Rules for the Vietnamese Short Film Contest 2026

The Vietnamese Short Film Contest 2026 is organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper in collaboration with the Vietnam Film Development Promotion Association.

Following the success and widespread impact of the previous two seasons, the Vietnamese Short Film Contest is officially back. Season 3 continues to affirm its role as a launching pad for young cinematic voices, a place where filmmakers, screenwriters, and content creators dare to tell their stories.

The competition aims to discover and introduce outstanding talents, bring short films closer to the public, and nurture and spread a passion for filmmaking among young people. Through this, it affirms the commitment of the organizers and partners to cultivating and developing the next generation of Vietnamese filmmakers.

The regulations require that short films be identified according to the competition rules:

- A short film is a cinematic product with a storyline; it is a work that incorporates all the technical stages of the production process of a feature film.

- Target audience of the competition: Vietnamese citizens and foreigners legally residing and working in Vietnam (aged 15 and above).

• Subject Matter: All subjects permitted by the Film Law, relating to the country and people of Vietnam.
• Contestants are only permitted to use software and technical support technologies during the creation of their works. Authors/participating organizations are solely responsible for the legality, copyright, and usage rights of all tools and materials used. The organizing committee is not responsible for any disputes or violations.
• The organizers will not accept works created using artificial intelligence that do not involve actual staging, acting, or filming.
• The organizers reserve the right to disqualify entries with sensitive content, those that violate moral standards, or those that do not meet the criteria of Thanh Nien Newspaper without prior notice.
• Contestants may use works they have created themselves (in the role of director or screenwriter) that have not previously been submitted to other short film competitions or festivals.
• Each author may submit multiple works, but must use one name (pseudonym).
• Short films must adhere to a length limit: no more than 30 minutes.
• The film must have the Vietnamese logo in the upper right corner throughout its entire duration (both the film and the trailer).
• Films submitted to the competition must be in Vietnamese (English subtitles are encouraged).
• Short films submitted to the competition must comply with the terms of service and community guidelines of Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
• Short films must be original and unique to the contestant.
• Authors submitting entries commit to taking legal responsibility for their submitted works, ensuring there are no copyright disputes (in cases where images of individuals/groups are used, permission must be obtained to comply with current laws regarding the protection of personal data).
• The Organizing Committee reserves the right to adjust timelines or add clauses as appropriate to the practical situation, with the aim of best supporting the contestants. The decisions of the Organizing Committee are final.
• The prize winner is responsible for paying personal income tax in accordance with the law at the time of receiving the prize.
• BTC has the right to use the images and content of the submitted entries for communication and promotion of the competition without paying any fees.

REGISTRATION PERIOD : May 16, 2026 - July 11, 2026

PHASE 1: SELECTION

• Applicants must submit a completed application form (submission link will be updated later) plus one video film produced within the last three years or recently. Please read the "Notes" section carefully to understand the submission requirements.
• At the end of the selection phase, the preliminary judging panel will select the 20 best projects to advance to the Public Film round on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube of Thanh Nien Newspaper. Following this, the judging panel will evaluate and award prizes directly.

PHASE 2: PUBLIC - AWARD CEREMONY

• The outstanding contestants/filmmaking teams of the competition will have the opportunity to interact with the judging panel at the awards ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City.
• The short films that win top prizes have the opportunity to be screened at the awards ceremony.

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

Each individual/group (hereinafter referred to as "candidate") will submit the following:

1. Short film (horizontal aspect ratio 16:9) - with "FILM TITLE".
2. Movie trailers (9:16 aspect ratio) - no limit on the number of trailers (including additional short video best cuts to upload to TikTok to increase the visibility of the contestant's entry).
3. Movie poster (9:16 and 16:9).
4. List of members and team/individual names.

TIME AND METHOD FOR SUBMITTING ENTRIES

1. Submission deadline:

The submission period is from May 16, 2026 to July 11, 2026. The electronic timestamp on the email will be used to identify the submission date.

2. Submission method:

• Online submission: Contestants submit their entries online via the Google Form registration form provided by the organizers.
• Link to request the movie: https://forms.gle/a51B2vZAQWVsukS27
• Direct submission: Contestants should send their entries to the Thanh Nien Newspaper Editorial Office, 268-270 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. The representative of the Organizing Committee in charge of receiving entries is:
  Ms. Hai Vy, Event Communications Department, Tel: 087.6537.129.

The preliminary selection committee, established by the Organizing Committee, is responsible for selecting eligible entries for the preliminary round and publishing them on the thanhnien.vn online newspaper. The technical department and competition secretary will guide and support contestants in submitting their entries, ensuring they comply with the rules and regulations.

Naming the data file: The entry file must be named according to the following structure: Vietnamese_TITLE OF THE WORK_Full name of the contestant/team name (written in Vietnamese without accents).

By submitting their entry, contestants are understood to have agreed to all the rules and requirements of the competition, including the judges' decisions.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/the-le-cuoc-thi-phim-ngan-viet-nam-vietnamese-2026-185260512160901619.htm