Submission Rules & Eligibility
Last updated: 29 June 2026
These Submission Rules & Eligibility terms ("Rules") apply to every film and screenplay submitted to Liverpool Indie Awards (the "Festival", "we", "us", "our"). The Festival is operated by THREE OH FIVE LTD, a company registered in Gibraltar, with its registered office at G02, Eurocity, Gibraltar, GX11 1AA (Company Registration Number: 125450). You can reach us any time at info@liverpoolindieawards.com.
By submitting an entry through liverpoolindieawards.com, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to these Rules, our Refund & Withdrawal Policy, our Rights & Intellectual Property terms, and our Privacy Policy. Please read them carefully — especially Section 13 on the 14-day cancellation right and your consent for judging to begin immediately, as this affects your ability to obtain a refund.
Welcome, and thank you for trusting us with your work. We know how much goes into a film or a script. These Rules are here to set clear, fair expectations so you always know exactly what you're agreeing to — and what we will and won't do with your work.
1. Who can enter
- Entries are open to filmmakers, directors, producers, screenwriters and other rights-holders worldwide who are aged 18 or over.
- Entrants under 18. If the person who created the work is under 18, the entry must be made and the fee paid by a parent or legal guardian, who becomes the entrant, enters into the contract with us, and accepts these Rules and the warranties and indemnity in Section 9 on the young person's behalf. We do not knowingly accept entries or collect personal data directly from anyone under 18 (see our Privacy Policy).
- You may enter as an individual, a team, a production company or on behalf of a rights-holder, provided you are authorised to do so.
- You must own, or have fully cleared, all rights in the work you submit (see Section 9 and our separate Rights & Intellectual Property terms).
- There is no requirement to attend the live event in person, although selected entrants are warmly encouraged to join us in Liverpool.
2. Categories, fees and pricing
The Festival is a juried film and screenwriting festival with a wide range of award categories. When you submit on this website, you choose your categories from the family that matches your work:
- Film Awards — for films of every kind: the main Award Categories (features, shorts and super-shorts, documentaries, animation, experimental, music videos, trailers, web series, mobile-phone, student and first-time-filmmaker awards), Genre Awards (horror, action, sci-fi, LGBTQ+, inspirational and more) and Craft & Performance Awards (directing, acting, producing, cinematography, editing, production design, sound and visual effects).
- Screenplay Awards — for scripts: feature, short and super-short scripts, TV series and pilots, genre scripts (drama, comedy, horror, action) and general screenwriting.
- Optional Special Programs — paid extras you can add to a submission at checkout, described in Section 11: the Industry Network Pitch and the Official Jury Review (an Official Jury Film Review when you submit a film, or an Official Jury Screenplay Review when you submit a screenplay).
You may enter the same work into more than one category where it is eligible. Each entry into each category requires its own entry fee.
Where to find the full category list. For the complete, up-to-date list of award categories and what each one accepts, see our festival profile on FilmFreeway, where you can also read reviews from past entrants:
Important — fees. The entry fees on this website are set independently and may be different from the fees shown on FilmFreeway. The price you pay is always the price shown at checkout on this website.
Fees rise as the season progresses. Entry fees move up through a series of deadline tiers (see Section 3), so the earlier you enter, the lower the fee. The fee that applies to your entry is the one live at the moment you complete your submission and payment, as shown at checkout.
Currency and total price. All fees are charged in US dollars (USD) through Stripe (cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay supported). We use USD because the Festival draws entrants from all over the world, and a single international currency keeps pricing consistent for everyone. Before you pay, the checkout will always show you the full total payable in USD, including any applicable taxes. If your bank or card issuer applies a currency conversion or foreign-transaction fee, that is set by them and is outside our control. Your card details are handled securely by Stripe and never reach the Festival's own servers.
3. Season dates, deadlines and changes
Submissions are accepted across a series of deadline tiers through the festival season, each carrying a higher fee than the last. We keep the current opening and deadline dates up to date on our FilmFreeway profile rather than duplicating them here (so there is only ever one place to check):
Each deadline date is moved at most once per season. The fee tier that applies to your entry is always the one live when you submit and pay, as shown at checkout on this website.
Minor changes vs. material changes. A change of date, a venue within Liverpool, or an adjustment to the programme is a normal scheduling matter and does not entitle you to a refund. If something beyond our reasonable control (for example a cyber-attack, loss of our platform or venue, or another force majeure event) prevents the festival from going ahead, we will first try to keep the service going another way (continue judging, publish results online, and move or reschedule the screening) rather than cancel — and any refund is then limited to entries not yet judged. If we make a material change to the core service you paid for — for example, if a selected work loses its live in-person screening entirely (such as a move to online-only) — you will be offered a fair remedy in proportion to the part that changed (such as a partial refund for the lost screening, or transferring your entry), as set out in our Refund & Withdrawal Policy. Nothing in these Rules removes your statutory consumer rights where the service is not as described (see Section 13).
4. Language requirement
All entries must be in English, or include English subtitles (for films) / be written in English (for screenplays). Films without clear, accurate English subtitles where required, and non-English scripts, may be ruled ineligible.
5. How to deliver your entry
Both films and screenplays are delivered as a private link that our jury can access for the whole judging period. Send whatever is easiest for you:
- a view-only / streaming link (preferred) — for example an unlisted Vimeo or YouTube link (add a password if you wish), or a Google Drive / Dropbox set to view-only; or
- a downloadable link (the fallback for either format) — for example Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer.
Screenplays should be a PDF, Final Draft (.fdx) or Word (.doc/.docx) file. The link just needs to stay live and accessible (and any password must stay valid) throughout judging.
It is your responsibility to make sure your link works, opens correctly, and is accessible to our jury for the full judging period. Broken, expired or inaccessible links may result in your entry being treated as incomplete (see Section 10).
We delete your files when they're no longer needed. Anything you send us is used only for judging and the festival. If we download a copy of your film or script, we securely delete it once that season's judging and live event are over (kept a little longer only for officially selected/screened works, or where the law requires). See our Rights & Intellectual Property terms and Privacy Policy.
6. Format and eligibility notes by family
The following are the general bands. Where a specific category states a different limit, the category-specific limit applies.
- Feature films — more than 35 minutes of runtime.
- Short films (including short documentaries, animation, experimental and genre shorts) — 11 to 35 minutes.
- Super short films — less than 11 minutes.
- Feature screenplays — more than 40 pages.
- Short screenplays — 11 to 40 pages.
- Super short screenplays — less than 11 pages.
- TV series / pilots — a single pilot or episode (film or screenplay).
- Official Jury Film Review — the film must be no longer than 45 minutes in runtime (see Section 11).
- Official Jury Screenplay Review — available for screenplays of any length (see Section 11).
Works in progress are welcome unless a category states otherwise, but they are judged as submitted.
7. Updating an entry, or changing category
Mistakes happen, and plans change. Before judging begins for your category, you may ask us to update or correct your entry — for example, to swap in a new cut, replace a screener link or password, send a revised script, or fix a title, logline or contact detail.
If you would like to move your work into a different category, just email us and we will update it for you and note the change on your entry.
To make any change, email info@liverpoolindieawards.com from the address used to submit, with your entry details and the change requested. We will do our best to apply reasonable changes promptly. Once your category has entered active jury evaluation, we may no longer be able to make changes. Updates do not change the fee you have already paid or the deadline tier that applied to your entry.
8. Judging, status updates and results
- Entries are evaluated by the Festival's jury against the standards of the category entered. We aim to judge every eligible, complete entry fairly, and decisions of the jury are final.
- We may share interim or initial status updates about your entry at various points across the festival season — so you may hear from us about where your entry stands at any time during the season.
- Award Winners are announced only at the Live Event in Liverpool, UK, where selected works are screened and winners receive awards and laurels.
- If you are unable to attend, the full results are published on our website no later than 7 days after the Live Event.
- Selection and screening are subject to the limited, non-exclusive promotional licence described in our Rights & Intellectual Property terms — your ownership and copyright never transfer to us.
Please whitelist our email address. All status updates, results and festival announcements are sent by email from info@liverpoolindieawards.com. Please add this address to your contacts / safe-senders list so our messages don't get caught by spam filters — the important emails about your entry and your results all come from here.
9. Your warranties
When you submit, you confirm and warrant that:
- you own, or have obtained, all rights, permissions, clearances and consents needed for the work and everything in it — including music, footage, images, performances and any identifiable people or likenesses;
- the work does not infringe anyone's copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other rights, and is not defamatory or unlawful; and
- all information you give us about the entry is true and accurate.
You agree to indemnify the Festival and THREE OH FIVE LTD against any reasonable claims, losses, damages and costs arising directly from a breach of these warranties. Full IP terms — including the only licence you grant us — are set out in our separate Rights & Intellectual Property page.
10. Disqualification — without refund
The Festival may, at its reasonable discretion, disqualify or refuse any entry that is ineligible, incomplete, inaccessible, or based on false or misleading information, including entries that breach these Rules or the warranties in Section 9.
Disqualification on these grounds does not entitle you to a refund, because the issue arises from the entry itself rather than from any failure on our part (and without prejudice to your statutory rights in Section 13). Where reasonably possible, we will let you know if your entry is at risk so you have a chance to fix it before judging.
11. Special Programs
Two optional programs sit alongside the standard award categories.
Industry Network Pitch
The Industry Network Pitch gives your project its own spotlight in our Industry Network showcase — featured on the Festival's website (and shared across our channels, including Instagram), where it can be seen by the filmmakers, producers, distributors, programmers and other industry professionals who follow and visit the Festival. It is a way to put your project — and the contact details or links you choose to include — in front of that audience and create the opportunity to be discovered. It is an exposure and visibility opportunity, and is not a guarantee of representation, financing, distribution or any particular outcome.
Because this program publishes information about your project, it is opt-in only — you choose it at checkout and give a short acknowledgement first, to the following effect:
I am choosing to enter the Industry Network Pitch. I understand that the project information I provide (such as the title, logline/synopsis, a still or poster, and any contact details or links I choose to include) will be published in the Festival's Industry Network showcase on its website and may be shared on its social channels (such as Instagram). I understand this is for visibility and exposure only, does not transfer any ownership of my work or grant any of the rights excluded in the Rights & Intellectual Property terms, and is not a guarantee of any outcome.
You decide what project details, contact information and links to include in your showcase entry — only the information you provide for this purpose is published. Your film or script itself is never published as part of this program; the showcase displays the details you choose to share. If you do not enter this program, none of your details are showcased.
Official Jury Review
This optional program gives you a guaranteed written critique (typically 2–3 pages) from our jury, independent of the competition. It comes in two forms, depending on what you submit:
- the Official Jury Film Review, when you submit a film — the film must be no longer than 45 minutes in runtime; and
- the Official Jury Screenplay Review, when you submit a screenplay — available for screenplays of any length.
Please note:
- the feedback is independent of competition results — receiving a review neither helps nor harms your standing in any award category, and is not a substitute for it;
- because the critique itself is the paid deliverable, full fee waivers are not available for this program, and promo codes of more than 50% cannot be applied to it.
12. Non-exclusivity and code of conduct
Non-exclusive. Entering the Festival is non-exclusive. You are completely free to submit the same work to other festivals, competitions, markets or platforms at the same time. Nothing here stops you from screening, selling, distributing or exploiting your own work however you wish.
Code of conduct. We want this to be a respectful, professional experience for everyone. By entering, you agree to:
- treat our team, jurors, partners and fellow entrants with courtesy and respect;
- submit only your own work, or work you are authorised to submit, honestly described;
- avoid any attempt to mislead, pressure or improperly influence the jury or staff; and
- behave appropriately at the live event and in all communications with us.
We may remove or disqualify entries, and decline future submissions, from anyone who behaves abusively, dishonestly or unlawfully.
13. Fees, your 14-day cancellation right, and your consent for judging to begin immediately
Entry fees are non-refundable, except as set out below and in our Refund & Withdrawal Policy. You may withdraw your entry from judging at any time, but withdrawing does not, by itself, trigger a refund. The goodwill exceptions (an obvious duplicate or accidental double payment, and certain situations where the festival cannot go ahead due to circumstances beyond our control — where any refund is limited to entries not yet judged), the material-change remedy (Section 3), and your statutory rights are all explained in full in our separate Refund & Withdrawal Policy.
Your consumer cooling-off right — and early performance. Under Gibraltar / UK and EU consumer law, when you buy a service online you normally have a 14-day "cooling-off" period during which you could cancel. The law also lets you ask us to start the service straight away, before that period ends — and we do begin straight away, because judging means reviewing, processing and evaluating your entry without waiting two weeks.
To make this clear and fair, we ask you to expressly consent at checkout, by ticking the required box before payment. The box says, in substance:
I expressly request that the Festival begins the entry and judging/evaluation service immediately, before the end of my 14-day cancellation period. I understand and acknowledge that I will lose my right to cancel for a refund once the service has been FULLY PERFORMED (when judging of my entry is complete and my result has been issued). I understand that if I cancel within the 14-day period while judging is still in progress, I will be charged a proportionate amount for the assessment and administration already carried out, and the rest will be refunded. I acknowledge that, after my 14-day period ends or after full performance (whichever is first), my entry fee is non-refundable except as described in the Refund & Withdrawal Policy.
By ticking that box and completing payment, you give that express consent and acknowledgement. We will confirm this in your order-confirmation email (a durable record you can keep), restating that you asked us to begin early and acknowledged how and when the cancellation right is lost. If you do not agree, please do not complete your submission, and contact us before paying.
What this means in practice:
- If you cancel within 14 days while judging is still in progress (the service is only partly done), you keep your cancellation right. You will be charged only a proportionate amount for the assessment and administration we have already carried out on your entry, and we will refund the balance.
- Once the service has been fully performed — that is, once judging of your entry is complete and your result has been issued — the cancellation right is exhausted and the entry fee is non-refundable, except for the goodwill exceptions and your statutory rights.
- More than 14 days after you submitted — your statutory 14-day cancellation period has ended, and from that point your entry fee is non-refundable (subject to the goodwill exceptions and your statutory rights), whether or not judging of your particular entry has taken place yet.
Your statutory rights are not affected. Nothing in these Rules removes the rights you have as a consumer — including your rights if we fail to provide the service, or do not carry it out with reasonable care and skill. Where these Rules are narrower than your legal rights, your legal rights take precedence. See Section 5 of the Refund & Withdrawal Policy.
14. Changes to these Rules
We may update these Rules from time to time — for example, if dates change or to keep them accurate and compliant. The version that applies to your entry is the one published when you submit. We will always show a current "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
15. Contact and legal entity
Liverpool Indie Awards is a trading name of:
THREE OH FIVE LTD
G02, Eurocity, Gibraltar, GX11 1AA
Company Registration Number: 125450
Email: info@liverpoolindieawards.com
Website: liverpoolindieawards.com
If you have any questions about these Rules or your entry, please email us — we aim to reply within a few working days, and we're happy to help.