To participate, you must be a youth or young adult aged 12-25 and:

• Be in grade 9-12 and associated with a California high school, including but not limited to: public, private, charter, alternative, and home schools.
• Be associated with a college, university, club, community-based organization, or other agency or program in California.
• Be a middle school student (aged 12-14). Middle School students may only submit to the Walk in Our Shoes category.
• Be associated with Project AWARE Wildcats. Project AWARE Wildcats youth can only submit to the Through the Lens of Culture, Walk in Our Shoes, Hope and Justice, and Substance Use categories.

Films must be submitted through the Entry Form by Midnight PST on March 1. Before you can submit your entry form with your film attached, the advisor and all team members (cast and crew), will need to complete a profile. Please visit the get started page for more details.

For more details about what your film should or shouldn’t include, and all the tools you need to create your film check out the Submissions Category Page. 

Films may be disqualified for the following reasons:

• Providing false information
• Not meeting the submission deadline (please contact us if you experience technical difficulty submitting your Entry to us before the deadline)
• Not obtaining the proper release forms or copyright permissions
• Violation of the safe messaging guidelines (See all Safe Messaging Guidelines for each category) 
• Using AI to create any part of the entry (including but not limited to: script, background, editing, etc.)
• Violation of the rights of any third party or US, state, or local law
• Any other violation of the contest rules – the Directing Change Team reserves the right to disqualify any entry that they believe at their sole discretion to violate these rules.

Youth and young adult producers: please avoid potentially dangerous production situations that could put crew, actors, or the public at risk. Directing Change staff and sponsors take no responsibility and assume no liability for any acts or damages that may result from preparing the materials to submit to this contest. Further, all the submission categories are sensitive subjects that need to be addressed with respect and understanding for how they might impact those involved in the project.

Sometimes when working on your film, you and your teammates may have discussions about sensitive topics like suicide and mental health. If at any time you or a teammate is in distress, we encourage you to seek personal support. If you experience an emotional crisis, there are people available to help you by calling or texting 988.

We recommend using copyright-free / royalty-free / public domain elements in your film. Visit Film Resources to find these elements.

Any elements in your film or art, including but without limitation to music, audio, stills, video, supers, or other audiovisual materials used must:

• be entirely original, created and performed by the entrant and/or participants; or
• be in the public domain as creative work not protected by trademark or copyright, which can be used freely by anyone; or
• be purchased or released trademarked or released copyrighted elements, such as music, photographs, or logos.
• not have used AI to create any part of the entry (including but not limited to: script, background, editing, etc.). AI models are based on millions of images, including artists’ work, therefore this is not considered to be original work. As storytellers, artists and filmmakers we ask that you act with honesty, integrity and respect as you create your films for this contest. 

To submit proof of release and permission to use copyrighted materials, please include a signed letter or email from the rights holder that indicates the title of the film or art, the name of the contest, the student name or advisor name and indicates that there is no restriction to how the film containing the music/pictures/film is used.

Entries that include copyrighted materials or music without the proper permission and signed release forms will be disqualified.

Pictures and Film Clips: You may use public domain images and film clips in your film or art if you cite your sources in the credits. Please note: Images found in Google searches or elsewhere on the Internet are protected by copyright laws, even without a copyright symbol.

Music: Original music or music in the public domain (royalty-free) may be used in your film or art if the source is cited in the credits. See the Film Resources page for royalty-free music sites. This means you can’t just download your favorite song.

Logos: While it may not be possible to keep all brands out of view, there are easy ways to avoid them from showing. For example, dress your actors in clothing without logos, cover up laptop brands with a sticker or sticky note, or frame your shots so that recognizable stores are not highlighted. Using a brand may limit the use of your film on television or in movie theaters, due to brand copyright laws.

There is a US Copyright Fair Use Policy that allows teachers and students to use copyright-protected material in the classroom. Directing Change entries DO NOT fall under Fair Use guidelines. Since Directing Change-nominated videos and art might be shown publicly, copyright law must be followed. More resources:

• Copyright and Public Domain: A reference site to help identify public domain songs and public domain music, royalty-free music you can use anywhere and any way you choose, performance, sing-along, film, video, advertising, business, or personal.
• Library of Congress’ Taking the Mystery out of Copyright: an interactive site for teens to learn about the many aspects of copyright.

All films are pre-screened by the Directing Change Film Contest Team. The strongest films move to a panel of regional or statewide judges, who will select 1st, 2nd, 3rd place, and honorable mention winners in each category. Films in the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health categories are first judged within one of five regions within the state of California. To see which region your school/organization falls into, view this *map.

*At the discretion of the contest organizers, some categories may be combined or split depending on the number of entries received. Prizes will then be based on these new categories and awarded accordingly.

Prizes by Category:

Suicide Prevention Regional

• 1st Place: $500
• 2nd Place: $300
• 3rd Place: $200

Mental Health Regional

• 1st Place: $500
• 2nd Place: $300
• 3rd Place: $200

Walk in Our Shoes

• 1st Place: $500
• 2nd Place: $300
• 3rd Place: $200

Through the Lens of Culture

• 1st Place: $500
• 2nd Place: $300
• 3rd Place: $200

Substance Use

• 1st Place: $1,000
• 2nd Place: $500
• 3rd Place: $250
• Honorable Mention (2): $100

Hope & Justice (60-second Films)

• 1st Place: $500
• 2nd Place: $300
• 3rd Place: $200

Additional prizes include:

• Schools and organizations associated with a first-place statewide film will receive a trophy.
• Schools and organizations associated with a first-place regional film in the Mental Health or Suicide Prevention category will receive a trophy.
• First-place regional winners in the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention categories will move on to statewide judging to compete with other winning films across the state.
• Up to two participants from the first-place film team will be provided with travel stipends to attend an award ceremony (subject to availability of funding).
• Films might be integrated into the statewide suicide prevention awareness social marketing campaign and possibly shown on TV, online, on social media, and in movie theaters.

Check out the Get Started Page to learn everything you need to know to enter the contest.