This rally is for short films and short form series in production or post-production. At least three minutes of assembled footage is a requirement in order to qualify for the grand prizes. We are seeking bold, intersectional short films and series that push beyond the confines of mainstream representation and embrace the full spectrum of unfiltered storytelling. This rally invites filmmakers to imagine otherwise—to craft work that challenges dominant narratives, centers communities often overlooked, and expands the possibilities of what independent cinema can be. We welcome inventive, emotionally honest, genre-defying, and future-forward stories that harness the power of imagination as a tool for resistance, visibility, and cultural transformation. All participating artists must agree to a 6-month exclusive distribution window with OTV (if they win the grand prizes), after this window it will shift into a non-exclusive agreement. All participating projects must have a US or Canadian bank account to attach to their crowdfunding campaigns.

You can submit your project January 22-March 27th 2026 after which you will receive personalized feedback. All eligible projects will launch automatically on April 20, 2026 at noon EST and crowdfund through May 19, 2026. Your "submission" date is the date you click "Submit for Approval" of your Seed&Spark campaign. You can submit your project for review and feedback from Seed&Spark's team at any time during the submission period. Don't worry: if you submit at the end of the submission period, there are still several weeks to receive and implement feedback before campaigns launch.

After submitting your project, one of our expert Crowdfunding Specialists will provide personalized feedback on your materials to help get you set up to run a successful campaign. Here's what we look for during feedback, and here are our minimum launch requirements. While we don't require that you make every recommended change from our experts, your chance of success is much higher when you do. After polishing your materials and making any necessary changes, you must "re-submit for final approval." You must get approval from your Specialist before the feedback period ends on April 15th. Be sure to plan accordingly, giving your Specialist at least 1 working day (M-Th) to review your changes.

All rally crowdfunding campaigns will end automatically on May 19th, 2026 at midnight EST. The projects that have reached their green light, gathered at least 250 followers, and posted at least 8 campaign updates will be selected as finalists and will be required to create a short (30-second or less) pitch video, provide the full script and at least 3-minutes of assembled footage. This short pitch video will briefly explain any additional details about you, the team or your vision for the project, and will be posted to the campaign as an update no later than June 18, 2026 at midnight (eastern US time) for continued qualification.

The finalists will be notified on May 21, 2026, and announced publicly the following week.

Winners will be announced on July 1, 2026.

All filmmakers who gather 250 or more followers are eligible for Filmmaker Rewards on Seed&Spark that increase the more followers you gather, worth over $9,000 in production, post and distribution technology and services, as well as festival fee waivers. (Projects must gather at least 250 followers to qualify as finalists). Last, but most importantly, by raising funds and gathering an audience on Seed&Spark, participants take control of their creative future, creating a path to their own sustainable filmmaking career.