Participants
• Students producing the film must be currently enrolled and attending a UIL member high school. The production team must be enrolled full-time at the participating school.
• There is no minimum or a maximum number of contestants. Actors are not contestants if that is their only role in the project.
• Adult involvement in the project is limited to sponsors and onscreen talent.
• Only high school students eligible under UIL rules eligible for the high school contest.
• There is no amateur rule for this contest.
• Sponsors in the UIL State Student Film Festival shall be full-time employees of the school districts they represent. Their actual involvement in producing the film shall be in an advisory capacity.

Time Limits and Entries
• Each school may submit three (3) films in each category. The categories are:
1) narrative,
2) documentary,
3) computer/ digital animation and
4) traditional animation (claymation, hand drawn, stop motion)
• Narrative and documentary films shall be 3- 7 minutes in length. Animation entries shall be 30 seconds to 3 minutes in length. This includes any credits.

Eligible Material
• Submitted films must be original works and are required to have clearances for music or other copyrighted material featured in the project. A log of any music used shall be kept on file at the school. See sample music log on UIL website.
• The administration of the producing school shall assure that the production does not offend the moral standards of the community. A signed “Community Standards and Copyright Compliance Form” signed to certify that the entries have been carefully examined and approved for presentation.
• Only those films produced during the current school year will be considered for submission into the contest. Films produced during the Spring or Summer months are also eligible for the Festival held the following Spring (e.g. A film produced in the Spring or Summer of 2015 would be eligible for submission in the Spring 2016 Festival.)

Entry Procedures
• Schools will be asked to submit an intent to participate form by December 1, 2016. The form can be found at www.uiltexas.org/film This is a survey and not an enrollment form.
• Submission Deadline - January 11, 2017.
• The entry form will become active January 1, 2017. The form can be found at www.uiltexas.org/film
• The State Finals are scheduled in Austin, Texas. date and site TBA.

Evaluation
Films submitted to the Festival shall be previewed, critiqued and ranked by our adjudicators. Originality, cinematic storytelling, and technical execution are the basis of the scoring. Entries will go through a preliminary round. Those qualifying will go through a second qualifying round. Those qualifying from the second round will go through a State Semi-final round. Those entries advancing to state in each category will be screened, in whole or in digest form, and ranked first through sixth at the State Festival. Schools shall receive theatre@uiltexas.orga written evaluation of the film theatre@uiltexas.org at each level.