Official Rules — AIAF 2026 Inaugural Edition

These Official Rules govern the two AIAF 2026 Brand Tracks of Atlanta AI Ad Fest — The Home Depot and Chick-fil-A. The Creative Brief, Brand Tracks and Awards pages form part of these rules by reference.

Eligibility: open worldwide to individuals and teams (up to five credited creators). Youth Division entrants may participate from Grade 6 onward. Entrants under 18 require parent or legal guardian consent. University and Open Division entrants must meet the eligibility requirements of their respective divisions. You must hold rights to submit and grant AIAF a non-exclusive festival exhibition and promotion license for the submitted film, posters, synopsis, and credits.

Entry requirements: 30–60 second primary film (max 200MB), 3:4 and 16:9 posters, synopsis, tool disclosure, team details, public social URL, and official hashtags #AtlantaAIAdFest #AIAF2026 #HumanIdeasAIPossibilities. A $10 registration fee applies to AIAF 2026. No additional submission fee is required after registration.

Judging: Idea 40% · Craft 30% · Brand 20% · Impact 10%. Category awards and Division Grand Prix are jury decisions. The AIAF 2026 BEST OF FESTIVAL is determined by live audience vote at AIAF 2026 Awards Night in Atlanta on December 10, 2026.

Timeline (US Eastern): registration opens September 15, 2026; deadline November 15, 2026; finalists December 1, 2026; AIAF 2026 Awards Night December 10, 2026 in Atlanta. Finalist Screening · Awards Ceremony. Atlanta, Georgia · Venue to be announced.

AIAF decisions on eligibility, measurement disputes, and awards are final for the festival. Full creative territories and constraints appear on the Creative Brief. Questions: hello@atlantaaiadfest.com.

AI TOOLS

Entrants may use eligible AI tools of their choice.

Bloomway AI is the Founding Technology Partner and Official AI Creation Platform of AIAF 2026. Registered creators are eligible to receive complimentary Bloomway Sparks (Credits): 5,000 for early-bird registration completed by October 18, 2026, 11:59 PM ET, and 1,500 for registration from October 19, 2026.

Use of Bloomway AI is optional and provides no advantage in eligibility, judging or awards.

BLOOMWAY AI CREATOR SUPPORT

Registered AIAF 2026 creators may claim complimentary Sparks (Credits) through the official Bloomway AIAF Creator Support page after completing paid registration: 5,000 Sparks for early-bird registration (checkout started by October 18, 2026, 11:59 PM ET) and 1,500 Sparks for registration from October 19, 2026. These registration Sparks are valid through December 10, 2026, 11:59 PM ET (Awards Night); any unused balance expires after that time and has no cash value. These benefits are drawn from a 1,000,000 Sparks (Credits) creator support pool allocated by Bloomway for AIAF 2026.

Award-winning works may receive additional Bloomway creator rewards based on award level — up to 100,000 Sparks (Credits) for Best of Festival. When a work wins multiple awards, only the highest Bloomway award Sparks tier applies; award Sparks are not cumulative with each other. Registration Sparks and award Sparks are separate.

Bloomway creator support is optional promotional value and does not replace cash prizes, trophies, or official festival recognition. Use of Bloomway does not affect eligibility, judging, or awards.

Brand Track Requirement

Every AIAF 2026 competition entry must respond to one of the two Brand Tracks published by AIAF: The Home Depot or Chick-fil-A. Each entry may choose only one brand.

Entries created for any other brand are not eligible for competition judging.

Every film must end with an end card reading “仅限于AIAF比赛使用 / For AIAF Competition Use Only” as its final frame, clearly legible for at least two seconds. Films without this end card are not eligible for judging.

Entrants must follow the track brief, required hashtags and submission requirements. Entries may not disparage the brand, make false or misleading claims, invent prices or promotions, or imply sponsorship, approval or endorsement by the brand.

The Brand Tracks are an independent creative initiative of AIAF. The Home Depot and Chick-fil-A are not sponsors of AIAF and have not endorsed, reviewed or approved the competition or its entries. Brand names and trademarks belong to their respective owners and are referenced solely for non-commercial competition and educational purposes. Entrants may not use their entries commercially or present them as official brand advertising.

Credit & Copyright

For all submitted works, creators retain attribution / credit rights (authorship credit) in connection with their entry.

Creators retain copyright in their submitted work. By entering, creators grant Atlanta AI Ad Fest (AIAF) and SouArt Alliance a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to exhibit, screen, promote and archive the work in connection with AIAF, with proper credit. Because AIAF 2026 brand-track entries reference third-party trademarks, works may be used for AIAF competition purposes only and may not be used commercially or presented as advertising commissioned or approved by the brand.

Competition Divisions

All eligible entries must enter one of three divisions:

Youth Division — Students in Grades 6–12 or international equivalent.

University Division — Students currently enrolled in an accredited college or university, or international equivalent.

Open Division — Independent creators, filmmakers, advertising professionals, creative teams, and all other eligible entrants.

Division eligibility is determined by the entrant or team’s status on the submission deadline.

Team Entries

For team entries, the competition division is determined by the highest-level eligible member of the creative team.

A team including an Open Division participant must enter the Open Division.

A team including a University Division participant and no Open Division participant must enter the University Division.

Only teams composed entirely of Youth Division participants may enter the Youth Division.

Cash Prizes

Youth Division Grand Prix — $500

University Division Grand Prix — $500

Open Division Grand Prix — $500

AIAF 2026 BEST OF FESTIVAL — $1,000

Total guaranteed cash prizes for the 2026 inaugural edition: $2,500.

Cash awards are paid to the winning entrant or designated team representative. For winners under 18, payment will be made to a parent or legal guardian.

AIAF 2026 BEST OF FESTIVAL

Selected finalist films from all three divisions are eligible for AIAF 2026 BEST OF FESTIVAL.

The winner will be determined by live audience voting during the AIAF 2026 Awards Night in Atlanta on December 10, 2026.

Each verified attendee may cast one vote. The film receiving the highest number of valid votes will receive AIAF 2026 BEST OF FESTIVAL and a $1,000 cash prize.