• The deadline is August 31, 2016
• Submissions received after that date will not be included in the competition.
• Your film should be related to some aspect of being a Sikh
• Film Legnth, Maximum 25 Minutes.
• Submissions must be shot in 720×480 (or a comparable resolution) or higher, and output in the same quality. If possible please make the film in HD or even 4k. NOTE: video that is captured in a lower resolution and output in a higher resolution do not qualify.
• For junior and intermediate divisions only –  The project must be the creative work of the contestant. In order to ensure a fair competition recording and editing should be done by contestant or other qualifying youth and not by another professional or someone over 28 years of age. You can get advice from adults but the work must be done by the youth involved.
• People of any age may act and be recorded in the video.
• Winners will be announced in September and featured on SikhNet.com
• You must provide signed release, if under 18, the entrant’s parent or legal guardian must also sign the release.
• The SikhNet Online Youth Film Festival reserves the right to disqualify any submission for profanity, gratuitous violence, discrimination based on religion, race or gender, inappropriate or politically inflammatory themes.
• SikhNet strongly encourages all filmmakers to use original or copyright free music for their soundtracks, however SikhNet does not enforce that filmmakers use copyright free music. SikhNet features all films on Youtube which does enforce copyrighted music and will remove videos on those grounds. Films created for SikhNet are seen as non-profit educational projects. Using copyrighted music can greatly reduce your opportunities for further distribution or broadcast so it is best to use music that is original or in the public domain.
• A maximum of 3 individuals can be listed as directors in the film registration. Additional people helping can be credited in the movie. An individual photo is required of all directors (no group photos).
• During registration, a photo of the director(s) is required. The required size is min. 800×600, no maximum size. Acceptable formats: jpg, jpeg, bmp, gif, png, tif. This photo should be a clear view of the entire face, and preferably have space around the head and shoulders. This photo should not be a full body shot.
• Entrants must comply with all rules to be eligible for the prizes.
• While all due care and attention will be exercised, the SikhNet cannot accept or assume responsibility for damage or loss of materials submitted, either while in possession by SikhNet and/or its staff, or while on route through the mail or internet.
• By submitting your film to the festival, you are granting SikhNet non-exclusive rights to use your film and images therefrom for the non-profit purposes of exhibition, promotion, fundraising and education. Filmmakers should make their actors aware of this.
• By submitting your film(s) or video(s) to SikhNet, you understand that they/it may be shown in a public venue and/or distributed on SikhNet.com, and possibly available for download freely.
• By submitting your film(s) or video(s) to SikhNet, you understand that they/it may be featured on a DVD.
• By submitting your film(s) or video(s) to SikhNet you, the filmmaker, acknowledge that you have taken the necessary steps to comply with the Fair Use Guidelines For Educational Multimedia and that all sources, musical and otherwise, are adequately credited on screen.
• Videos must meet a certain quality standard. SikhNet reserves the right to decide which videos are featured and entered into the SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival.
• If your video contains Punjabi dialogue (or non English language) you will need to submit an English sub-title file with the film so that those that don’t understand the language can enjoy it as well. File type: srt. more info
• Films may be disqualified from awards if they are directly or indirectly promoting an existing organization. However they can still be accepted for viewing on the film festival.

Guidelines:

Video Format

• MPEG-4 / H.264 (.mp4 )
• MPEG-2 Video File (.mpg)
• Apple Quicktime (.mov )
• Windows Media  (.wmv)
• AVI (.avi) – The file size of this will normally be very large so better to only use this format if you have no other option.

Video Dimensions Size

Please output your video at whatever original size you recorded it in, with a minimum size of around 720×480. High Definition quality preferred (720p or 1080p).

English Subtitles

If your video contains Punjabi dialog (or non English language) please make sure that you create subtitles so that those that don’t understand the language can enjoy it as well. Read these details on how you can create a subtitle file to go with your video. When you upload your video, upload the finished subtitles file with the same file name as your video. We currently support a simple caption format that is compatible with the formats known as SubViewer (*.SUB) and SubRip (*.SRT).

Video File Name

IMPORTANT: Change the file name of your video file to include the name and email address that you registered with. We need to know WHO made the video, so that can match it to your registration. (example file name: “Video Title – Harjinder Singh – [email protected]″)

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