Melbourne WebFest

Submission criteria

1. Melbourne WebFest accepts web series from all across the globe.
2. Submitters must be 18 years of age or older.
3. Entries are only accepted via FilmFreeway.
4. Submissions MUST be the intellectual property of the submitter(s) and/or their team, or the submitter(s) must have obtained appropriate licensing rights to use any and all content featured in their series — including music. No proxy submissions are accepted.
5. The series must have a minimum of three (3) episodes available by the end of submissions period 2020. The series does not have to be officially released or publicly available, but it must be available for our selection panel to view at the time of submission.
6. Student submissions are exempt from condition #5 and require a minimum of one (1) episode available by the end of submission period 2020. The series does not have to be officially released or publicly available, but it must be available for our selection panel to view at the time of submission.
7. Series must be viewable by the selection & judging panel and not region locked to any specific country. We accept password protected links from sites, including but not limited to, YouTube & Vimeo or through cloud storage systems, including but not limited to, Dropbox & Google Drive. Entries with links to unviewable content will be asked to provide a more secondary link to episodes. Failure to oblige may result in disqualification. Series must have an option for offline downloading for use in promotional content leading up to the festival.
8. Previous official selections must have produced a minimum of three (3) new episodes to be eligible for consideration.
9. Individual episodes must not exceed 30 minutes.
10. By submitting to Melbourne WebFest, submitters automatically grant Melbourne WebFest a non-exclusive license to use their material for PR and Marketing of the festival.
11. All non-English language works MUST be subtitled.
12. Entrants can submit an unlimited number of projects, but each series require individual submission form and payment.
13. Submitters will be asked to classify their series in one of the following genres: Animation; Comedy; Drama; and Non-Fiction. Melbourne WebFest reserves the right to reclassify a series if it better fits another category.
14. Student productions have the option of submitting for a heavily reduced fee, noting that these submissions are only eligible for the student award if selected for the festival.
15. Official selections, Spotlight selections and student selections, will be announced via the Melbourne WebFest e-newsletter, social media, and the Melbourne WebFest web site. Submitters will be notified of the outcome via FilmFreeway.
16. Decisions by Melbourne WebFest are final.
17. Melbourne WebFest reserves the right to amend the criteria.
18. Entrants are advised to monitor the email address used for submission for any information about Melbourne WebFest and the 2020 Selection. Melbourne WebFest takes no responsibility for any selected entrant not receiving notifications or important information.
19. Selected series must be prepared to send a file for screening at Melbourne WebFest 2020. Guidelines for this step will be emailed shortly after the selection announcement.

Terms and conditions

1. By entering a web series into Melbourne WebFest, the submitter(s) automatically acknowledge that they understand and accept the festival’s guidelines and terms and conditions.
2. By entering a web series into Melbourne WebFest, the submitter(s) automatically grant the festival the rights to use the submitted works and any excerpt thereof for promotional purposes.
3. By entering Melbourne WebFest, submitter(s) confirm that they hold all appropriate rights to the actors, music, etc. By entering, they release the Melbourne WebFest from any claim and all responsibilities relating to or arising from its use of the series.
4. The submitter(s) and their agents agree to indemnify and hold harmless Melbourne WebFest, its advisory board, committee, staff, judges, partners and sponsors from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening web series entered.
5. The submitter(s) acknowledge that entering their work and paying the submission fee does not guarantee selection of the work into the Festival. Submitter(s) agree that they are aware that all series received will be judged by a selection panel whose decision is final. They accept this risk; understand that the entry fee is non-refundable, and that withdrawing entries is not permitted.
6. The onus is on the submitter to ensure their series is available for viewing by the Melbourne WebFest panel and that the submitted material adheres to the submission criteria and terms and conditions.
7. Australian and Victorian laws apply.