AI video contests now pay real money, but the lists online go stale fast: prize pools change between seasons, deadlines pass, and some "prizes" turn out to be platform credits. Everything below was checked against each organizer's own page in October 2026. We run AITube's prompt battles, so we've listed those too, with their real numbers.
Key takeaways
Open now: Chroma Awards Season 2 (closes January 7, 2027) and the $1M AI Film Award 2027 (deadline November 20, 2026, Seedance-made films only).
The big recurring festivals (Runway, Higgsfield, Astana) have closed their 2026 editions; watch for 2027 dates.
Check the prize line: some contests pay in platform credits, not cash.
Read the licence: entering usually gives the organizer, and sometimes sponsors, rights to use your film.
AI video contests open now
Contest | Prize | Entry | Deadline | Tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
$450,000+ pool in cash and travel perks; most categories pay $3,500 | Free, 18+ | January 7, 2027 (winners February 11) | Any | |
$1,000,000, paid by bank transfer | 18+, worldwide; 5–7 minute film, 1080p 16:9 | November 20, 2026 (winner January 10, 2027) | At least 70% made with Seedance | |
$150 cash pools on the two live battles; others pay credits | Most are free; some cost 5–50 credits | October 22 and October 31, 2026 (11:59 pm ET) for the live cash battles | AI video made for the brief |
Chroma Awards Season 2
Chroma, an awards program incubated by ElevenLabs, opened Season 2 on October 19 with a "$450,000+ cash & travel perk pool". Most categories pay $3,500. Entry is free, you must be 18 or older, and you can use any tools; entrants from Russia and OFAC-sanctioned regions are excluded (FAQ). Entries close January 7, 2027, and winners are announced February 11.
AI Film Award 2027 ($1,000,000)
The AI Film Award from the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai pays a single $1,000,000 prize. The catch is the tool: at least 70% of the film has to be made with ByteDance's Seedance, and it must run 5 to 7 minutes at 1080p in 16:9. It's open to anyone 18 or older worldwide; the deadline is November 20, 2026, and the winner is announced January 10, 2027.
World AI Film Festival
The World AI Film Festival (WAIFF) runs regional editions that lead to a final in Cannes on April 6–7, 2027. Its site doesn't list prize amounts, so check the current call for entries before you budget around a win.
Recurring AI video contests to watch for in 2027
These have finished their 2026 editions. They're the ones worth setting a reminder for:
Runway AI Film Festival: a $50,000 Grand Prix plus 1 million Runway credits, more than $135,000 in total, and free to enter. The 2026 edition ran January 28 to April 27; the 2027 dates aren't announced yet.
Higgsfield Global Film Festival: $1,000,000 in cash with a $500,000 top prize. Films had to be made with Higgsfield and couldn't show real people's faces; it ran August 10 to September 15.
Astana AI Film Festival: $1,000,000 in cash. It drew 8,067 films and closed September 7.
Reply AI Film Festival, Venice: an €8,000 prize; the 2026 edition closed June 1.
Curious Refuge AI Horror Film Contest: $7,000, $3,000 and $2,000 for the top three; 2026 winners are announced October 29.
Brand-run AI video contests come and go faster. Recent ones include CapCut's Seedance 2.0 challenge ($10,000 top prize), Pippit's AI video contest ($10,000, but entries needed 50,000 views) and the OpenArt Ad Awards ($50,000; whether that's cash or credits isn't spelled out).
Cash or credits? Read the prize line
A prize of "1,000,000 credits" or "$50,000 in value" isn't the same as $50,000 in your bank account. Some AI video contests pay only in their own platform's credits (Higgsfield's Adathon and Civitai's Buzz rewards, for example), which you can spend on generation but not withdraw. Even AITube does both: most prompt battles pay credits, and a credit prize of 1,900 credits is worth about $38 of generation at the $3-per-150-credits pack price, not $38 in cash.
AITube prompt battles: small prizes, much better odds
On AITube, a prompt battle is a short contest around one brief: everyone makes an AI video for the same idea, and the best entries win. About 50 battles have run since September 2025, roughly one a week. Most are free to enter; the rest cost 5 to 50 credits, and sponsored battles are always free. Cash prizes go to your AITube prize wallet and credit prizes to your credit balance; ties split the prize.
So far, 11 battles have paid cash, with pools from $50 to $175: a $150 pool splits $75, $50 and $25 for the top three, and a $175 pool splits $100, $50 and $25. The cash pools of finished battles add up to $1,050. The other battles paid between 20 and 1,900 credits.
Two cash battles are open right now:
AI Drama Short Film Challenge: $150, ends October 22 at 11:59 pm ET, with 322 creators joined and 21 videos submitted so far.
The Haunted House With a Secret: $150, ends on Halloween, October 31 at 11:59 pm ET, with 98 joined and 20 submitted.
The prizes are small next to the big AI video contests, but so is the field: far fewer people submit than join, so 20-odd submissions for a three-place prize is a very different bet from 8,000 films chasing one award. Winners are now picked by judges. The battle terms allow community votes, scoring, a panel or the sponsor to decide, and you earn credits for voting on other entries (5 per vote). For entry tips, see how to enter and win a prompt battle.
Before you enter AI video contests, check these five things
Tool lock-in
Some contests only accept films made with one tool: the AI Film Award needs at least 70% Seedance, and Higgsfield's festival needed Higgsfield. Others, like Chroma, accept anything.
Length and format
Festival films often need a fixed length and shape, such as 5–7 minutes at 1080p 16:9. A vertical Short won't qualify.
The licence you grant
Entering usually gives the organizer rights to show your film, and often more. AITube's battle terms, for example, give AITube a royalty-free licence to entries that can include licensing them for dataset training, and give sponsors a commercial licence to the top three. Read the terms before you submit.
Real people and likeness
Many contests ban real people's faces or unlicensed likenesses. Make sure every character is invented or properly licensed.
Eligibility and region
Most contests are 18+, and some exclude countries under sanctions. Check before you spend days on an entry.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to try one? See the open prompt battles or start making a video in AI Studio.
