2026 12th China-EU Youth Film Festival

Call for Entries – Youth Section

I. Festival Overview

Hosted by the EU-China Film Festival and based in Brussels, Belgium, the China-EU Youth Film Festival is dedicated to establishing a professional, open platform for global youth audiovisual exchange. We invite creators from diverse cultural backgrounds to express their independent understanding and unique perspectives of the world, fostering global dialogue and cultural engagement through moving images. Furthermore, the festival provides a cross-cultural showcase, enabling the works of young creators to resonate on the international stage.

The Youth Section focuses on young creators’ authorial awareness, creative practice, and diverse forms of expression within today’s evolving audiovisual landscape. It aims to provide a professional, open, and globally oriented platform for works by youth from different cultural backgrounds to be presented, exchanged, and discussed.

II. Eligibility

The Youth Section is open to creators aged 18–35 from China (including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) and worldwide. There are no restrictions on nationality, profession, or educational background (age requirements apply at the time of work completion).

  1. Authorship: Works may be submitted by individuals or teams. Each creator or team may submit multiple works.
  2. Theme: There are no specific restrictions on genre or subject matter.
  3. Rights: All submitted works must be original. Entrants must confirm that they hold full copyright or have legally obtained the necessary authorizations.
  4. Content Policy: Submitted works must not contain content that promotes or incites hatred, violence, terrorism, or extremism. Works must not include discriminatory expression, child sexual exploitation, or other serious violations of minors’ rights, and must not clearly violate public order, social ethics, or applicable laws and regulations.

III. Section Structure

Submissions must first be entered into a Primary Competition Unit (Main Competition OR Digital Image Section). If the content aligns with the Annual Theme or Sustainable Development focus, it may be submitted concurrently to the relevant thematic section.

1. Main Competition Section

Eligible Categories:

  • Fiction Short Film
  • Documentary Short Film
  • Animation Short Film
  • Experimental / Art Short Film

Special Note on AI: This section does not accept works generated entirely by AI. If AI is used as an assistive tool during creation, it must be truthfully declared in the entry form.

2. Digital Image Section

Eligible Categories:

  • Short Video
  • Micro-Drama / Serialized Audiovisual Works
  • Commercial / Brand Films
  • AI Audiovisual Works

Note on AI Creation: For AI-assisted works, the evaluation focus remains on the overall expression, creative judgment, and audiovisual completion of the work, rather than the technology itself.

3. Annual Theme Section

  • 2026 Theme: “Cross-Cultural Understanding: Youth and the Connection with the World”
  • Description: Creators are encouraged to explore themes such as cross-cultural exchange, multicultural experiences, and language/cultural differences.

4. Sustainable Development Special Section

  • Focus: Works addressing environmental protection, community action, human–nature relationships, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

IV. Awards: China-EU Lights & Shadows Awards

1. Main Competition Section

(One winning work per category)

  • Best Fiction Short Film
  • Best Documentary Short Film
  • Best Animation Short Film
  • Best Experimental / Art Short Film
  • Best Director
  • Best Screenplay
  • Best Editing
  • Jury Prize

(Note: Winners of Best Director, Screenplay, and Editing must meet the section’s age requirements.)

2. Digital Image Section

(3–5 winning works per category)

  • Digital Image Creation Award
  • Digital Narrative Exploration Award

3. Annual Theme Section

(3–5 winning works)

  • Annual Theme Audiovisual Creation Award

4. Sustainable Development Special Section

(3–5 winning works)

  • Sustainable Development Audiovisual Creation Award

V. Submission Timeline

  • Call for Entries: From now until May 25, 2026
  • Shortlist Announcement: Mid-June 2026
  • Award Ceremony: Late September 2026, Brussels, Belgium

VI. Submission Method

1. For Participants in China:

Please fill out the registration information via the official WeChat Mini-program of the festival and submit as instructed.

2. For Overseas Participants:

  • Step 1: Contact the Organizing Committee staff to obtain the Entry Form.
  • Step 2: Upload your video file to a cloud storage service (e.g., Google Drive, Vimeo, Dropbox).
  • Step 3: Send the Download Link, completed Entry Form, Stills, and Poster to the official email: cneuyff@eucnff.com

3. Assistance:

If the above methods are not viable, please get in touch with the Organizing Committee via official channels for assistance.

VII. Technical Requirements

1. Duration

a. Fiction, Documentary, Animation, Experimental: Preferably no longer than 30 minutes.

b. Digital Image Section: Flexible duration based on creative form; duration is not a primary limiting factor.

2. Image Specifications

a. Recommended resolution: 1920×1080 (Full HD) or higher.

b. Minimum resolution: 1280×720 (HD).

c. Aspect ratio: Unrestricted.

3. File Format

a. Preferred: MP4 (H.264 codec).

b. MOV and other standard formats are accepted.

4. Audio

a. Dialogue, narration, and ambient sound must be clearly audible.

5. Equipment

a. Professional cameras or mobile devices are accepted.

b. No evaluative distinction is made based on equipment type.

6. Language & Subtitles

a. No language restrictions.

b. From the secondary review stage onward, bilingual Chinese–English subtitles are generally required (details to be announced).

7. Originality & Rights

a. Works must be original and copyright-cleared.

b. AI creative works must indicate the primary tools or methods used.

8. Submission Materials

a. Video file cloud link & password (must be valid for at least 365 days).

b. Basic work information and synopsis.

c. At least 3 horizontal stills (JPG/PNG).

d. 1 vertical poster (Recommended ratio 9:16).

VIII. Additional Notes

  1. Submission implies consent for the festival to use selected works for non-commercial screening, promotion, and archival purposes.
  2. Shortlisted works will be included in the festival’s annual screening and exchange program. The Committee will determine specific arrangements based on curation and venue conditions.
  3. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to conduct necessary technical processing without altering the essential content of the works.
  4. The Organizing Committee of the China-EU Youth Film Festival shall interpret matters not covered herein.

IX. Contact Information

China Office (Beijing):

+86 10 652 372 07

Europe Office (Brussels):

+32 471 75 35 65

Official Website: www.eucnff.com

Official Email: cneuyff@eucnff.com