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Media Arts Festival

CSU Summer Arts established the Media Arts Festival in 1991 to give talented students studying film, broadcasting, video, screenwriting, and new media within the 23-campus California State University system an opportunity to present their work for critical review. 

A panel of distinguished faculty and industry leaders selects each year’s finalists and winners, and all finalist selections are screened at the festival. Cash prizes and the prestigious CSU Media Arts Festival Award are bestowed on selected work.

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SU​BMIT

SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED FOR THE 34TH ANNUAL CSU MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL COMPETITION

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The CSU Media Arts Festival uses SlideRoom for submissions. 
To submit a project to the competition:

1. Create a SlideRoom account. There is a limit of one submission per student. 

2. Provide the required information. You can save information and return to the form before the deadline. 

3. Upload the project media content with the application. Media files are limited to the following sizes: 10MB for images, 20MB for PDF, 500MB for videos. You may also link to your media via YouTube or Vimeo, however, the entrant is responsible for making sure the link remains active and accessible through the review period.

4. Click below to begin the submission process:

SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT HERE

​​You will receive email confirmation once the project is submitted. 

CATEGORIES FOR SUBMISSION:

  • Animation: long- or short-form animation of any style
  • Documentary/Creative Non-Fiction: any work of non-fiction, scripted or re-enactments of events are permitted if they do not make up a substantial part of the work. 
  • Narrative: Any work that is narrative or non-scripted work of fiction including linear story, drama, comedy, dramedy, stand-alone stories, series intended for television, and experimental. 
  • Short Screenplay: written work intended for the screen, up to 30 pages, not including a cover page. 

submission QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

  • Submission Deadline: Thursday, May 16, 2024 by 11:59 p.m. This deadline has passed. 
  • Projects, except for screenplay, must have a moving-image component.
  • Submitters must be current or recent former students of the California State University who created the work while enrolled at a CSU campus between May 2023 and May 2024. Non-CSU students are not eligible to submit projects to this competition. 
  • Submissions are limited to one per student lead who is the director, producer, and/or creator for projects with moving images, or writer for PDF screenplays, only. 
  • Submissions that do not meet all requirements will be disqualified. 
  • Submit the final and finished version of the project. The version screened or read by the judges will be the version screened/presented at the festival if work is selected as a finalist. Neither alternative nor updated versions will be accepted after the deadline.

COPYRIGHT-PROTECTED MATERIALS:

  • The CSU Media Arts Festival is unable to accept submissions in any category that use or feature copyright-protected materials (music, images, intellectual property, etc.).
  • This restriction includes, but is not limited to the use of copyright-protected music for music videos, background music in a scene, use of a film or television scene, etc.
  • There is a field on the submission form to identify source material and permissions for protected content in student projects.

JUDGING, AWARDS, AND PRESENTATION INFORMATION:

  • All projects meeting the submission requirements will be reviewed by faculty reviewers to determine the finalists. Finalist projects will be reviewed by a jury of media industry professionals to select the winners. The CSU Media Arts Festival reserves the right to withhold finalist status and/or award in any category that does not meet a minimum number of qualified submissions or for poor scores.
  • Finalists will be notified by email. Please provide a current, valid, and regularly checked email address.
  • A public screening of the finalists and the awards ceremony will be held in fall 2024 for the 2024 season. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

For more information, email Shannon Pringle, call (562) 951-4068, or visit the Media Arts Festival FAQ page. 

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