Regulations and Awards

About the Festival

Taichung International Animation Festival Short Films Competition is organized by Taichung
Film Development Foundation (TFDF) with the support of the Information Bureau of Taichung
City Government.

1. Eligibility
(1) Open for all animations created by whatever the techniques and medium, the maximum film run time, including credits, should not exceed 25 minutes.
(2) The submitted works must be completed after January 1st, 2022, and must never be entered into the competition in any other versions previously.
(3) To submit “Taiwanese Short Films” and “Taiwanese Student Short Films”, the director must obtain the nationality of Taiwan (R.O.C.) with validated documents, OR more than half of the production cost originated from Taiwan (R.O.C.), OR more than half of the production crew are Taiwan (R.O.C.) nationals with validated documents. (Please refer to Article 5 in Criteria for Differentiating Domestic Motion Pictures and Non-Domestic Motion Pictures legislated by Ministry of Culture R.O.C., revised on Oct 16th, 2015.)
(4) TFDF has the right to ask the submitter to supplement or provide the needed
documentation to clarify the eligibility of the entrant.

2. Competition Categories
(1) To compete, the films should be submitted to the following categories: “Short Films”, “Taiwanese Short Films”, “Student Short Films”, “Taiwanese Student Short Films” and“Children’s Short Films”.
(2) The submitter who applies for “Taiwanese Short Films” can also additionally apply to the “Short Films” category.
(3) The submission which applies for “Student Short Films” should be made by students who are either currently enrolled in schools or were enrolled in the program at the time when it was finished. The submitter who applies for “Taiwanese Student Short Films” can also additionally apply to the “Student Short Films” category.
(4) The jury retains the right to recommend works submitted to“Student Short Films”to“Short Films” and “Children’s Short Films”, as well as recommend “Taiwanese Student Short Films” to “Taiwanese Short Films” and “Children’s Short Films”.
(5) Submission which is submitted to “Children’s Short Films” should be suitable for children and shall not violate any public policy and morals.

3. Jury and Awards
(1)Short Films

• Grand Prix: Prize of 500,000 TWD (Approximately 15,000 USD)
• Jury Distinction: Prize of 100,000 TWD (Approximately 3,000 USD)
• Outstanding Work: Prize of 50,000 TWD (Approximately 1,500 USD, for outstanding technical achievement as selected by the jury)

(2)Taiwanese Short Films

• Grand Prix: Prize of 150,000 TWD (Approximately 4,500 USD)

(3)Student Short Films

• Grand Prix: Prize of 150,000 TWD (Approximately 4,500 USD)
• Jury Distinction: Prize of 100,000 TWD (Approximately 3,000 USD)
• Outstanding Work: Prize of 50,000 TWD (Approximately 1,500 USD, for outstanding technical achievement as selected by the jury)

(4)Taiwanese Student Short Films

• Grand Prix: Prize of 100,000 TWD (Approximately 3,000 USD)
• Best Technology Award: Prize of 50,000 TWD (Approximately 1,500 USD)
• Best Fine Art Award: Prize of 50,000 TWD (Approximately 1,500 USD)
• Best Storytelling Award: Prize of 50,000 TWD (Approximately 1,500 USD)

(5)Popular Award

• Children’s Choice Award: Chosen by popular votes,no cash prize
• Audience Award: Chosen by popular votes,no cash prize

【Note】
(1) All cash prize must comply with the taxation laws of Taiwan (R.O.C.), and withhold tax of the payment according to the laws (For individuals who are residents of Taiwan (R.O.C.) or residents who hold a profit-seeking enterprise with a fixed place, 10% of the full payment of the prizes or payment from contests and games won by chance is withheld. For individuals who are non-residents of Taiwan (R.O.C.) or ones without a fixed place of profit-seeking enterprise, 20% of the payment is withheld.).
(2) If there is more than one receiver to the same prize, the cash prize shall be divided equally among the receivers.
(3) If the entrant is an independent production, the award receiver will be the director; if the film is produced by a production company, the award receiver will be the director and the main production company.
(4) If there is a dispute upon the qualification of the work, TFDF reserves the right to disqualify the work. The prize will be withheld until the dispute is settled.

4. Submissions
(1) The deadline for submission is Friday, June 30th, 2023. All applicants are required to complete an online application form on the competition website twtiaf.com/2022rg, and the application must contain the following materials:
   A. 1 photograph of the director(s). (300dpi or above, in.JPG format)
   B. 3 film stills. (300dpi or above, in JPG format)
   C. Except for films with no dialogue, all of the films with dialogue or narration in any languages should have English subtitles. Films with dialogue or narration in Chinese should be subtitled in both English and Chinese, and provide a time - coded text of the dialogue or narration in SRT, DOC, DOCX, or TXT format.
   D. 1 weblink of the full film. (Please upload the film to the website or cloud
storage which is available in both online viewing and downloadable
formats, or submit the film through Filmfreeway.)
(2) The submission format must be in MOV (ProRes 422) or MP4 (Video Codec: H.264), resolution 1920✕1080 or above.
(3) For the duration of submitted weblink of the full film, please make it available until
October 31st , 2023.
(4) If the registration is submitted under the name of the company, the submitter should be either the production company, the presenting company, or the distribution company. If it is submitted under the name of an individual, the submitter should be the director or producer of the registered film. If not, a Power of Attorney and relevant supporting documents from the copyright owner is required (please refer to the attachment) for the TFDF to retain for future reference.

【Note】
(1) There is NO registration fee for the competition.
(2) The jury decision will be made on completed films only. Unfinished films (work in progress) will not be taken into consideration.

5. Film Selection
(1) Official selections will be chosen by TFDF in collaboration with selected professionals and scholars from overseas or domestically. The review process includes a preliminary review and a final review.
(2) The selected films will be announced on the official website twtiaf.com by August 1 st, 2023.
(3) TFDF will inform the submitter via email if the submitted film has been selected, and request material necessary for the publications and screenings.
(4) The selected films could be withdrawn from the competition by entering the application to TFDF by August 7th, 2023 (including the 7th as the delivery cutoff date). After the date, no withdrawal request shall be considered.
(5) The winner of 2023 TIAF will be announced at the award ceremony, official website, and related social network sites.

6. Screening Copies
(1) Once notified, the selected film entrants must provide a complete copy of the film by August 18th, 2023. Films with dialogue or narration in languages other than Chinese should have English subtitles. Films with dialogue or narration in Chinese should be subtitled in both English and Chinese. Entrants have the option of providing the following formats:
   A. DCP (Must meets the industrial standard for theatrical screening)
   B. Recommend in MOV (ProRes 422) format. MP4 (Codec H.264) format is also acceptable.
(2) Entrants are recommended to use the preferred cloud storage service (Google Drive, WeTransfer, FTP, etc.) to upload the file (in either mentioned format). A viable URL and password must be provided, OR save the file in an external hard drive or USB 3.0 Flash drive, and send them through express courier (DHL, FedEx, EMS, etc.) to the following address: Taichung Film Development Foundation Taichung International Animation Festival Short Films Competition 9F-2, No.186, Dadun 19th St., Xitun Dist., Taichung City 407,
Taiwan (R.O.C.)
(3) If the entrant fails to comply with the mentioned rules, including deadlines and formats, TFDF reserves the right to consider the entrant voluntarily gives up its place.

7. Shipping and Insurance
(1) All shipping costs and related charges, e.g., insurance, customs duty, shall be borne by the sender. The cost of returning the shipment will be covered by the TFDF.
(2) On the package of film copies from abroad should mark: “Temporary import. No commercial value, for cultural purposes only” and must be accompanied by a Proforma invoice amounting to a maximum value of 20 EUR or 20 USD.
(3) TFDF will return the film copies within 14 workdays after the closing of the event to the address as listed in the online registration. If the entrant wishes otherwise, please notify TFDF.

8. Rights
(1) The applicant must be the copyright owner of the film or have obtained the authorization of the copyright owner. A Power of Attorney (please refer to the attachment) from the copyright owner must be provided to the TFDF for future reference.
(2) If the film cites other works, including images, sounds, etc., it must acquire authorization from the IP owner. During registration, relevant documentation must be provided. TFDF does not tolerate any form of plagiarism.
(3) If there is an IP rights dispute for a submitted film, TFDF reserves the right to disqualify the film from the competition and to retrieve the prize. The entrant should be solely accountable for any related legal matters.

9. Duties and Obligations
(1) Entrants should provide a copy of the film during the jury deliberation period (April 1 st – October 31st, 2023) in addition to agreeing to allow the film’s broadcast during jury’s review at no cost. TFDF does NOT pay a screening fee for the films selected for the competition and related events.
(2) Entrants shall agree TFDF to photograph, tape, video, or any other ways to make the recording of the event at the venues, and do the necessary editing to the recordin mentioned above. TFDF is the author of the recording aforementioned. Entrants are obligated to provide the text, pictures, images, and other materials required by TFDF. The nominees are encouraged to participate in related activities of the film
festival.
(3) Entrants shall agree (OR have acquired authorization to agree) TFDF free of charge to use the information (included copy text, stills, posters, films, teasers, and other materials). TFDF has the right free of charge to adapt and compile the nominated films (including but not limited to adding Chinese and English subtitles, making the promotion video, etc.) for the use of stills in the TIAF 2022 program, catalogue, official website, and other publicity materials. TFDF also has the right free of charge to broadcast clips of the nominated films on television, the Internet, or other media for promotion.
(4) Taiwanese submitters shall agree to authorize TFDF to edit film information into “The Best Animated Short Films of Taiwan Handbook” for promoting the festival locally and internationally.
(5) The award receivers shall agree (OR have acquired authorization to agree) TFDF free of charge to unconditionally edit parts of films into “Best of TIAF Program” for screening while promoting the festival locally and internationally or for the use of public broadcast, public presentation and public transmission
while organizing not-for-profit promotional events (e.g.: Taichung fun-in Festival, Taichung International Animation Day, TIFA Award Winning Film Tour).
(6) The producers and directors of award-winning films should put on the laurel of the competition in all promotional materials for the film. TFDF is responsible to provide the needed image files, no adaptation for the laurel is allowed.

10.Acceptance of Terms
(1) The terms and conditions described above are agreed upon and understood without reservation by the entrant once the registration is completed.
(2) The Rules and Regulations are printed in Chinese and English. In case of dispute, the Chinese content is considered for interpretation, understanding and governed by the laws of Taiwan (R.O.C.). The entrants agree that the Taiwan Taichung District Courts are the court of the first instance.
(3) In response to the COVID-19, the festival will modify the submission rules and regulations by government policies (including but not limited to adjusting the competition submission schedule, nomination announcement, and the ceremony), or postpone the event. Entrants should cooperate with modification of the video authorization period and other specified events of the festival. If there are any unspecified items, the newest announcement of the official website twtiaf.com shall  prevail.

11.Contact
Group of Taichung International Animation Short Films Competition, Taichung Film Development Foundation
Telephone: +886-4-2323-6100 #23/ Wendy Tsai
Email：tiaf.competition@tfdf.org.tw