253 Short Film Competition

• Register your team (or sign up as a solo filmmaker competitor) at The Grand's box office before spaces run out (only 31 teams can participate). 
  
• All teams meet at The Grand to receive this year's four required criteria and the green light to begin filming April 25–28, 2019.
  
• Teams have 72 hours to write, shoot, and edit a short film.
• Films must be no more than two-hundred and fifty-three seconds long (a nod to our area code).
• Films must incorporate all four required elements announced on Thursday, April 25. All registered teams will be invited to the Thursday kick-off.
• Finalized projects are due at The Grand Cinema box office on the following Sunday night.
  
• Judges review all films to determine multiple awards.
  
• All submitted films are screened at the 253 Short Film Party on May 10, 2019.
• Prizes are awarded for Jury and Audience favorites.

Cost

• Four tickets to the screening party 
  
• Recognition at the screening party
• Visibility for your creation before an audience of several hundred people
• The opportunity to compete for the following additional recognition and prizes: 
• Jury Award & $500 cash prize
• Audience Choice Award & $500 cash prize
• "Best Use" of one of the (4) required elements & $100 gift card to a local restaurant 
• Best Emerging Filmmaker to a team/filmmaker participating for the first time
• The opportunity for your challenge team to enter one film for free submission to the 2019 Tacoma Film Festival
  
• Opportunities to win additional prizes when you share snippets of your filming progress on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #253Seconds