Submission Guidelines:

This festival is open to all youth ages 7 - 25.

  • Residents outside of Cape Cod are welcome to apply.

  • Categories include Narrative (Drama, Comedy, or SciFi), Animation, Documentary and Music Video.

  • Filmmakers will be divided into 3 age groups:  7-13, 14-18, 19-25.

  • Only one film per filmmaker is allowed. Choose your best work!

  • Group submissions such as school projects or team efforts should be submitted under one director’s name.

  • Minimum 1 minute, maximum 5 minutes running time.

  • Films must adhere to G or PG rating standards.

  • All films must be submitted with a title and credits.

  • Any music recordings in the film must be original work and/or included with permission by the songwriter or license holder, OR available copyright-free from the public domain. Inclusion of unlicensed music will automatically disqualify your film from consideration.

  • Filmmakers under the age of 18 must have parental consent for their work to be shown in the festival. Release forms will be sent to all accepted filmmakers and must be signed and returned for their film to be included in the final program.

  • In the event that more qualified films are submitted than the program running time will allow, finalists will be chosen and Cape residents will be given priority.

Live festival screening date: August 2023. Date & Location TBA!

Recognition and cash prizes will be awarded for aptitude in screenplay/writing, editing, cinematography and originality/creativity. 

Questions about any of the above? We’re here to help! Email rowan@wellfleetpreservationhall.org if you need help understanding the guidelines, or input on how to insure your film qualifies for the festival.

About WYFF:

The Wellfleet Youth Film Festival is designed to encourage and promote a challenging, fun and exciting creative outlet for young people from all backgrounds. For those who wish to pursue the craft of filmmaking, this festival provides a great opportunity for gaining real-world experience. Recognition of exceptional work will be given via awards, however this festival is not a competitive contest and therefore we welcome a diverse range of skill levels. Our goal is to create an opportunity for all youth to explore and develop their creative and artistic abilities, to express their unique selves, to provide support and feedback to one another, and to enjoy the rewards of seeing their project through to completion. Someone once said, “A good film is a finished film”. So…let’s make some movies!

This program is sponsored by the Harvey & Pamela Geiger Charitable Fund, Cape Cod 5 and the Massachusetts Cultural Council