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AIMA London 2026 · Guide

How to win the AIMA London AI Movie Awards.Sixteen awards. Two days in London.

The rules, the technical specs, the jury and a plan for the days left before the 10 October 2026 deadline. Then take your film from page to footage in 熙熙.
Start writing for freeSee the scene
  • Deadline 10 October 2026
  • Gala at IET London, 8 November
  • 11 film categories
Voidborn · Episode 0

Independent guide. 熙熙 does not organise the AIMA London AI Movie Awards and is not affiliated with AIMA Productions. Rules read on 1 October 2026. Official rules

Available today in 熙熙: free screenwriting, and a storyboard generated from your screenplay with the 年度会员, ¥168 一年.

Also available now: video generation of each shot, powered by Seedance, on the same 年度会员, with 3,000 张额度 一年.

The rules on one card

What AIMA London asks for.

AIMA London is the second edition of the AI Movie Awards, held with James Drake Media. It opened beyond films this year, and no AI tool is imposed: the festival wants AI to be the creative engine, whichever tool you use.
Event
7 and 8 November 2026, IET London
Deadline
10 October 2026 (the FAQ says 17)
AI requirement
Created primarily with AI tools
Length
Films over 2 minutes, no minimum for ads and art
Delivery
1920x1080 minimum, constant 24 fps, MP4 or MOV
Awards
16, of which 11 for AI films
Language
English subtitles for any other language
Prizes
Trophy, certificate, opt-in distribution offer

Source: the homepage, the Submit page and the FAQ of aimovieawards.org, read on 1 October 2026. Entry fees are not published there, and no cash prize is stated. Direct submission is the discounted route. The organiser can change the rules.

Key dates

Nine days, then a gala.

The submission window has been open since June. Regular submissions are closed, and the final deadline falls on the 10th.

  1. 15 Jun 2026

    Submissions open

    On the AIMA site, with a discounted direct form, and on FilmFreeway.

  2. 5 Sep 2026

    Regular window closes

    The homepage says regular submissions close on 5 September. Later fees are not published on the pages read.

  3. 10 Oct 2026

    Final deadline

    The rules and the Submit page say 10 October. The FAQ says 17 October. Count on the earlier one.

  4. 7 Nov 2026

    Industry day

    Panels, workshops, screenings and networking at IET London, on the Thames. Industry pass: 75 pounds.

  5. 8 Nov 2026

    Gala night and awards

    Finalist screenings, the prize ceremony and a cocktail reception. Gala pass: 95 pounds.

How films are judged

Four criteria, no published weights.

AIMA lists four criteria and gives no weights, so treat the four as equal until told otherwise. A pre-selection committee reviews every film before the jury sees the finalists.

  • Storytelling

    A beginning, a turn and an end. The minimum is two minutes, so one clear idea can be enough. Trailers and demo reels are not accepted: the festival says its focus is storytelling.

  • Artistic vision

    A point of view that lasts the whole film. The jury mixes producers, effects artists and music-video directors, who judge images for a living. Choose a palette, a lens and a rhythm, and keep them.

  • AI integration

    The rules call AI a central creative element and disqualify works that do not use it that way. Show where AI is the engine: the world, the characters, the animation or the sound. Small classical post-production is accepted.

  • Aesthetic quality

    The festival refuses works with bad sound, missing subtitles or low definition. A clean 1080p master at a constant frame rate, with clean stereo sound, is part of the score, not a detail.

Jury decisions are final and non-negotiable. Some categories, such as Ads, Image and Motion Art, have no minimum length.

Who decides

A pre-selection committee, then a mixed jury.

AIMA lists its jurors on two pages, and the lists are not identical. The full list is still marked to be announced. Expect a jury that knows image, sound and the market, not only AI.

  • Producers: Tommy Harper and Mike Day

    Tommy Harper is credited as a producer of Mission: Impossible, Top Gun, Star Wars and Wednesday. Mike Day is CEO of Palma Pictures, credited with The Night Manager and The Crown. Expect questions about story and audience, not tools.

  • Effects artists: John Gaeta and Stuart Cripps

    The homepage lists John Gaeta, an Academy Award winner credited on the Matrix trilogy, and VFX director Stuart Cripps. They see artefacts at once. Hands, faces and edges must be clean.

  • Directors and creators

    Mike Ho directs music videos for stars such as JLo and Shakira, and Fab Morvan is a two-time Grammy nominee. The FAQ also names Zack London, known as Gossip Goblin, a viral AI filmmaker. Rhythm, music and a voice of your own speak to them.

  • The pre-selection committee

    The rules do not say who sits on it. With 16 awards to fill, your opening minute and your file quality decide that stage.

The film categories

Eleven doors for a film.

AI films compete in eleven categories, from Best Short to Best Vertical Short. The pages read do not say whether one film can enter several, so ask AIMA before you pay twice. Six that suit a 熙熙 film, with the angle we would take.

  • 01

    Best Short

    Short films of more than two minutes.

    The widest door and the most crowded. Use a genre category when your film has an obvious genre, and keep Best Short for films without one.

  • 02

    Best Animation

    Animated styles named in the rules: cartoon, 3D, anime and clay.

    A fixed style is easier to hold across shots than photorealism. Pick one style and never mix two.

  • 03

    Best Vertical Short

    A category for vertical films.

    Delivery rules prefer 16:9 and accept other formats if artistically justified. A 9:16 short drama fits this door. Compose for the tall frame instead of cropping a landscape film.

  • 04

    Best Planet Consciousness

    The name is all the festival gives. No definition is published.

    Treat it as a theme film: one place, one family, one change. Say in your synopsis why it belongs here.

  • 05

    Best Cultural Heritage

    Another category with a name and no published definition.

    Tradition, craft, language, a place and its stories. Check costume and architecture with someone from that culture: models often get them wrong.

  • 06

    Best Diversity and Inclusion

    A third category defined by its name only.

    Make a person, not a message. Write the character first, then choose how the AI shows them, and watch for stereotypes that models produce by default.

The first edition

What AIMA Magaluf shows.

AIMA's first edition took place on 24 and 25 April 2026 in Magaluf, Mallorca. Its winners page lists three films: Kitsune, Hallow Metro and Instinct, tagged animation, comedy and sci-fi. The next Magaluf edition is set for 26 and 27 March 2027.

  1. 01

    The page shows titles and genre tags only. No creator, tool or prompt is named. The festival rewards the film, not the toolchain.

  2. 02

    Animation appears in two of the three. A stylised world is easier to keep consistent for several minutes than a photoreal one. Hallow Metro is tagged animation and comedy: genres combine.

  3. 03

    Genre is the entry point. Each film carries a clear tag. A jury that sorts by category wants to know in one word what your film is.

  4. 04

    AIMA also sells. It describes itself as a content service provider, and every selected short gets an opt-in distribution offer with a revenue-sharing contract. Clear, short, platform-friendly films fit that model.

  5. 05

    London is the second stop, not the last. A film that misses the 10 October deadline can aim for the March 2027 edition, whose dates are already public.

A film to AIMA's specs

Voidborn: a 16:9 short, shot by shot.

AIMA prefers 16:9 and asks for clear sound. This is the first scene of Voidborn, episode 0, an anime short made by the 熙熙 team: the screenplay page, then each shot as a storyboard frame and as the final image.

Logline. Every seven years, the Rift opens and swallows the world’s dreams. A swordsman sworn to a blind seer escorts her through its levels, toward a promise they made to a girl left behind.

Screenplay · episode 0 · English subtitles

EXT. RUINS OF THE FIRST LEVEL - NIGHT

Broken towers under a violet sky. SIM, a swordsman in a black cloak, walks beside LADY MARIA, blindfolded, all in white.

SIM

Tell me, Maria... do you think Leia believes we are still alive?

MARIA

We made a promise... the two of us.

A line of white automatons rises from the ruins.

AUTOMATON

The Rift will wait for no one.

SIM

What are machines doing at this level?

One automaton steps forward. Its face is blank.

AUTOMATON

We must return to the surface.

Its eyes ignite red.

SIM

I am Sim, guardian of Lady Maria... and I will proceed with your execution.

Steel meets steel. Lightning runs down the blade.

CUT TO:

  1. A swordsman in a black cloak and a blindfolded woman in white walk through ruins at night
    Storyboard frame of the wide shot, in grey
    01

    Wide · the pair

    Wide shot, a bald swordsman in a black cloak and a blindfolded red-haired woman in white walk through night ruins

  2. Medium two-shot of a bald swordsman and a blindfolded red-haired woman
    Storyboard frame of the two-shot, in grey
    02

    Two-shot · the promise

    Medium two-shot, the swordsman and the blindfolded seer side by side, violet night sky, broken towers

  3. Three white humanoid automatons stand in night ruins
    Storyboard frame of the automatons shot, in grey
    03

    Wide · the machines

    Wide low angle, three white humanoid automatons standing in the ruins, cold blue moonlight

  4. Close-up of a white automaton with a smooth blank face
    Storyboard frame of the blank face close-up, in grey
    04

    Close-up · the blank face

    Close-up on an automaton's smooth faceless head, black eye slots, cables at the neck, ruins behind

  5. A white automaton's eyes glow red
    Storyboard frame of the red eyes close-up, in grey
    05

    Close-up · the red eyes

    Same framing, the automaton's eyes ignite red, the swordsman's shoulder out of focus in the foreground

  6. A swordsman strikes with a katana wreathed in lightning and sparks
    Storyboard frame of the clash shot, in grey
    06

    Action · the clash

    Dynamic low angle, the swordsman strikes with his katana, lightning running along the blade, sparks, cape flying

Voidborn, episode 0, 13 minutes, 16:9. It won 1st Place Silver and 2nd Place 熙熙 at the Mondial Chroma Awards, and an award at the Seoul International AI Film Festival. The player opens on this scene.

The script

A five minute film in five beats.

AIMA sets a floor of two minutes and no ceiling. About 5 minutes gives a story its full shape without piling up risk. That is 5 screenplay pages and 50 to 75 shots of 4 to 6 seconds.

  1. 0:00 to 0:30

    The hook

    The pre-selection committee sees hundreds of films. Open on the image that explains your genre.

  2. 0:30 to 1:30

    Character and world

    One person, one want, one place. State the visual rule once.

  3. 1:30 to 3:15

    The complication

    The want meets resistance. Keep to a few locations so faces stay the same.

  4. 3:15 to 4:15

    The turn

    The decision or the reveal. This is the beat a gala audience will retell.

  5. 4:15 to 5:00

    The last image

    Answer the opening image, then the credits.

Keep the sound clean: stereo, clear dialogue, no clipping, as the rules say. Set the project to a constant 24 fps from the first shot.

Day by day

From today to the 10 October deadline.

Nine days. If your film is already shot, this plan finishes it. If it is not, use it as the route to the next AIMA call, such as Magaluf in March 2027.
  1. 01

    1 and 2 October

    Choose the category

    Pick one of the eleven film categories. Check the film against the exclusions: no trailer, no demo reel, nothing political, extremist, violent or propaganda.

  2. 02

    3 and 4 October

    Conform the master

    Export at 1920x1080 or more, constant 23.976, 24 or 25 fps, MP4 or MOV, with stereo sound. Check the audio for clipping and noise.

  3. 03

    5 and 6 October

    English subtitles

    Mandatory for every line that is not in English. Scripts and on-screen text must be in English or come with a translation.

  4. 04

    7 and 8 October

    Clear the rights

    You must own or be authorised for every image, music track and voice. Write the list and keep it. The festival takes no liability. You do.

  5. 05

    9 October

    Poster, stills and synopsis

    By submitting, you let AIMA use your poster, stills, trailer and synopsis. Prepare a strong poster and three stills, since they become public.

  6. 06

    10 October

    Submit

    Use the direct form for the discounted rate, or FilmFreeway. The FAQ says 17 October and the rules say 10: submit by the 10th. Entry fees are non-refundable.

  7. 07

    7 and 8 November

    If you are a finalist

    Finalists get one festival pass. Travel and hotel are not covered. Entrants whose short is not a finalist get 40% off tickets.

Rejection traps

Eight ways to be out before the jury.

Most of them are plain in the rules. A few come from details the festival does not define. Ask when in doubt.

  • Too little AI

    Works that do not use AI as a central creative element are disqualified. The Submit page also mentions Hybrid AI, where mixing in traditional filmmaking is required. Check the category before you enter.

  • A trailer or a demo reel

    Not accepted: the festival says its focus is storytelling. A showreel of your best shots is a rejection.

  • Content the rules exclude

    Political, extremist, violent and propaganda content is not accepted, and the line is not drawn in the rules. If your film has a fight or a war, ask first.

  • Poor technical quality

    Bad sound, missing subtitles and low definition are listed as reasons to refuse a work. Under 1920x1080 or with clipped audio, you are out quickly.

  • The wrong frame rate

    Only 23.976, 24 or 25 fps, and constant. Check the frame rate of the exported file before you upload it.

  • Two deadlines

    The rules and the Submit page say 10 October. The FAQ says 17 October. Count on the earlier date.

  • Rights you do not hold

    You must own all content rights or have authorisation, music and voices included. AIMA takes no responsibility for copyright, and all liability stays with the filmmaker.

  • A distribution offer signed unread

    Selected shorts receive an opt-in offer with a revenue-sharing contract. It is optional. Read the terms and the platform placement before you accept.

Why 熙熙

AIMA names no tool. 熙熙 covers the whole film.

熙熙 brings your film project into a single connected workflow that spans screenplay development, storyboard visualization and final footage generation. AIMA looks for work where AI serves as the core creative engine, no matter which specific generation tools you choose to employ.

  • Footage on Seedance 2.0 and 2.5

    The footage pipelines run on Seedance. The rules ask that AI be the main creative process, and a project that goes from screenplay to storyboard to footage in AI meets that in a simple way.

  • A tall frame or a wide one

    熙熙 builds films, animation and short dramas in 9:16 from the same tool. A Best Short entry and a Best Vertical Short entry start from the same kind of project.

  • One film, not a pile of clips

    A character sheet and a set reference, approved once, travel with every shot. At two to five minutes, that is what makes a jury read a film and not a reel.

  • Start before the call opens

    The 免费档 is 免费 with no expiry, so the screenplay starts today. The 年度会员, ¥168 一年, brings the storyboard and video generation with it.

Real productions

International festival-recognized films have been written and produced with 熙熙.

熙熙 has earned its place as a production workspace on real AI film sets, powering everything from cinematic short films to full animated series pilots that have gone on to earn selections, nominations and awards at international festival competitions.

  • Video thumbnail for VOIDBORN

    VOIDBORN

    AI animated / cinematic short

    Festival recognition

    • 1st Place Silver

      Mondial Chroma Awards

    • 2nd Place 熙熙

      Mondial Chroma Awards

    • Award Winner

      Seoul International AI Film Festival

  • Video thumbnail for Les Fils du Vinnana

    Les Fils du Vinnana

    AI short film

    Festival recognition

    • Honorable Mention

      Top Quark Film Festival

    • People's Choice Nominee

      Illuminate Oneness of Humanity

    • Nominee

      ALTFF Supershort

  • Video thumbnail for Lost Garden

    Lost Garden

    AI animated series pilot

    Festival recognition

    • Finalist

      AI London Festival

See what creators are building

The pipeline

Write. Board. Produce.

  1. 熙熙 screenplay editor: acts, sequences and beats above the formatted script of The Yellow Umbrella

    01The screenplay, enriched

    An industry-standard screenplay editor, and more: a visual outline and beat editor, your writing inspirations (notes, photos, audio) kept next to the page, and an AI researcher to support your writing, not replace it.

  2. 熙熙 storyboard: shot S3 of The Yellow Umbrella with characters, shot settings and the script beside it

    02The storyboard, made easy

    Shot breakdown generated from your screenplay, manual control over every shot (frame, angle, movement, duration), and generative AI previsualization in one click.

  3. 熙熙 production canvas: shots S3 and S4 as connected nodes carrying their storyboard panels and prompts

    03AI production, with finesse

    Footage generation pipelines connected to your screenplay and storyboard. Optimized out of the box, fully editable workflow.

More AI film festivals

Guides for other festivals

Go further

Guides for festival films

FAQ

AIMA London, your questions

How do you secure a win at the AIMA London AI Movie Awards? A
pre-selection committee first reviews every submitted film, then a jury panel evaluates finalists across four criteria: storytelling strength, artistic vision, quality of AI integration, and overall aesthetic execution. No scoring weights are made public. Your job is to tell one coherent story, maintain one consistent visual identity, and deliver a pristine 1080p file paired with clean stereo sou
nd. Winners walk away with a troph
y and a certificate. What is the real submission deadline? The competition rules and the Submit page both list 10 October 2026. The FAQ page mentions 17 October. Treat 10 October as the binding date. Reg
ular-tier submissions closed on 5 September. Doe
s AIMA mandate a specific AI tool? No. Your work must be created primarily with AI tools, and AI must function as a central creative element throughout. Small amounts of classical post-production are accepted, and screenplays may be written with or wi
thout AI assistance. What are the technical req
uirements? Minimum resolution 1920x1080, constant frame rate of 23.976, 24 or 25 fps, MP4 or MOV container, stereo audio with intelligible dialogue. 16:9 aspect ratio is preferred, though other ratios such as 4:3 or 2.35:1 are accepted if justified on
artistic grounds. What is the mini
mum runtime? More than 2 minutes, with the exception of the Ads, Image and Motion Art categories, which carry no minimum length. The festival's official pages do
not publish a maximum duration. Can I enter a film that ha
s screened at another festival? Yes. AIMA does not require world-premiere exclusivity and welcomes films alrea
dy presented elsewhere. Is
there prize money? No cash prize amount is published. Winners receive a trophy and a digital certificate, public recognition and prizes contributed by festival partners. Selected short films receive an opt-in distribution offer under a revenue-sharing contract. Do I h
ave to attend in London? Finalists
receive one complimentary festival pass covering screenings and networking events. Travel and accommodation costs are not covered by the festival. The industry day pass is priced at 75 pounds, and entrants of a short film who are not finalists receive a 40% discount.

From the first page to the gala.

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