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Brave New Beginnings

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Contest Opens: December 19, 2025

Submissions Due: January 20, 2026 (11:59pm PT)

Judging: January 21–25, 2026

Winners Announced: January 26, 2026


OVERVIEW & PRIZES


Escape and Dreamina are teaming up to launch a global filmmaking challenge celebrating narrative creativity, innovative use of AI tools, and original storytelling. This contest is designed for filmmakers, animators, and creators who want to push what is possible with AI-driven video — especially using Dreamina’s advanced tools for multi-frame consistency and character continuity.


Your mission:

  1. Create a short narrative film (90 seconds to ~10 minutes) centered on the theme “Brave New Beginnings.”
  2. Use Dreamina in whole or in part, and let its strengths elevate your characters, worlds, and storytelling.


Top 10 Winners Receive:

  1. 1-year Dreamina Pro account + perks and credits
  2. Inclusion in an official Escape.ai “Dreamina Collection” featured on the homepage
  3. Promotion across Escape and Dreamina social channels


Top 3 Winners Receive All of the Above PLUS:

  1. Invitation to join Escape.ai’s professional creator community, featuring your work alongside the world’s top AI filmmakers
  2. Your film featured in a compilation on Escape’s CTV network, reaching tens of millions of global viewers
  3. Selection in an upcoming escape.ai online film festival


THEME: BRAVE NEW BEGINNINGS


Every great story starts with a step into the unknown. Your film should explore a moment of change, transformation, rebirth, or the courage required to begin again — whether personal, societal, or cosmic. This is a storytelling-focused challenge, not just a visual showcase. Your submission should have narrative intent, characters or subjects with stakes, and a clear beginning/middle/end (even in short form).


WILD CARDS (Optional Bonus Challenges)


Choose one, none, or all. There is no deduction for ignoring Wild Cards — but thoughtful use may earn bonus points during judging.


  1. Winter Wonderland: Integrate winter landscapes, snowbound environments, or seasonal transitions.
  2. Sci-Fi Worlds: Build futuristic settings, distant colonies, alien cities, or cosmic civilizations.
  3. The Dreamer: Center the story on someone driven by imagination, visions, or internal transformation.


RULES & SUBMISSION GUIDELINES


Length Requirements

  1. Minimum: 90 seconds
  2. Maximum: ~10 minutes


Story-First Focus

  1. Submissions must be narrative — not purely experimental visuals.
  2. Your film should convey a story, characters, and emotional or thematic progression.


Use of Dreamina

  1. You may use any tools you like, including editing software, other generative tools, or live action footage.
  2. However, you must use Dreamina in whole or in part, leveraging its strengths such as:
  3. Multiframe
  4. Character and style continuity
  5. Scene-to-scene visual coherence
  6. In your submission description, explain which parts of your film used Dreamina.


Submission Method

  1. Create a free account on escape.ai
  2. Navigate to this page
  3. Upload your film directly (1080p recommended)
  4. Include team credits (if applicable) in the description


Team or Individual Entries

  1. Submissions may be created by teams or individuals
  2. Each film must be submitted by a single Escape.ai account
  3. Credit your collaborators in the description (names or Escape usernames)


Eligibility

  1. Open world wide to creators 18 years or older.


Rights & Ownership

  1. You retain full ownership of your work.
  2. By entering, you grant Escape and Dreamina non-exclusive, worldwide rights to share, promote, and distribute your submitted film (in full or in part) across their platforms and marketing materials.


JUDGING CRITERIA


Submissions will be evaluated by a panel from Escape, Dreamina, and invited creators. Each film will be judged on:


Narrative Strength (40%)

  1. Story clarity
  2. Engagement and emotional impact
  3. Alignment with the theme “Brave New Beginnings”


Use of Dreamina (20%)

  1. Effective use of multi-frame consistency
  2. Strong character or style continuity
  3. Creative integration of Dreamina in the production process


Creativity & Originality (20%)

  1. Unique ideas, inventive storytelling, bold worldbuilding


Technical Craft (15%)

  1. Visual quality
  2. Editing, pacing, sound, and cohesion


Wild Card Integration (Bonus Points)

  1. Skillful use of any Wild Card will be considered as additional merit.


FAQ


Do I need to pay to use Dreamina?

No. A free Dreamina account is sufficient to create content for this contest. Pro features are optional.


Can I use other AI tools?

Yes. Any combination of tools, pipelines, or media sources is allowed — as long as Dreamina is used in part of your creative process.


Can I submit more than one film?

Yes, but each submission must be uploaded separately through the Inspirations page.


Does the film need dialogue?

No — silent films, narrated films, or music-driven films are all acceptable. What matters is the story.


Do Wild Cards increase my score?

Yes. They can earn bonus consideration but are not required.


Can I update my submission after uploading?

You may edit your description, but the video file cannot be replaced after the deadline.


Are non-English films allowed?

Yes. Subtitles are encouraged for accessibility.


What formats are accepted?

MP4 or MOV uploaded directly to escape.ai.

1080p recommended.


How can I learn more about how to use Dreamina?

We recently hosted a masterclass showcasing some of Dreamina's features. You can view that recap video here.


LINKS

  1. Dreamina: https://dreamina.capcut.com/
  2. escape.ai Terms: https://escape.ai/terms