Terms and conditions

1. The organiser

The festival is organised by MCG ("MCG", "we", "us") in collaboration with NEXUS. Questions about these terms: aifilmfestival@mcgmasters.com.

2. Who can enter

• Entry is free and open to individuals of any nationality who live in Kuwait and are 18 or older on the day they submit.
• You can enter alone or as a team of up to 3 people. The person who submits is the team lead and must have every member’s agreement to enter and to these terms.
• Each person can submit up to 2 films. A person can be part of more than one team, but the limit counts against the person who submits.
• Employees of MCG and NEXUS, members of the jury, and their immediate families cannot enter.
• We may ask for proof of age and residence (for example, a Civil ID) before awarding a prize.

3. Entry period

Submissions open on 29 October 2026 and close on 16 November 2026 at 11:59 PM Kuwait time. Entries received after the deadline will not be accepted. The time recorded by our system is final.

4. How to enter

1. Upload your film to YouTube as Unlisted or Public and submit the link through the form at aifilm.mcgmasters.com, with all required details. Keep the video available until the winners are announced.
2. Post the film on Instagram from a public account, tagging @mcgroupkw and @nexustechkw and using MCGAIFilmFest, and include the link to that post in the form. Keep the post public until the winners are announced.

An entry is complete only when you see an entry number on screen. Entries cannot be edited after submission. If you need to correct something, contact us before the deadline.

5. Film requirements

• Maximum length 30 seconds, including titles and credits.
• Vertical 9:16, 1080 × 1920 or higher. Official Selection entrants must send the original file (MP4 or MOV) within 48 hours of our request.
• Any language. Any dialogue or voiceover that is not in English must have burned-in English subtitles.
• No AI-tool watermarks.
• The film must respond to this year’s brief: Kuwait: Then. Now. Next.

6. Use of AI

• Any AI tools may be used. At least 80% of what appears on screen must be AI-generated.
• Editing, colour, sound design and typography done by hand are allowed.
• You must follow the terms of service of every tool you use, including any rules on commercial use.
• Keep your prompts, generations and project files. Shortlisted entrants must provide proof of their process within 48 hours of our request. If you cannot, your film may be disqualified.

7. Content rules

Your film must:

• be your original work, made for this festival, and not published, broadcast or awarded before the festival opens (posting it on YouTube or Instagram for this festival is fine);
• not show real, identifiable people without their written consent, and never public figures, officials or celebrities, including through deepfakes or voice cloning;
• not use copyrighted characters, brands, logos, film footage or music unless you hold the rights;
• respect Kuwaiti law, public morals and religious values, and contain no political, sectarian, discriminatory, violent, sexual or offensive content;
• show national symbols, including the flag and the Amiri emblem, with respect.

We decide whether a film meets these rules. We may disqualify any entry that does not, at any stage, including after a prize has been announced.

8. Judging

Every eligible film is scored by the jury, a team from MCG and NEXUS, on four criteria: story and concept (30%), brief and meaning (25%), AI craft (25%) and originality (20%).

The 10 highest-scoring films form the Official Selection, announced on 22 November 2026. The top 3 are announced at NEXUS, The Arena Kuwait, 27 November 2026. Jury decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into about scores.

9. Prizes

• 1st place KD 500, 2nd place KD 300, 3rd place KD 200.
• Official Selection films are screened at NEXUS and receive a digital laurel. Every eligible entrant receives a certificate of participation by email.
• Cash prizes are paid by bank transfer to an account in the winner’s name in Kuwait, within 30 days of the finale, after we have verified eligibility.
• For team entries, the prize is paid to the team lead, who is responsible for sharing it with the team.
• Prizes cannot be transferred or exchanged. If a winner is ineligible, cannot be verified, or does not respond within 7 days of being contacted, we may award the prize to the next-ranked film.
• Winners are asked to attend the announcement at NEXUS. Not attending does not cancel the prize.

10. Your rights and the licence you give us

You keep ownership of your film. By entering, you give MCG and NEXUS a free, non-exclusive licence, worldwide, for 2 years from the finale, to screen, reproduce, publish, share and make short excerpts of your film, always with credit to you, to run and promote the festival and future editions of it, on any media including social media, websites and live events.

You confirm that you have every right needed to grant this licence, that your film does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that you will cover any claim that arises from content in your film that breaks these terms.

Winners and Official Selection entrants agree that their name, Instagram handle, film title and photographs or video taken at the finale may be used in festival publicity.

11. Privacy

We collect what you give us in the forms: your name, email, WhatsApp number, Instagram handle, date of birth, team members, the link to your film, and answers such as how you heard about the festival. We also store basic campaign information (for example, which ad brought you here).

We use it only to run the festival: to confirm and judge your entry, contact you about it, send the reminders you asked for, verify and pay prize winners, and measure how the festival was promoted. If you opt in, we add you to The AI Club by MCG community.

• We do not sell your data. We share it only with NEXUS, for running the festival, and with the service providers who host the site, store files and send emails and messages for us, under appropriate safeguards.
• We only watch your film through the link you give us. If you send us your original file as a finalist, we keep it only to screen and promote the festival.
• We keep entry data for 12 months after the finale, then delete it, except where we must keep records for prize payments or by law.
• You can ask to see, correct or delete your data, or stop receiving messages, at any time by emailing aifilmfestival@mcgmasters.com. Deleting your data before judging withdraws your entry.

12. General

• We are not responsible for entries that are lost, incomplete or delayed because of technical problems outside our control. Please submit early.
• We may change the dates, prizes or these terms, or pause or cancel the festival, if circumstances outside our control require it. We will announce any change on this site.
• We may disqualify any entrant who tries to manipulate the festival, including by submitting more than the allowed number of entries or by giving false information.
• These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Kuwait, and the courts of Kuwait have exclusive jurisdiction.
• If there is any difference between the English and Arabic versions, the Arabic version prevails.