Submission deadline: September 18th, 2025
No submission fees!
Submision platform: https://filmfreeway.com/icona
Statutes and Terms of submission
A. Festival Statutes
- The aim of the Ionian Contemporary Animation Festival ICONA 2025 is to present the best from the field of animation from all around the world. The festival also aims to preserve and help develop the cultural heritage of animated film, contribute to creation of new films, provide ground for potential international co-productions and encourages dialogue between professionals, filmmakers and the public.
- ICONA 2025 is organized and promoted by the Department of Audio & Visual Arts of the Ionian University.
- ICONA 2025 will take place in hybrid mode from November 13th to 16th 2025. Online screenings will be available only for registered users.
- The competition program of ICONA 2025 consists of the following categories:
• Category I. Competition of Short Films
• Category II. Competition of Student Films - Only films made within the last two (2) years from the date of submission can enter the competition. Films selected for the competition will be assessed by the festival selection committee. Each participant who submitted a film is subsequently informed about the result.
- All films in the competition are screened in their original language and must be provided with English subtitles by the party submitting the film. If selected for screening the director/producer must also send in to the Festival:
• a list of dialogue (for films that have dialogue or voice-over), in English
• a biography, filmography and photo of the director - All communications and screening material transfers will take place exclusively in digital format. The submitting party is held responsible for providing the submitted work; the digital copy of the submitted work; the digital copy must be compliant with the technical requirements below: part B.
- Director, producer or the world sales company cannot withdraw the film from the festival once its screening has been officially confirmed.
- The international jury consists of distinguished representatives of culture, film production and theory; and of film reviewers, filmmakers and producers. A person who has taken part in the production of any of the films in the given competition cannot become a member of the jury. All the members of the jury are bound by secrecy. The Festival Director and the Programme Director or their deputies may attend the jury sessions, but do not take part in the voting.
- The jurors give out the following awards:
• The Award for the Best Short Film comes with a financial prize of 300 EUR.
• The Award for the Best Student Film comes with a financial prize of 300 EUR.
• The Audience Award for the Best Short Film
• The Audience Award for the Best Student Film
• Honorary Distinctions in Category I
• Honorary Distinctions in Category II - The financial prize is to be equally shared by the director and the producer of the awarded film. Authors of selected works will receive official certification of participation in digital format of selection.
- In ambiguous or unclear situations and cases unforeseen by the statutes, the director of the ICONA 2025 Festival is to take the corresponding decision in accordance with international statutes. The organizer reserves the right to change these statutes in exceptionally serious cases.
- By participating in the festival you accept these statutes.
B. Competition Rules
- The audio-visual work is accepted into the competition on condition that:
• It has been made within the last two (2) years from the date of submission.
• More than 50% of the film is an animation; the animation technology used in the film is not restricted.
• Film duration minimum 2mins, maximum 24mins. - One film can be submitted to one competition category.
- The films for the competition are selected by a selection committee.
- Submission of the film screener for the selection committee:
a. Use the https://filmfreeway.com/icona
b. Instructions can be found on https://iconafestival.eu/ - Film screener for the selection committee - format specifications:
• HD video file (or similar resolution)
• minimum data stream 1000 kB/s
• maximum data stream 15000 kB/s
• stereo sound L/R or 5.1 - The final festival version of the selected film must be in the following formats:
• Standard: 1080p24, 1080p25 and 1080p30 HD widescreen
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Picture aspect ratio: 16:9
• Video compression: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, format: .mp4, .mov
• Audio encoding: AAC
• Sample rate: 44.100 Hz - Delivery of the film print to the festival
a. Use the https://filmfreeway.com/
b. Instructions can be found on https://iconafestival.eu/ - The selected films are evaluated by an international jury.
- By submitting the audio-visual work, the submitting party declares that they are authorized to screen the film at the festival and to handle the film. The award-winning films (entire or excerpts thereof) and for a period of 1 year from the date of the award announcement may be shown in any medium - at the discretion of the festival's organizing committee - in promotional events or for educational purposes and in any case not for commercial purposes.
- The organizing committee reserves the right to screen on demand (password protected) all the films that take part in the competition for a short period after the end of the festival (and in any case not more than 1 month after its end) and for a period that will not exceed 2 weeks.
