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Higgsfield Global Film Festival 2026 · Guide

How to win the Higgsfield Global Film Festival.A $1,000,000 pool. The call closed on 15 September.

No new entries are possible and winners are due at the end of October 2026. This guide covers the rules as published, what the festival imposes, and how to prepare for the next call. Higgsfield requires every shot to be generated on its own platform, which means 熙熙 footage does not qualify for submission. 熙熙 covers the screenplay, the storyboard and the plan—the conceptual and narrative foundation that precedes actual shot generation.
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  • Call closed 15 September 2026
  • All generation inside Higgsfield
  • Winners due end of October
Voidborn · Episode 0

Independent guide. 熙熙 does not organise the Higgsfield Global Film Festival and is not affiliated with Higgsfield AI. Rules read on 1 October 2026. Official rules

Available today in 熙熙: free screenwriting tools, and a storyboard generated from your screenplay with the 年度会员, ¥168 一年. Both prepare a film for this kind of contest by handling the pre-production phase—developing your story structure and visual blueprint before you move to shot generation on the required platform.

Also available on the 年度会员: video generation of each shot, powered by Seedance. It would not qualify here, since this festival requires generation on Higgsfield.

The rules on one card

What the festival asked for.

Higgsfield's festival is open to anyone with an account, but the film must be built inside Higgsfield—every frame, every shot, every scene generated using their platform. That one rule shapes everything else, and it decides which tools you can use at each stage of production.
Prize pool
$1,000,000: $500,000, $200,000 and $100,000 for the top three
Other prizes
$100,000 Audience Choice and ten $10,000 mentions
Deadline
15 September 2026, 11:59 PM UTC, closed
Winners
End of October 2026, date to be confirmed
Length
3 minutes minimum, 5 minutes recommended maximum
Format
16:9 or 21:9, MP4 or MOV up to 4K
Tool
Every image and video generated on higgsfield.ai
Who could enter
18 and over, solo or teams of up to four, free

Source: the festival's official blog post, which I read on 1 October 2026. Worth noting that other pages disagree on the deadline: the contests page still shows July dates, a separate microsite shows 31 August, and some third-party pages say 14 September. I follow the official blog for accuracy, though it calls 15 September a Thursday when it was actually a Tuesday—worth double-checking the site directly.

Key dates

The call is over. The review is on.

The festival ran for five weeks in total, and the next steps now rest with the organiser rather than participants. No 2027 edition has been announced at this time.

  1. 10 Aug 2026

    Competition opened

    At 02:00 PM PT. A registered Higgsfield account was enough to enter, with no paid plan required.

  2. 15 Sep 2026

    Submission deadline

    11:59 PM UTC. Entries needed the watermarked video and a public post of the same film.

  3. 16 Sep to 5 Oct

    Screening and shortlist

    Each entry is checked against the basics: runtime, format, generation history and completeness.

  4. 6 to 11 Oct

    Jury review

    A creative team and an independent jury review the same shortlist on two parallel tracks, without seeing vote counts.

  5. End of Oct 2026

    Winners announced

    The exact date is to be confirmed. Fourteen filmmakers share the pool.

How films are judged

Four criteria, no weights.

The festival lists four criteria for evaluation but publishes no information about how these criteria are weighted. The creative team applies them when reviewing the shortlist, and the independent jury then reviews the same films alongside these same criteria.

  • Directing and storytelling

    A clear point of view across three to five minutes. One character, one want, one change. The festival's own example projects show a finished short, not a reel of effects.

  • Visual craft

    A held look from the first shot to the last: framing, light, motion, finish. In a contest where everyone uses the same platform, consistency separates directors from prompters.

  • Sound and editing

    Music, voice and sound design must be AI-generated and uploaded with the project. Cut to the music, mix the dialogue, and leave breath between scenes.

  • Originality and concept

    An idea only this film could carry. The brief is open, with any genre, style or theme, so the concept is the only constraint you set yourself.

Screening comes first in the process and is purely technical in nature. A film that fails to meet runtime requirements, format specifications, generation history documentation, or completeness standards never reaches the criteria-based evaluation stage. The audience award operates through its own separate voting mechanism, which the blog does not explain in detail.

Who decides

Three named judges and two parallel tracks.

The blog names three judges. The review has two tracks, a creative team and an independent jury, both on the same shortlist and both blind to vote counts.

  • Edwin Catmull

    A five-time Oscar winner and former President of Walt Disney Animation Studios. A judge of animation craft and of storytelling economy. Expect close attention to character and to how a story is built.

  • Phedon Papamichael

    An Oscar and BAFTA nominee and ASC member who shot Ford v Ferrari, The Pursuit of Happyness and The Trial of the Chicago 7. A cinematographer's eye for light, lens and composition.

  • Paul W.S. Anderson

    A director whose work, per the blog, has grossed over a billion dollars. The separate festival microsite lists only Catmull and Papamichael, so treat this third seat as unconfirmed.

  • A creative team, and the public

    The shortlist is built by Higgsfield's creative team on the four criteria. Audience Choice carries $100,000 of its own. Neither track sees vote counts while it judges.

What Higgsfield has published

What the open projects teach.

No winner is public yet. What the festival has published is a set of open example projects and a record of earlier Higgsfield contests.

  1. 01

    Study the open projects first. The blog names Hell Grind, Zephyr and Cully Hill Boys as worth opening before writing a single prompt. They show what a finished, competition-quality project looks like inside the platform.

  2. 02

    Your project will not stay private. The blog says every eligible project, win or not, becomes something the next person entering can open up and learn from. Do not enter a method you want to keep secret.

  3. 03

    Higgsfield runs contests often. Make Your Action Scene ($500,000, 9 February to 1 March 2026) and The Adathon ($85,000 in credits, 27 July to 24 August) have ended. Another call is likely, but none is announced.

From page to screen

Voidborn: how to prepare before you generate.

This is the opening of Voidborn, episode 0, an anime short made by the 熙熙 team. It was not made inside Higgsfield, so it would not qualify here. It shows the preparation that does carry over: the screenplay page, a storyboard frame per shot, then 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, runs for 13 minutes—well beyond the five minutes the festival recommends as an upper limit. This entry has secured awards at the Mondial Chroma Awards and at the Seoul International AI Film Festival. It was not submitted to the Higgsfield festival. The player interface opens directly on this particular scene.

The script

A 4 minute 30 film in five movements.

The festival sets a minimum requirement of at least 3 minutes and advises entrants not to exceed 5 minutes in total length. For optimal pacing and jury reception, target a duration of 4 minutes 30 seconds: this typically translates to approximately 4 screenplay pages and a shot count ranging from 55 to 70 individual shots, each held for 4 to 5 seconds on average.

  1. 0:00 to 0:30

    The image

    One shot that tells the screeners what they are about to see.

  2. 0:30 to 1:30

    The want

    Who we follow and what they cannot have yet. Few locations, few characters.

  3. 1:30 to 3:00

    The pursuit

    Pressure rises shot by shot. This is where the visual style must hold.

  4. 3:00 to 4:00

    The decision

    One choice, one close face, one clean sound. This is what the jury remembers.

  5. 4:00 to 4:30

    The echo

    A last frame that answers the first. Then stop.

A film presented in another language must include English subtitles or provide a voice-over track for accessibility and jury comprehension. Remember to plan the packshot branding and the watermark positioning into the final seconds of your edit, since the submission process will embed both elements into the delivered file.

Be ready for the next call

From now to the next Higgsfield contest.

Because no Higgsfield call is currently active, this is the preparation phase rather than a live countdown window. Should Higgsfield announce another contest edition, you will want your screenplay drafted, your storyboard assembled, and your practice runs on the platform completed well before submission opens.
  1. 01

    This week

    Watch the results

    Winners are due at the end of October. When they land, study the top three films and the open projects named on the blog.

  2. 02

    October 2026

    Write the screenplay

    Four pages for a 4 minute 30 film. Write it free in 熙熙, in industry format, with few characters and few sets.

  3. 03

    November 2026

    Storyboard every shot

    Generate the shot breakdown, then set framing, angle and duration for each shot. A film of 55 to 70 shots needs this plan before the first generation.

  4. 04

    Before the next call

    Learn the platform

    Create a free Higgsfield account and run cheap tests. All video and image generation must happen on higgsfield.ai, so know its workspace before the deadline.

  5. 05

    When a call opens

    Read the generation rules twice

    In this edition everything was built from scratch inside the generation window, with previously generated inputs reusable as references. Ask the organiser whether outside storyboard frames count.

  6. 06

    At submission

    Package the entry

    The final video with Higgsfield's watermark and packshot, and a public post of the same video on Instagram, YouTube, X or Reddit. A private account disqualifies an otherwise strong entry.

Disqualification traps

Eight ways to lose the entry.

The majority of contest details appear on Higgsfield's official blog. Those rules were written specifically for the 2026 edition, and any future call may introduce different requirements or adjustments.

  • Generating outside Higgsfield

    All video and image generation happens on higgsfield.ai, and any model on the platform counts. Footage from another tool, including 熙熙, does not qualify.

  • A real face or voice as input

    Inputs cannot include a real person's face or voice, not even the participant's own.

  • Human music or voice

    Music, voice and sound design must be generated with AI tools, uploaded into the project, with the rights held by the creator.

  • A private social account

    The submission needs a public post of the same video on Instagram, YouTube, X or Reddit, viewable without logging in. A private or locked account disqualifies the entry.

  • No watermark, no packshot

    The final video must carry Higgsfield's watermark and packshot. A clean export without them is incomplete.

  • A gap in the generation history

    Screening checks generation history and completeness. Since all generation must happen inside the platform, the history is the proof that it did.

  • The wrong length or format

    Under 3 minutes is below the minimum. Use 16:9 or 21:9, MP4 or MOV up to 4K, and add English subtitles or a voice-over if the film is in another language.

  • Expecting privacy

    Eligible projects, winners or not, become material the next entrant can open. Your prompts and choices may be learned from, so do not enter a method you cannot share.

Why 熙熙

What 熙熙 can and cannot do for this festival.

熙熙 functions as the integrated AI production pipeline for narrative films and episodic series: it unifies screenplay development, storyboard creation, and shot planning within a single connected project. Because this festival mandates that all video generation occur on its own designated platform, 熙熙 supports the creative preparation stage rather than the final footage output.

  • The screenplay, free

    Directing and storytelling is the first criterion. Screenwriting is free with no expiry on the 免费档, with industry formatting and PDF export. A written film is a faster film.

  • A storyboard before you spend

    Generation costs credits and tries. A storyboard of 55 to 70 shots tells you what to generate. Whether imported frames count as references is a question for the organiser, so ask before you rely on them.

  • A plan sized to three to five minutes

    The structure on this page fits the festival's length. It works on any platform, including Higgsfield, because it is about the film and not the tool.

  • Footage somewhere else

    Contests that do not lock the tool, or that are built on Seedance, accept 熙熙 footage, available now on the 年度会员. See the related guides below.

Real productions

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

熙熙 is already serving as the creative workspace behind real AI-driven film productions in active development, spanning cinematic short films and animated series pilots that have been selected, nominated, and awarded recognition at international festivals worldwide.

  • 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 AI film contests

FAQ

The Higgsfield Global Film Festival, your questions

How do you win the Higgsfield Global Film Festival? Submitted films were eval
uated across four criteria: directing and storytelling quality, visual craft execution, sound design and editing coherence, and originality of concept, with no published weighting disclosed between categories. Both a creative team at Higgsfield and an independent jury panel reviewed the same shortlist pool. The submission deadline passed on 15 September 2026, so this guidance now applies to any future edition. Can I use 熙熙 foota
ge in the festival? No. The festival ruleset requires th
at all video and image generation must be performed exclusively on higgsfield.ai. Footage produced in 熙熙 does not meet this eligibility requirement. 熙熙 remains valuable for developing the screenplay, assembling the storyboard, and structuring your production plan, all of which you then execute using the festival's designated generation tool.
Is the call still open? No. Accord
ing to the official Higgsfield blog, the submission window closed on 15 September 2026 at 11:59 PM UTC. The screening and shortlist curation phase ran through 5 October, independent jury deliberation continued until 11 October, and winner announcements were scheduled for late October.
How much is the prize? The total
prize pool totals $1,000,000 distributed among 14 winners: $500,000 awarded to first place, $200,000 to second place, $100,000 to third place, an additional $100,000 for the Audience Choice award, and ten Honorable Mention awards at $10,000 each. Each participant or team is eligible to receive one
prize only. Who is on the ju
ry? The official blog identifies Edwin Catmull, Phedon Papamichael, and Paul W.S. Anderson as jury members. A separate festival microsite lists only the first two names. A creative team at Higgsfield also conducted a parallel review track of the shortlist entries. Did I need a paid plan to
enter? No paid subscription was required. A regis
tered Higgsfield account was sufficient for entry, submission carried no fee, and the festival permitted unlimited entries per individual participant or team, with each team eligible for one prize. Teams could include up to four members, and all participants were required to be 18 years of age or older. Why do sources give diffe
rent deadlines? The contests page on Higgsfield's site still
displayed July dates at one point, a separate microsite indicated 31 August, and certain third-party coverage cited 14 September. The official Higgsfield blog specified 15 September 2026, 11:59 PM UTC, which I treat as the authoritative deadline. Regardless of which date applied, the submission window has now closed. Will there
be a 2027 edition? No 2027 edition has been
announced, and I have found no official information confirming one. Higgsfield conducted multiple contests throughout 2026, so another edition remains plausible. Develop your screenplay and storyboard during this interim period, and review the complete ruleset thoroughly once the next call is posted.

Be ready before the next call.

Start drafting your screenplay at no cost right now. Map out each scene with storyboards first — you'll cut down on expensive shoot time and make every frame of footage count.
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