Call for Entries: The 1st “Meet Confucius” International Short Video Contest

首届“遇见孔子”国际短视频大赛征集启事

Marking the 2577th anniversary of the birth of Confucius, we invite young people of Generation Z around the world to pick up a camera and tell us, through a young person's eyes and in the language of short video, how they understand Confucius and Chinese culture.

1. Who May Enter

Young people aged 18 to 30 anywhere in the world, entering either individually or as a team. Collaborations between young people from different countries and cultural backgrounds are particularly encouraged. Each entrant or team may submit up to three works.

2. Submission Period

30 August to 30 September 2026 (Beijing time).

3. Requirements for Entries

3.1 Format

Entries may take the form of a vlog, a short documentary, animation, a narrative short film, a creative montage, AI-generated animation or another form, and should run between 1 and 8 minutes.

3.2 Themes

Create a work on any one of the following themes:

• Confucius in My Hometown. Look for traces of Confucius and Chinese culture in your city, campus, neighbourhood or daily life, and show how Confucius has crossed the centuries to enter your world.
• A Dialogue Between the Ancient and the Modern. Use the moving image to show how traditional Chinese culture finds new expression in contemporary design, technology, fashion and ways of living, and how it resonates with our own time.
• “I Want to Ask Confucius”. Take a question from contemporary life — study, friendship, growing up, technology, the environment — put it to Confucius, and search for an answer of your generation's own through interview, drama, animation or experimental film.
• “Echoes of Confucius Around the World”. Choose a saying of Confucius or one of his ideas and invite people from different countries and cultural backgrounds to share what it means to them, showing the different reflections and the common resonance that one piece of ancient wisdom can awaken across the world.

3.3 Technical Requirements

Entries must be at least 1080p in resolution, in MP4 or MOV format, with a clear image and complete sound.

Entries in languages other than Chinese or English must carry English subtitles at a minimum; bilingual Chinese and English subtitles are encouraged for all entries.

3.4 Originality and Rights

Entries must be original and must not have won an award in any other public competition. Entrants are responsible for ensuring that all footage, music, typefaces, voice-over and personal likenesses used in their work are properly licensed. Plagiarism and the unauthorised use of others' material are prohibited.

Reasonable use of generative artificial intelligence as an aid to creation is permitted, but it must be declared with the entry, and the entrant bears responsibility for any related copyright issues.

4. How to Enter

Please send your work, as an email attachment, together with a description of it, to the official email address. The description should include the title of the work; a statement about its creation of no more than 300 words (in any language, English preferred); the name, nationality and contact details of the creator or of each team member; and details of any use of artificial intelligence in its creation, which may be left blank if none was used.

Please use the following email subject line: Short Video Contest + your name (or team name) + the title of the work.

Official email: meetconfucius2026@163.com

Entrants are encouraged to post their work on TikTok, YouTube, Bilibili, Douyin and similar platforms using the hashtags #MeetConfucius and #遇见孔子.

5. Host

Dazhong News Group

6. Judging and Prizes

A panel of young Chinese and international cultural scholars, media professionals and filmmakers will assess entries on four criteria: narrative creativity, cultural connection, visual expression and cross-cultural reach.

• First Prize (2 winners): RMB 2,000 and a certificate;
• Second Prize (5 winners): RMB 1,000 and a certificate;
• Third Prize (10 winners): RMB 200 and a certificate;
• Outstanding Mentor Award (3 winners): RMB 1,000 and a certificate;
• Best Cross-Cultural Storytelling Award (3 winners): a certificate and a cultural gift package;
• Best Gen Z Expression Award (3 winners): a certificate and a cultural gift package.

7. Presentation of Results

Selected winning entries will be put on display as a lasting record of the programme. Outstanding creators may be invited to take part in future Generation Z exchange activities; details will be announced separately.

8. Copyright

Copyright in each entry remains with its author. The organiser reserves the right to use winning entries for non-commercial promotion, screening, distribution and compilation, with the creator or team credited by name. Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these terms.

9. Enquiries

Official email: meetconfucius2026@163.com