filmmakers names, informational and promotional materials on our website and social media accounts, on television and for the purpose of promoting the festival.
- Ural Shorts reserves the right to update or modify these terms and conditions, not to award any prizes if the entries received are not up to the expected standards, as well as to change or re-schedule dates, awards, categories without prior notice.
- The applicant agrees that he has read and accepted these Rules and Conditions. The applicant confirms that he/she has the necessary authority or has received the necessary authority from the copyright holder to submit the film for participation in the festival.
- The applicant is responsible for ensuring all rights to the content of the work relevant to the film's use by the festival. The applicant guarantees that the rights to any material produced by others (music, film footage, photographs, text etc.) used in the film have been cleared, and that the screening or other use of the film by the festival does not infringe rights held by third parties. He/she also guarantees the protection of Ural Shorts from any third-party claims related to the screening/using the film within the framework of the festival, including covering any legal costs that might be incurred.
- By submitting an electronic application for the Ural Shorts festival via the official website or the online platforms, the applicant confirms that he/she is an authorized representative of the copyright holder of the film and agrees to all the above points of these Terms and Conditions in full.
Submit your film for Ural Shorts Summer 2026
