AIAF Final
Commissioned Film by WildPusa
AIAF 2026 Commissioned Artist
AIAF 2026 · Inaugural International Edition
Atlanta AI Ad Fest
Human Ideas. AI Possibilities.
For Brands →
AIAF 2026 Registration Opens September 15 →
Registration is not yet open.
Born in Atlanta. Open to the World.
Start here
AI can generate anything.
But only people can decide what's worth creating.
It's not just about AI.
It's about how we create the future.
AI is the medium. Creativity is the standard.
Welcome to Atlanta AI Ad Fest — an international festival of AI-era advertising.
The first edition only happens once.
AIAF 2026 · Inaugural Theme
What Comes Next?
A festival theme for the founding edition — a creative north star connecting four official AIAF Brand Exclusive Tracks.
AIAF Commissioned Works · 2026
AIAF Commissioned Works · 2026
What Comes Next?
The Divine Spar
Commissioned Film by Xuesong Zhu
AIAF 2026 Commissioned Artist
Six invited AI creators will be commissioned to create original films exploring the inaugural theme, “What Comes Next?”
Beyond Physics
Automotive
AIAF 2026 Commissioned Artist
Premiering Soon
Beyond the Surface
Beauty
AIAF 2026 Commissioned Artist
Premiering Soon
Beyond Form
Fashion
AIAF 2026 Commissioned Artist
Premiering Soon
Beyond Taste
Food & Beverage
AIAF 2026 Commissioned Artist
Premiering Soon
Beyond the Screen
Technology
AIAF 2026 Commissioned Artist
Premiering Soon
Beyond Space
Home & Lifestyle
AIAF 2026 Commissioned Artist
Premiering Soon
Organized by
SouArt Alliance
Founding Organization
a Georgia-registered nonprofit organization
Atlanta AI Ad Fest (AIAF) is an annual international festival and competition organized by SouArt Alliance, a Georgia-registered nonprofit organization supporting creativity, artistic innovation and cultural exchange.
About SouArt →Founding Technology Partner
Bloomway AI
Official AI Creation Platform
Every registered AIAF 2026 creator receives 5,000 complimentary Sparks (Credits) to support their creative journey, drawn from Bloomway’s AIAF creator support pool.
Bloomway AI is optional and its use does not affect eligibility, judging or awards.
The Road to AIAF 2026
Something new is beginning.
A transparent launch timeline for the inaugural edition.
August 2026
Festival Launch
Atlanta AI Ad Fest officially launches its inaugural edition.
August–September 2026
Founding Partners Announced on a Rolling Basis
Inaugural brand, institutional, and founding partners will be announced as confirmed.
August–September 2026
2026 Jury Announced on a Rolling Basis
The inaugural international jury will be announced as members are confirmed.
September 15, 2026
AIAF 2026 Registration Opens
Registration opens worldwide on September 15, 2026. Registration is not yet open.
Late September 2026
Official Brand Exclusive Tracks Launch
Four official Brand Partners and their creative briefs are announced — three Featured Brand Partners and one Inaugural Presenting Brand Partner.
October 25, 2026
Entries Close
AIAF 2026 global call for entries officially closes.
November 10, 2026
Finalists Announced
AIAF 2026 Official Selection and Finalists officially announced.
November 22, 2026 · Atlanta
AIAF 2026 Awards Night
Finalist Screening · Awards Ceremony · Best of Festival Live Vote
Red Carpet · Jury · Creators · Brands · Industry Guests
Venue to be announced
AIAF 2026 Official Brand Exclusive Tracks
Four Official Brand Briefs — Announcing Soon
Four brands. Four global creative briefs. One global creative stage.
Featured Brand Exclusive Track 01
Brand Announcing Soon
Featured Brand Exclusive Track 02
Brand Announcing Soon
Featured Brand Exclusive Track 03
Brand Announcing Soon
Inaugural Presenting Brand Exclusive Track
Brand Announcing Soon
AI is the medium. Creativity is the standard.
Three Divisions. One Global Stage.
Youth Division
Grades 6–12 / Equivalent
University Division
Currently enrolled college & university students
Open Division
Independent creators, filmmakers, advertising professionals and creative teams
AIAF 2026 GRAND PRIX · GOLD · SILVER · BRONZE
$500 Cash Prize for each Division Grand Prix
$2,500 in Guaranteed Cash Prizes
- Best AI Commercial
- Best Creative Idea
- Best AI Cinematography
- Best Storytelling
- Best Visual Craft
- Best Product Advertising
- Brand Choice Award
- AIAF 2026 BEST OF FESTIVAL — $1,000 CASH PRIZE
40%
Idea
Can it make us think?
30%
Craft
Is it exceptionally made?
20%
Brand
Does it make the brand matter?
10%
Impact
Does the world respond?
The 2026 Jury
A multidisciplinary jury across advertising, film, design, strategy, production and sound will select the inaugural winners.
Selected members of the 2026 Jury also participate in the inaugural AIAF Commissioned Works program, creating original films in response to “What Comes Next?”
AIAF 2026 Jury
Commissioned ArtistOscar Betancur
Chair, Advertising and Branding + Social Strategy and Management
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
AIAF 2026 Jury
Commissioned ArtistJordan Atchison
Co-Founder & CMO
Co-Founder & CMO of one of America's fastest-growing advertising agencies, specializing in performance marketing and AI-enabled advertising, with experience as an international speaker and industry judge.
AIAF 2026 Jury
Commissioned ArtistWildPusa
AIGC Artist
Pioneering AIGC artist and veteran creative professional, recognized as one of China's most influential AI visual creators.
AIAF 2026 Jury
Commissioned ArtistXuesong Zhu
AIGC Digital Artist & Creative Director
Leading AIGC digital artist and veteran creative director, recognized for blending Eastern aesthetics with generative AI to craft distinctive visual narratives.
AIAF 2026 Jury
Commissioned ArtistXin Yu
AIGC Creative Leader · Fortune 500 APAC Design Director
Award-winning artist and AIGC creative leader serving as Fortune 500 APAC Design Director.
More jury members will be announced as confirmed.
Judging Philosophy →Founding Advisory Board
Guidance from day one.
A founding advisory board spanning advertising, film, academia, design, and brand marketing — advisors who help shape the festival’s standards without serving as competition jurors.
Announcing soon
- Advertising
- Film
- Academia
- Design
- Brand Marketing
Why Atlanta?
Atlanta is not a spare New York or a second Los Angeles. It is a city where culture is produced at industrial scale — film stages, music, media networks, and creative communities built to ship stories worldwide.
Festival editorial
A creative engine with global cultural influence. Atlanta doesn’t just produce content — it helps shape the cultural language of what comes next.
Hollywood expanded here for stages and crews; music from this city has shaped generations; sports and journalism have built national audiences from Peachtree. This is a place that knows how to make a story travel.
At the same time, Atlanta is a modern business and technology capital — logistics, fintech, enterprise software — with Hartsfield-Jackson connecting creators and brands to the world. AI-era advertising needs both culture and infrastructure. Atlanta has both.
01
A storytelling production city
Soundstages, crews, post, and a film economy trained to ship commercial-grade narrative — not demos.
02
Culture that moves the world
Black cultural innovation, music, sports, and Southern voice — a creative tradition AIAF celebrates as Atlanta’s taste-making force.
03
Tech with a commercial spine
A growing technology and enterprise corridor meets brand-building industries — the right soil for AI as medium, not gimmick.
04
Global by default
One of the world's busiest airports, a diaspora of creators, and a city used to hosting the world.
Born in Atlanta. Open to the World.
Explore the FestivalMake
Something
Impossible.
Register for AIAF 2026. Choose an Official Brand Exclusive Track. Create your film. Publish — then submit.
01
Register for AIAF 2026
$10 Registration Fee
Includes AIAF 2026 creator registration and 5,000 complimentary Bloomway Sparks (Credits).
02
Choose Your Brand Exclusive Track
Select one of four Official Brand Briefs and review the creative brief, brand guidelines and requirements.
03
Create
Bring your idea to life using the eligible AI tools of your choice.
04
Publish & Submit
Publish your completed work using the official AIAF hashtags, then submit your film and required materials.
05
Get Judged
Finalists and winners scored on Idea, Craft, Brand, and Impact.
From the Feed to the Big Screen
Selected finalist works will be screened at the inaugural AIAF 2026 Awards Night in Atlanta.
3 Divisions · $2,500 Guaranteed Cash Prizes
$10 Registration · Global Creators · Atlanta Awards Night
One simple registration fee. No additional submission fee.
Registration Opens September 15 →
NOT YET OPEN
AIAF Official Brand Exclusive Tracks
Your Brand.
The World’s Imagination.
AIAF 2026 features four official Brand Exclusive Tracks — three Featured Brand Partners and one exclusive Inaugural Presenting Brand Partner.
Each Brand Partner helps shape an official global creative brief, inviting creators worldwide to create original advertising for the brand and publish their work across social media.
From creator activation and public storytelling to festival recognition and the AIAF 2026 Awards Night in Atlanta, the partnerships are designed to place brands inside the creative conversation shaping what comes next.
Organized by
SouArt Alliance
Founding Organization
A Georgia-registered nonprofit advancing creativity, artistic innovation, and cultural exchange.
Founding Technology Partner
Bloomway AI
Official AI Creation Platform
Supporting AIAF creators with complimentary Sparks (Credits), creative tools, and award-based rewards throughout the inaugural festival — drawn from a 1,000,000 Sparks (Credits) creator support pool.
AIAF CREATOR SUPPORT
- Registered creators receive 5,000 complimentary Sparks (Credits).
- Award-winning work may receive additional Bloomway creator rewards — up to 100,000 Sparks (Credits).
- Use of Bloomway is optional and does not affect eligibility, judging, or awards.
- Support is drawn from a 1,000,000 Sparks (Credits) pool allocated by Bloomway for AIAF 2026.
2026 Official Brand Partners
3 Featured Brand Partners · 1 Inaugural Presenting Brand Partner
Announcing Soon
2026 Inaugural Jury
5 AIAF 2026 Jury
Founding Partnerships Now Open
Supporting · Official · Featured Brand · Inaugural Presenting
Brand · Technology · Media · Academic · Creative · Community
Request the 2026 Sponsorship Deck →AIAF 2026 · Inaugural Edition
- Registration Opens September 15
- Finalists November 10
- AIAF 2026 AWARDS NIGHT November 22