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A $1 million AI film award wants one complete story—and 70% must be made with Seedance
The 1 Billion Followers Summit is offering a major prize for a five-to-seven-minute film, with specific rules about AI production, originality and rights.
Reporting updated Oct 26, 2026
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A $1 million AI film award wants one complete story—and 70% must be made with SeedanceView original post on X ↗
THE TAKEAWAY
A million dollars is enough to get almost any filmmaker's attention. But the interesting part of the 2027 AI Film Award is what creators have to deliver: one original five-to-seven-minute story, made specifically for the competition, with at least 70% generated using Seedance. Submissions close November 20, 2026.
WHAT HAPPENED
Organized by New Media Academy through the 1 Billion Followers Summit, in partnership with TikTok and Dreamina Seedance, the international competition is open to eligible filmmakers aged 18 and older.
Entrants must make a complete story rather than a montage of beautiful generated shots.
The films can explore human relationships, misinformation, society, climate or the relationship between people and artificial intelligence.
The finalists will be showcased at the January 2027 summit in Dubai, where one winner receives $1 million.
WHY IT MATTERS
The competition places two demands on filmmakers at once.
First, use a specific AI-generation technology for most of the film. Second, produce something with enough narrative structure, character development and emotional impact to hold an audience for several minutes.
Those aren't always complementary goals.
Filmmakers will have to decide how much of their creative process is shaped by the technology requirement and how much is shaped by the story they want to tell.
The rights provisions also deserve attention. Creators retain their films, but they should understand the promotional permissions and verification obligations before entering.
FOUR RULES CREATORS SHOULD KNOW
One complete film
The finished story must run five to seven minutes, use a horizontal 16:9 format and include English subtitles.
Seedance is mandatory
At least 70% of the film must be generated using Seedance. Other tools may support the production.
Document the process
The organizer may request model disclosures, prompts, editing timelines, generation records and evidence of rights clearance.
Understand the license
Filmmakers retain ownership, but submitting grants the organizer a non-exclusive license covering screening, promotion and archival use.
A million-dollar prize will bring attention. The films that endure will need more than expensive-looking images.
VEYR ANGLE
For filmmakers already developing AI-assisted shorts, this is an opportunity worth examining.
VEYR will be watching the shortlisted films for strong storytelling, distinctive visual direction and clear evidence of how the creators put their productions together.
