Official Rules — AIAF 2026 Inaugural Edition

These Official Rules govern the four official Atlanta AI Ad Fest AIAF 2026 Brand Exclusive Tracks. The Creative Brief 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 November 22, 2026.

Timeline (US Eastern): registration opens September 15, 2026; deadline October 25, 2026; finalists November 10, 2026; AIAF 2026 Awards Night November 22, 2026 in Atlanta. Finalist Screening · Awards Ceremony. Atlanta, Georgia · Venue to be announced.

資格、計測争議、授賞に関するAIAFの決定は最終。クリエイティブ領域と制約の詳細はクリエイティブ・ブリーフ参照。問い合わせ：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 5,000 complimentary Bloomway Sparks (Credits).

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 5,000 complimentary Sparks (Credits) through the official Bloomway AIAF Creator Support page after completing paid registration. 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.

Official Brand Exclusive Track Requirement

Every AIAF 2026 competition entry must respond to one of the four official Brand Briefs published by AIAF.

Entries created for brands outside the four official AIAF 2026 Brand Exclusive Tracks are not eligible for competition judging.

Entrants must follow the creative brief, brand guidelines, required hashtags, and submission requirements associated with their selected Brand Exclusive Track.

Credit & Copyright

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

Copyright in each submitted film is owned jointly by Atlanta AI Ad Fest (AIAF) and the brand party featured within the work (including any Featured Brand Partner or other brand depicted), as applicable. Creators grant AIAF the rights necessary to operate the festival, exhibit, promote, and archive the work with proper credit.

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 November 22, 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.