Submission Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in the Young Filmmakers Contest. 

• Works must be adapted from or inspired by Jane Austen’s writing or life. They may be comedies, dramas or documentaries in live action or animation. They may be modernizations or mashups of Austen and another public domain author. They may be set any time from the Regency era to the present or even in the future. They may be cast with puppets, pets or people. In other words, let your creativity guide you.
• Entrants in the contest must be 30 years old or younger at 11:59 p.m. on the submission deadline date.
• We accept entries from amateur filmmakers worldwide. However, the spoken dialog in your film must be in English.
• Films will be judged on creativity, originality, artistic/technical quality and relevance to our theme.
• To be considered, films and videos must be no longer than five minutes. Works must be shot in widescreen format and submitted as an MP4 file.
• Entrants retain the copyright to their work. However, you must agree to grant JASNA the right to screen your submission at the JASNA Annual General Meeting and on the JASNA website, our video-sharing sites (such as Vimeo and YouTube), and social media.
• The creators of each submission are responsible for obtaining all required waivers, permissions and consents:

• Parents or legal guardians for filmmakers under 18 years of age must sign the consent section of the entry form. Signed consents from parents or legal guardians must also be obtained on behalf of any cast or crew members under 18.
• Filmmakers and cast members 18 and older also must sign the consent section of the entry form.
• Any music used must be royalty-free (be aware that performances of public domain works might carry their own copyrights) or legally obtained with proof of permission, which must be included with your entry form and submission.
• No brands, logos, people’s likenesses or buildings, art or other works that would require legal clearance or signed waivers to be shown may be included unless written permission is obtained from the individuals or intellectual property owners involved.

• On the entry form, please indicate who on the filmmaking team will be the designated contact person and representative (listed as lead filmmaker) should your submission be chosen as a winner.
• No nudity or pornographic content is permissible. Avoid profanity or images inappropriate for a PG-13 rating.
• The following must be received by the submission deadline to be eligible for consideration:

• Your completed film or video
• Your entry form
• All required waivers and permission
• Proof of eligibility (photocopy of government issued ID or student ID)

• Submit your completed, high-resolution short film or video electronically—along with your signed entry form and any required waivers or permissions—to youngfilm@jasna.org via a service capable of sending large files, such as wetransfer.com or yousendit.com. Or upload to Dropbox, Box or Google Drive and email the link to youngfilm@jasna.org. You will receive an email acknowledgment that your film has been successfully delivered.
• The Jane Austen Society of North America reserves the right to award fewer than three winners if we receive an insufficient number of qualified submissions.