1. Entries are open for participants from across the globe.

2. This is a competitive category and the registrations will be closed on 1st August, 2024, 11:59 PM IST.

3. You can choose any one category during the time of registration and change it anytime before the registrations end. You cannot change your category once the registrations are closed.

4. Participants will get the theme online on IFP’s Instagram as well as on the registered email ID and Whatsapp.

5. All registered participants will receive a Creator’s Agreement along with the theme and upload link in their registered email at the time of the theme announcement. Check out the agreement here.

6. Team members will get the theme online on IFP’s Instagram as well as on the registered Team Leader’s Email ID and SMS/Whatsapp.

7. The compulsory element will be given at the beginning of the challenge. The short script/pilot/short story/think-piece has to adhere to the theme, chosen category, and the compulsory elements.

8.  Your submission has to be in the following format
Short Script

      - First Page: Title, writer’s name, city and Creator ID
      - Second Page: Synopsis up to 100 words
      - Third Page: Your Script - This should be of a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 8 pages excluding the above two pages.

Mini Series

- First Page: Title, writer’s name, city and Creator ID
- Second Page: Synopsis of the mini series up to 100 words
- Third Page: Your Script - This should start with the pilot of your episode maximum of 7 pages excluding the above two pages.
- Followed by - Synopsis of the further four episodes, up to 100 words per episode + Description of the lead + supporting characters in 100 words each. 

Short Story

      - First Page: Title, writer’s name, city and Creator ID
      - Second Page: Synopsis up to 100 words
      - Third Page: Your Story - This should be of a maximum of 1000 words, not exceeding two pages.

Think Piece

      - First Page: Title, writer’s name, city and Creator ID
      - Second Page: Summary up to 100 words
      - Third Page: Your Piece - This should be of a minimum of 1000 words to a maximum of 3000 words.

9. Entire Short script/ Mini Series/Short Story/ Think - Piece should be typed in Courier font and in the font size 12. The Short script/Mini Series/Short Story/ Think - Piece should be converted into PDF before submission. The file size limit is 5MB. (Download Short Script Sample from here) (Download Short Story Sample from here) (Download the Think- Piece Sample here) (Download the Mini Series Sample here)

10. Language:

  - Scriptwriting(Short Script, Mini Series) - The script should be written in English. The dialogues of the script can be in any language, but it should be accompanied by English translations in brackets below the dialogue. In such cases, the script can exceed up to 2 additional pages.

  - Short Story - The story should be written in English. If there are any parts of the story that contain language other than English, they should be accompanied by english translations in brackets. In such cases, the story can exceed up to 1 additional page.

  - Think Piece - The Think Piece should be written in English. If there are any parts that contain language other than English, they should be accompanied by English translations in brackets. Think Piece should be accompanied by citations in brackets wherever needed. In such cases, the written piece can go up to an additional 500 words.

11. Evaluation Criteria:
  - For Short Script/Mini Series/Short Story - Your submission will be evaluated on the following criteria. - Plot/storyline, structure, character development and adherence to the theme.
  - For Think Piece - Your submission will be evaluated on research & analysis, structure & flow, grammatically sound and personal statement.
Make sure that you pay attention to these points

12. For the Think Piece, we allow up to 13% of plagiarism. Any submission, if found plagiarised beyond 13%, the piece will be disqualified. Plagiarism can be checked on the QuillBot, Plagiarism Checker, EasyBib, Scribbr, etc.

13. The submitted scripts will be restricted to the jury and the pre-jury of the challenge only and shall not be shared with any other party without your consent.

14. The scripts cannot be shared or uploaded publicly until the results are announced at the festival.

15. IFP and IFP Parties may, in their sole discretion, disqualify scripts deemed to be inappropriate or otherwise non – compliant.

16. Scripts containing prohibited or inappropriate content as determined by IFP, in its sole discretion, will be disqualified.

17. This challenge is strictly for individual participants; no team entries are allowed. Each participant will receive an e-certificate from IFP.

18. once participation is confirmed, refunds will not be issued. 

Q. How much time do I have to write a short script/mini series/short story/think piece?
A. You will receive the theme on Friday, Aug 02, 8pm IST and you will have to upload the submission before Sunday, Aug 04, 10pm IST. You will have 50 Hours in all to write.

Q. I am not from India. Can I participate?
A. Ofcourse. Yes! IFP welcomes entries from around the globe.

Q. Is there a registration fee?
A. Yes, there is a registration fee of INR 1000 (USD 15). The payment is to be made online to confirm your registration. You will receive a unique Creator ID once the registration is confirmed.

Q. What is the evaluation criteria?
A. For Short script/Mini Series/Short Story - Your submission will be evaluated on the following criteria. - Plot/storyline, structure, character development and adherence to the theme.
For Think Piece - Your submission will be evaluated on research & analysis, structure & flow, grammatically sound and personal statement. Make sure that you pay attention to these points.

Q. Should my script/mini series/short story/think piece revolve around or be based on the compulsory element?
A. No. Compulsory element should be a part of your short script/mini series/short story/think piece, but it should not necessarily be the central part of it.

Q. If my short script/mini series/short story/think piece is not selected, can I use it?
A. Yes, if the short script/mini series/ short story/ think piece is not selected, the copyright of that remains with you and you can use it for whatever purpose.

Q. Can I write the think piece in another language?
A. The think piece must be written in English only. However, you can add a quote or a word in another language. You must provide the translations in brackets after the sentence.

Q. Can I use more than one genre?
A. No. You can only use one genre.

Q. Who will judge my submission?
A. The short script, mini series, short story and think piece are judged by an eminent pre-jury and jury with tremendous industry experience.

Q, How long should my pilot episode be for the mini series?
A. It should be of minimum 5 pages and maximum of 7 pages long.

Q. What format should the file of the short script/mini series/short story/think piece be uploaded?
A. The file should be uploaded in the PDF format, no larger than 5MB

Q. If the dialogues in the script are in a different language, which language do we type it in?
A. The dialogues can be written in your choice of language. However, their translation in english needs to be written in the line below in brackets.

Q. Can there be more than one writer of the short script/mini series/short story/think piece?
A. No, it has to be only one writer.

Q. Do I need to sign a Creator’s Agreement?
A. Yes. Everyone who participates in the challenge needs to sign a creator’s agreement. The agreement will help protect your rights as a creator and our rights as a platform.

Q. I am a participant from out of India. What standard time should I follow for the challenge?
A. The standard time for the challenge will be Indian Standard Time.

Q. How do I submit my Short script/Mini Series/Short Story/Think Piece?
At the beginning of the challenge, you will receive an email with the theme as well as the link to upload your submission.

Q. Is it an online challenge or do I need to come anywhere/Mumbai?
A. The challenge is completely online. You can participate from the comfort of your home and submit through the submission form.

Q. What happens after I’ve submitted my work?
A. If you are nominated, you’ll receive an email for the same and will have to be present at the award ceremony for the final results at the IFP Festival which happens in Mumbai. If you’re not nominated, you can still attend the award ceremony and cheer for the winners.