The call for applications to Berlinale Talents 2027 – the talent development programme of the Berlin International Film Festival – has opened. Berlinale Talents is aimed at filmmakers, series and XR content creators with with an existing track record of work. Every year in February, Berlin becomes the home for filmmakers and industry representatives alike who attend the Berlinale programme sections and the European Film Market to present their latest work. With links to both the business and artistic components of the festival, the Summit of Berlinale Talents is a six-day onsite event in presence of everyone invited (12th-17th February 2027).

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Vienna Business Agency has opened the call for proposals for the Content Vienna 2026 – Competition For Digital Design. Are you developing an innovative game, working on a creative XR application, exploring new paths with AI or blockchain, or creating digital formats that reach and move people? Content Vienna supports your ideas. Five creative digital projects currently in development will be awarded production grants of €10,000 each. This year, a special prize of €10,000 on the topic of “Digital Design for Health” will also be awarded for digital projects in the healthcare sector.

Read more about Content Vienna 2026 – Competition For Digital Design on Contest Watchers.

Pinata Foundation is hosting the 3rd International Digital Art Biennial „THE ONE”, dedicated to the future of our planet. The competition accepts works by professional artists and art students from around the world, created using digital techniques, in two categories: Graphics (digital graphics, digital painting, digital collage, digital drawing) and Video (videos no longer than 3 minutes and animations). The aim of the competition is to present the most interesting works during the exhibitions and select award winners.

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Anima 2027, the Brussels Animation Film Festival, has opened the call for entries to its selection programmes for the 46th edition of the festival. The Festival seeks to promote animated films from all over the world and encourage dialogue between professionals, filmmakers and the public. The winner of the Anima 2027 Grand Prix will automatically be included on the Academy Award® longlist in the Best Animated Short Film category. British short films selected in one of our competitions are also eligible for the BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation.

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Ten Scary Minutes – the horror movie making contest is about to open for entries for 2026 as part of its 14th annual event. You are invited to create a ten minute or less, horror movie. With the exceptional video recording capabilities of smartphones, the advent of high quality POV cameras, (at this time 360 immersive video is not supported), and the many user-friendly video editing options like I-Movie, Movie Maker etc., the organizers decided to have a little fun and challenge you to a horror movie contest. The challenge — you create a short, (up to), ten minute horror movie. It may be Gothic scary, like Hitchcock, shock scary, mock scary or outright B-movie campy! The idea is to take that cool smartphone or action cam, use your imagination and have a little fun! The prize, for first place? A whopping $500 US bucks, (just enough for pizza and beverages), the social “cred” of being tech savvy-cool and maybe your production goes viral. Who knows? Maybe you will be the next movie horror master!

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The International Uranium Film Festival invites filmmakers worldwide to submit their best work for the 2027 edition. The festival accepts productions exploring the complex themes of nuclear power, radioactivity, and the use of radioactive elements, including uranium. From Hiroshima to Fukushima: nuclear war and atomic bomb tests, nuclear disasters like Three Mile Island, Chernobyl or Fukushima, uranium mining, the use of depleted uranium weapons, nuclear waste, radioactive contamination, nuclear medicine, films about nuclear scientists like Marie Curie, Enrico Fermi, Otto Hahn or Albert Einstein. The festival is competitive. The best films receive the Uranium Film Festival trophy.

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Communication Arts has opened the 2027 Illustration Competition, open for new work — first published or produced between January 2026 and January 2027. The Communication Arts Illustration Competition is the most prestigious competition for creativity in illustration. CA’s Award of Excellence is one of the most-coveted awards in the industry. If chosen, winning places you in the highest ranks of your profession.

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Pictoplasma Berlin 2027 is calling for animation submissions for the “Characters In Motion” international screenings. High-grade Characters in animation, narration, music visuals, experimental work or motion graphics, from any part of the world, are eligible. All entered animated short films (experimental, narrative, non-narrative, commissioned, or student films) submitted before February 1 will be considered for the 23rd Pictoplasma festival selection, scheduled to take place in Berlin in May 2027.

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ÉCU – The European Independent Film Festival is calling for submissions for the 22nd edition of the festival. As one of the world’s most recognized independent film festivals in the world, ÉCU embraces innovation and creativity and allows directors in competition to showcase their films to audiences who love and appreciate independent cinema. The Festival is competitive and focuses on original and independent works that demonstrate quality, creativity and innovation across fourteen categories.

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Enter the most prestigious competition for creativity in photography, the Communication Arts Photography Competition — now open for entries for 2027. Any photograph, originating from any country, first published or produced from March 2026 through March 2027 is eligible. Selected by a nationally representative jury of distinguished designers, art directors and photographers, the winning entries will be distributed worldwide in the Communication Arts Photography Annual, in print and digital editions, and on commarts.com, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work. As a service to art directors, designers and art buyers, a comprehensive index will carry contact information of the photographers represented.

Read more about Communication Arts 2027 Photography Competition on Contest Watchers.