First Edition · 12 November 2026

Awards & Recognition

Nine categories open for submission, plus the OPUS People’s Choice Award and Grand Prix.

Best AI Short Film

1 to 5 minutes

Short-form work where generative tools shape the image, sound or story. Concision, craft and a clear voice carry the most weight here.

2 to 100 minutes

Longer-form AI filmmaking: sustained narrative, world-building and tonal control across a full running time.

Animation — 1 to 7 minutes

Animated work of any technique or style in which AI tooling plays a substantive creative role.

Anime — 1 to 7 minutes

Films working within anime traditions and aesthetics, reinterpreted through generative craft.

Music Video — 1 to 7 minutes

Image and sound in conversation. Awarded to the promo that finds the most inventive visual language for a track.

Non-Fiction — 1 to 7 minutes

Non-fiction storytelling that uses AI tooling responsibly and transparently in service of a real subject.

Commercial — 1 to 7 minutes

Branded and commercial work judged on idea, craft and the confidence of its execution.

Trailer — 1 to 7 minutes

Pure momentum: the trailer that builds the most compelling promise in the shortest possible time.

Presented by She Builds with AI — 1 to 7 minutes

Recognising a filmmaker whose work signals where AI cinema goes next, presented in partnership with She Builds with AI.

Chosen by live audience vote at the ceremony. No submission required.

The evening's highest honour, awarded on the night by full jury decision. No submission required.