LAAIMPA monthly awards · Guide

How to win a LAAIMPA award.A new deadline every month. $10 to enter.

The Los Angeles AI Motion Pictures Awards run on a monthly cycle: submit by the 20th, nominees on the 28th, winners at month end. Here are the rules, the 14 categories, the jury and a seven week plan to the 20 November deadline.
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  • Next deadline 20 October 2026
  • Films up to 30 minutes
  • 14 categories, no cash prize
Lost Garden · Episode 2

Independent guide. ScreenWeaver does not organise LAAIMPA and is not affiliated with the Los Angeles AI Motion Pictures Awards. Rules read on 1 October 2026. Official LAAIMPA site

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The rules on one card

What LAAIMPA asks of a film.

LAAIMPA is a low-cost, fast-turnaround award for AI films, based in Beverly Hills. It is not a prestige festival and it pays no cash. What it gives is a monthly deadline, a verdict within weeks and a laurel to show for it.
Cycle
Monthly: deadline the 20th, nominees the 28th, winners at month end
Next deadline
20 October 2026, then 20 November
Entry fee
$10 on the festival's own form
Length
Films up to 30 minutes. Trailers or scenes up to 5
AI rule
AI in some aspect of the work, no percentage
Limits
Two works per cycle, no resubmission
Prizes
Digital laurels and certificates, no cash
File
MP4 or MOV, 2 GB at most, shared as a link

Source: the official LAAIMPA site (rules, categories, winners and team), read on 1 October 2026. The fee shown is the one on the site's own form. The FilmFreeway page could not be read, so its fee is unchecked.

Key dates

Every month is a new round.

Nothing is tied to a single season. A film that misses the 20th is <b>moved to the next month's edition</b> automatically. Here are the next three rounds.

  1. 20 Oct 2026

    Deadline for October

    Submit by this date to be reviewed in the October cycle. Films that arrive later are reviewed in November.

  2. 28 Oct 2026

    Nominees announced

    Nominees are announced on the 28th of every month. Audience Choice voting is open to visitors who register on the festival's voting site.

  3. 31 Oct 2026

    Winners revealed

    Winners are announced on the last day of the month, with certificates, digital laurels and a spotlight on the festival's site and channels.

  4. 20 Nov 2026

    Deadline for November

    The deadline this guide's plan aims for: seven weeks from 1 October, long enough for a finished short.

  5. 20 Dec 2026

    Deadline for December

    The round after. With a film already finished, you can try again each month with a different work, up to two per cycle.

How films are judged

Four things the jury looks at.

The rules say winners are evaluated on four points. There are no weights, and the jury's decisions are final and not open to dispute.

  • Film quality

    A finished look: stable picture, clear sound, no watermarks, no half-cut version. The site's own advice says first impressions matter and that even trailers should look finished.

  • Storytelling

    The festival says technology is important but storytelling is the heart of cinema. One character, one want and a change before the end. Ideas and creativity matter more than budget, the site adds.

  • Creativity

    A point of view that is yours. The category texts ask for originality in concept, style and use of tools, so the idea and the look you choose are what the jury remembers.

  • Integration of AI

    How AI is used, not how much. The site tells entrants to explain clearly whether AI was used in writing, production, editing or visual effects. Say it in the description.

These four points come from the Jury and evaluation rules. Each category also has its own definition, quoted by the festival on its categories list.

Who decides

A private jury, with last month's winners.

Films are first watched by a private jury. The festival publishes its team and its guest judges by name, and its jury decisions are final.

  • The private jury

    Every film is initially viewed by it. The team page names a CEO, specialists in branding and technology, a director and educator, an AI filmmaker, Mikki Aglagan, who shapes the jury and programming, and a jury member, Ania Melnik, an artist and digital designer.

  • Winners join the jury

    The festival says winners of the previous edition join the jury for the next one. In August 2026 they included Edward Guo, Best Short Film, and Marcelo Presotto, Best Animation. The judges are working AI filmmakers.

  • Craft and tools

    Guest judges include a VFX supervisor with 25 years in commercials and music videos, the creative director of an AI-native commercial studio, and a director of short AI films with 20 years in London TV commercials. They know the craft and the tools.

  • The audience

    Audience Choice is decided by public vote. Visitors register on the voting site, watch the nominees and vote. A film with a community behind it has an advantage in that category.

Categories

Fourteen categories, six worth a close look.

The site lists 14 categories, from Best Short Film to Best Music Video, and it has awarded others in the past, such as Best AI Sound Design and Effects. Here are six for story filmmakers, with the angle we would take.

  • 01

    Best Short Film

    Up to 30 minutes, for outstanding storytelling with an innovative use of AI.

    The general prize. Put your most complete film here, with titles, sound and credits.

  • 02

    Best Animation

    Animated films that use AI for visuals, characters and storytelling, judged on originality, technical innovation and artistic impact.

    Strong ground for stylised work. A held palette and a clear design language beat realism.

  • 03

    Best AI Created Character

    Characters brought to life through AI, in animation, live action or a hybrid: design, personality, dialogue or behaviour.

    A character who acts, not only one who appears. Write a character sheet and keep the face identical in every shot.

  • 04

    Best AI Driven Style

    A distinctive visual or narrative style crafted with AI, such as dynamic lighting or surreal composition.

    One look, held for the whole film. A different style per shot is a reel, not a style.

  • 05

    Best Concept Award

    Films in which AI is at the heart of the concept, from story ideation to world-building.

    The idea has to need AI. A story that could be told by a camera belongs elsewhere.

  • 06

    Best Visual Effects

    Imagery entirely created with AI that would be hard or impossible to achieve by traditional methods.

    Show a scale, a transformation or a place a crew could never shoot. A scene of up to five minutes is an accepted format.

The winners

What twelve months of winners show.

The winners page lists every month from September 2025 to August 2026, with a dozen or more prizes per month. A few patterns are visible.

  1. 01

    Each month has a fresh set. Best Short Film went to Amore Vero in May, Miserere Tui in June, I Live in July and Leaving the Garden in August 2026. No title repeats in that category.

  2. 02

    A series can win twice. Echoes of the Silent Planet won Best Visual Effects in June, and its Chapter Two, The Cyclops Hunt, won Best Sci Fi in August. The festival took the new chapter as a new work.

  3. 03

    Genres and formats are all welcome. The August list includes horror, kids animation, a music video and an advertisement. There is room for work that is not a festival drama.

  4. 04

    Winning leads to judging. The festival brings winners onto the next jury, so a win gives you a role in the community as well as a laurel.

A scene worth five minutes

Lost Garden: a cave, a character, six shots.

A scene from the start of Lost Garden, episode 2, an animated fantasy by the ScreenWeaver team, made with Seedance. LAAIMPA accepts a trailer or scene of up to 5 minutes for work that is not ready in full, and judges creativity, style, AI integration and potential. A scene like this one is that format: a character, Lantern, a world and a look.

Logline. A newborn knight whose inner light is leaking away crosses a world that has stopped hoping, to find the one blacksmith who can seal his armor.

Screenplay · episode 2 · page 1

INT. UNDERGROUND CAVERN - LOWER PATH - CONTINUOUS

Blue mushrooms the size of houses. LANTERN, a small knight with a lantern for a helm, walks alone.

He presses a hand to his chest. Sparks of light slip between his fingers.

SERRURE

Hold on. You're losing something.

Serrure lifts the edge of the cloak. A gash in the armor. Blue light leaks out like smoke.

SERRURE

That's your energy. What keeps you standing.

He grips Lantern's shoulder. Two knights alone among the crystals.

SERRURE

A suit that leaks goes out. Eventually.

Under the giant mushrooms, the road climbs into the dark.

SERRURE

So. We follow the road.

Serrure points the way. Lantern follows.

CUT TO:

  1. A small knight with a lantern helm stands by a giant glowing blue mushroom in a crystal cavern
    Storyboard frame of the same wide shot, in grey
    01

    Wide · the world

    Wide shot, Lantern alone by a giant glowing blue mushroom, crystal cavern, roots, drifting spores, cold blue light

  2. Close-up of an armored chest under a cream cloak, a gloved hand, a spark of light
    Storyboard frame of the chest close-up, in grey
    02

    Close-up · the chest

    Close-up on Lantern's chest, his gloved hand pressed to the cloak, a spark of light escaping between the fingers

  3. A torn gash in an armor plate leaking bright blue light, a finger pointing at it
    Storyboard frame of the wound insert, in grey
    03

    Insert · the wound

    Extreme close-up, Serrure's finger near a torn gash in the back plate, blue light leaking out like luminous smoke

  4. Two armored knights side by side, one with a hand on the other's shoulder, in a crystal cavern
    Storyboard frame of the two-shot, in grey
    04

    Two-shot · the bond

    Medium two-shot among crystals and roots, Serrure's hand on Lantern's shoulder, faceless armors, emotion through posture only

  5. Two small knights walk beneath two giant glowing blue mushrooms
    Storyboard frame of the wide shot, in grey
    05

    Wide · the scale

    Wide low angle, the two knights tiny beneath two giant glowing mushrooms, blue crystals in the foreground, mist

  6. Seen from behind, a tall dark knight points ahead while the small lantern knight looks on
    Storyboard frame of the over-the-shoulder shot, in grey
    06

    Over the shoulder · the road

    Over-the-shoulder from behind, Serrure points ahead into the cavern, Lantern beside him, roots framing the path

Lost Garden, episode 2, 21 minutes, which also fits the 30 minute limit for full films. Its first episode was a finalist at the AI London Festival, a festival that welcomes AI. The player opens on this scene, the opening of the episode.

The script

A 7 minute short in four movements.

LAAIMPA takes films up to 30 minutes, but monthly rounds reward a short you can finish. Aim for 7 minutes: about 7 screenplay pages and 60 to 80 shots of 4 to 6 seconds.

  1. 0:00 to 0:35

    The image

    Open with the look you will hold all film. The jury sees the first minute first.

  2. 0:35 to 1:55

    The want

    One character, one need, shown in an action. Name the rule of the world once.

  3. 1:55 to 5:30

    The pressure

    Every scene should cost the character something more. Keep the face and the place identical from shot to shot.

  4. 5:30 to 7:00

    The change

    A choice, its price and one last image. Then the credits.

A scene or trailer of up to 5 minutes is also accepted, judged on creativity, style, AI integration and potential.

Week by week

Seven weeks to the 20 November deadline.

A film that misses the 20th rolls to the next month, so the cost of being late is low. This plan still finishes a short before 20 November, with a scene option for 20 October.
  1. 01

    Week 1

    Choose a category and a logline

    Pick the category you are writing for. Write the logline in ScreenWeaver's logline workshop. For 20 October, choose a 5 minute scene instead.

  2. 02

    Week 2

    Screenplay

    Seven pages, free in ScreenWeaver. One character and one place keep the film easy to hold together.

  3. 03

    Week 3

    Storyboard

    One frame per shot. Fix the character sheet before you generate, since the face is what the category rewards.

  4. 04

    Weeks 4 and 5

    Generate

    Generate shot by shot with Seedance in ScreenWeaver, as video generation reaches your plan. Keep the prompts and the tool list.

  5. 05

    Week 6

    Edit, sound, clean

    Cut, mix, remove any watermark and export an MP4 or MOV under 2 GB. Write two lines on how AI was used.

  6. 06

    Week 7

    Submit before the 20th

    Send the link and the description through FilmFreeway or the festival's form. Do not resubmit the same film: a new work is a new entry.

Ways to lose a spot

Eight traps in a monthly cycle.

LAAIMPA's rules are short and plain. Most traps are about timing and limits. Check each one before you pay the $10.

  • A film with no AI

    All submissions must be created or developed using AI in some aspect of production, storytelling, visual effects or post-production. A film with none is not eligible.

  • The wrong length

    Films may run up to 30 minutes, and trailers or scenes up to 5. A 12 minute trailer is neither.

  • A late submission

    A film received after the 20th is reviewed in the following month's festival. That is not a disqualification, but it moves your results by a month.

  • More than two works

    Each filmmaker may submit up to two works per cycle. A third work has to wait for the next cycle.

  • Resubmitting the same work

    Resubmission of the same work is not allowed. A film that did not win cannot come back as it is, so recut it into a different work or move on.

  • Material you do not own

    The film must be the original work of the filmmaker, and copyrighted material without permission is not allowed. Check every music track and every logo a model may have added.

  • Watermarks and unfinished cuts

    The festival's own tips say to avoid watermarks and incomplete versions, and to submit in a standard format such as MP4 or MOV, HD or 4K.

  • Not explaining the AI

    AI integration is one of four criteria, and the site says to explain clearly how AI was used in writing, production, editing or visual effects. A silent description wastes the criterion.

Why ScreenWeaver

A film a month needs a pipeline.

LAAIMPA rewards AI films, imposes no tool and runs every month. ScreenWeaver is a screenplay, storyboard and footage pipeline in one connected project, which is what makes finishing on a schedule realistic.

  • Reuse between months

    Characters, locations and references live in the project and carry from shot to shot. For a series, the same faces carry from one scene to the next, which suits a monthly chapter.

  • The AI explanation, ready

    A shot keeps its scene, frame and prompt with it. When the rules ask you to explain how AI was used, the description comes from the project.

  • Powered by Seedance

    The model behind the footage pipelines is Seedance, in versions 2.0 and 2.5. LAAIMPA imposes no tool, so footage made in ScreenWeaver qualifies like any other, and a scene is a valid entry.

  • Start for free today

    Writing is free and does not expire, so a monthly habit costs nothing until you generate. Storyboard Beta is $9.99 a month, and Filmmaker adds Seedance video as it rolls out.

Real productions

International festival-recognized films have been written and produced with ScreenWeaver.

ScreenWeaver is already being used as a creative workspace for real AI film productions, from cinematic shorts to animated series pilots selected, nominated, and awarded by international festivals.

  • Video thumbnail for VOIDBORN

    VOIDBORN

    AI animated / cinematic short

    Festival recognition

    • 1st Place Silver

      Mondial Chroma Awards

    • 2nd Place Dreamina

      Mondial Chroma Awards

    • Award Winner

      Seoul International AI Film Festival

  • Video thumbnail for Les Fils du Vinnana

    Les Fils du Vinnana

    AI short film

    Festival recognition

    • Honorable Mention

      Top Quark Film Festival

    • People's Choice Nominee

      Illuminate Oneness of Humanity

    • Nominee

      ALTFF Supershort

  • Video thumbnail for Lost Garden

    Lost Garden

    AI animated series pilot

    Festival recognition

    • Finalist

      AI London Festival

See what creators are building

The pipeline

Write. Board. Produce.

  1. ScreenWeaver screenplay editor: acts, sequences and beats above the formatted script of The Yellow Umbrella

    01The screenplay, enriched

    An industry-standard screenplay editor, and more: a visual outline and beat editor, your writing inspirations (notes, photos, audio) kept next to the page, and an AI researcher to support your writing, not replace it.

  2. ScreenWeaver storyboard: shot S3 of The Yellow Umbrella with characters, shot settings and the script beside it

    02The storyboard, made easy

    Shot breakdown generated from your screenplay, manual control over every shot (frame, angle, movement, duration), and generative AI previsualization in one click.

  3. ScreenWeaver production canvas: shots S3 and S4 as connected nodes carrying their storyboard panels and prompts

    03AI production, with finesse

    Footage generation pipelines connected to your screenplay and storyboard. Optimized out of the box, fully editable workflow.

More AI film festivals

Guides for other festivals

Go further

Guides for festival films

FAQ

LAAIMPA, your questions

How do you win a LAAIMPA award?
Submit a finished film of up to 30 minutes that uses AI by the 20th of the month. A private jury judges film quality, storytelling, creativity and integration of AI, and winners are announced on the last day of the month.
What is the next deadline?
20 October 2026, then the 20th of every month. Nominees are announced on the 28th and winners on the last day of the month. Late films are reviewed the following month.
How much does it cost?
$10 per entry on the festival's own submission form. The FilmFreeway fee could not be checked. The festival says the fee supports its growth and development.
Is there a cash prize?
No. Winners receive digital laurels, certificates and a spotlight on the festival's site and social channels, with optional critiques and interviews.
How long can the film be?
Up to 30 minutes for a film, and up to 5 minutes for a trailer or scene from a work that is not ready in full. The file is MP4 or MOV, 2 GB at most.
How much AI must it use?
Some. The rules require AI in some aspect of production, storytelling, visual effects or post-production, with no percentage. Say how you used it in the description.
How many films can I send?
Up to two works per cycle, and the same work cannot be resubmitted. A new chapter or a recut that is a different work counts as a new entry.
Who runs LAAIMPA?
A team based in Beverly Hills, California, with a CEO, a jury member and AI filmmakers on its team page. Winners of the previous edition join the jury. It describes itself as celebrating the next generation of filmmakers exploring cinema and AI.

A deadline every month. Start with the page.

Open a free project today and ship the first film before the 20th.
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