SeriesFest

A Celebration of Episodic Storytelling

Digital Short Series Competition

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Submissions open fall 2025

View on FilmFreeway.

Learn More

Dates & Fees
Entry Materials
Awards & Prizes

Previous Winners
Previous Jury Members

Submission FAQs

All Festival Submissions:

This category is for the rule breakers!

Each year, the Digital Short Series Competition exhibits creatives who are telling episodic stories without the restriction of traditional run times. SeriesFest is looking to find and honor exciting new digital series with episodes under 15 minutes.

“SeriesFest really is the premier place to be if you care about episodic content.“

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
Executive Director at SAG-AFTRA

KEY DATES & FEES

Submissions for SeriesFest: Season 11 open August 21, 2024.

Early Bird Deadline
10/21/24

Standard
$70

FilmFreeway Gold Member
$50

Student
$40

Regular Deadline
12/3/24

Standard
$90

FilmFreeway Gold Member
$70

Student
$60

Final Deadline
1/14/25

Standard
$120

FilmFreeway Gold Member
$100

Student
$75

Submissions are open, and listed prices are available through 11:59 PM (local time) on the date shown.

Certain projects that exhibit a commitment to engaging underrepresented communities may be eligible for our Inclusion Initiative Submission Fee Waiver. Learn more.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Winners will be determined by a jury of high-profile industry and talent during the annual festival. Winners are announced at our Awards Ceremony and are included on our website and in media announcements. View previous jury members and winners below.

Special Awards

INCLUSIVITY INITIATIVE AWARDS

This category is eligible for Inclusivity Initiative Awards including The Caz Matthews Fund, The Inclusive Creator Fund presented by the Anna & John J. Sie and the Global Down Syndrome Foundations, and The Intersectionality Fund. Theses awards will be given to the episodic projects and teams who demonstrate a thoughtful, thorough, and deliberate approach to using storytelling as a means of leveling the playing field for underrepresented people including women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and alternatively abled voices.
Learn more about our Inclusivity Initiative here.

Outstanding Series Format Deck Award, presented by Canva

SeriesFest is partnering with Canva, our Official Design Partner, to acknowledge the creativity and skill necessary to build the perfect series format deck. SeriesFest Official Selections and Storytellers Initiative Semi-Finalists who choose to create their series format decks on Canva will have the opportunity to win the award, which includes a $5,000 cash prize.
Learn more here.

ENTRY MATERIALS

Produced Digital Short pilot episode and subsequent episodes submitted via FilmFreeway’s Secure Online Screener system. Each episode must be under 15 minutes. Creators are encouraged to submit multiple episodes totaling no more than 20 minutes of run time. International productions are eligible.

Series Format Deck
All submissions must include a Series Format Deck—uploaded to the FilmFreeway application page under “Files & Attachments”.
View an example.

An effective Series Format Deck introduces your project in a visually exciting and emotionally powerful way.  It captures the reader’s imagination, allowing them to see the full scope of the series and embrace the characters. The Series Format deck is essential to our review process, providing a clear and compelling way for us to understand your vision.

The Series Format Deck should be 2–15 pages, must be in English, and include the following:

  • Log Line
  • Pilot Synopsis
  • Season One Outline
  • Main Character Descriptions (Up to 5)
    • For unscripted pilots, include key onscreen subjects/talent
  • Tone of your series (can include no more than 2 comparisons)
  • Producing Team
  • Key Creatives
  • Goals for your Series
  • A Creator Statement that includes: Why This Idea, Why Me, and Why Now?

If your submission is selected for final programming you will be required to submit more information regarding your pilot, cast, and crew so SeriesFest can maximize your experience with executives at the Festival in May. Full details will be sent to submissions selected for SeriesFest: Season 11 in an acceptance email by April 2025.

Not sure where to get started on your Series Format Deck? You don’t have to start from a blank page. Check out our template—created in Canva, and make it your own!

FilmFreeway Entry Fee
(see above)

Press Kit Material
Any available press kit material.

Please note, entry materials will not be returned.

The information above is provided as a general guideline and is subject to change. Guidelines are updated annually before submissions open. To be eligible for consideration in SeriesFest: Season 12, you must provide all required materials at the time of submission. Awards are contingent on partner funding—please review the available awards at the time of your application for the most accurate information.

Previous Award Winners

Cooper’s Bar

SeriesFest: Season 7, 2021

Dreaming Whilst Black

SeriesFest: Season 6, 2020

Dick Bunny

SeriesFest: Season 10, 2024

Good Guy with a Pun

SeriesFest: Season 10, 2024

Frederick Douglass Boulevard aka Food & Drink Boulevard aka F.D.B.

SeriesFest: Season 9, 2023

Human Interest

SeriesFest: Season 5, 2019

Early to Rise

SeriesFest: Season 6, 2020

Freeze

SeriesFest: Season 6, 2020

If I’m Alive Next Week

SeriesFest: Season 6, 2020

Previous Jury Members

Kasey Newton

Director, Content Acquisitions & Partnerships Tubi

Jason Hiro Kim

Vice President Good Karma Productions

Julie Dejoie

Executive Producer Snowfall

Bruce Robertson

Chief Storyteller 11:11 Productions

Geneva Wasserman

EVP, Head of Film/TV Development Dentsu

Daryn Carp

Host PeopleTV’s Reality Check

Rob Yang

Actor Succession

Kuye Youngblood

General Manager BRIC TV

Thank you to our partners

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