Jakob Owens
Horror Short Film contest 2026
contest Sponsors 🏆
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Room23
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Fujifilm
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RED DIGITAL CINEMA
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Prism Lens FX
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Lexar Memory
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Hollyland
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EMBR
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Tropic Colour
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Old Fast Glass
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Jakob Owens Studios
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Shot Deck
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Prop Movie Money
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CRD BAG
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Kondor Blue
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Boom Library
🔪 Room23 🔪 Fujifilm 🔪 RED DIGITAL CINEMA 🔪 Prism Lens FX 🔪 Lexar Memory 🔪 Hollyland 🔪 EMBR 🔪 Tropic Colour 🔪 Old Fast Glass 🔪 Jakob Owens Studios 🔪 Shot Deck 🔪 Prop Movie Money 🔪 CRD BAG 🔪 Kondor Blue 🔪 Boom Library
Make a Film 🎥
If you’ve been itching to make a movie, I would highly encourage y’all to use this contest as an excuse to get out there and make a film!
And I say this because…I honestly think if I didn’t host this contest that I would even make a film myself.
That’s what I love about this contest! I even use it as an excuse to force myself to do what I love, to work on my craft and make a movie.
We all make excuses as to why we can’t or don’t do the thing that we love or want to do. “I’m too busy, oh the time isn’t right, ahhh I don’t have a big budget, I don’t have a nice enough camera, I’ll just do it next year, “the list goes on and on…whatever the excuses are that we tell ourselves.
That being said, I would highly encourage you to do the same, and make a movie this year. I can’t wait to watch your films. The submissions never cease to blow me away year after year.
Since the inception of this contest 8 years ago…there have been over 1,500 original short films made because of this contest. That is an astounding number…and I’m grateful that this contest is the incubator for all of those stories.
Thank you for continuing to make this the best and most fun filmmaking competition in the world.
$30,000+ IN PRIZES 💰
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1st Place Trophy
Prism Lens FX - $1,000 Gift Card
Tropic Colour - “Everything Bundle”
Red Digital Cinema - 2 week V-Raptor XE Loaner Camera + The “RED Filmmaker Experience”
The experience may include:
-A two-week RED V-RAPTOR XE camera package loan for an upcoming project
- REDUCATION training
-A behind-the-scenes tour of RED headquarters in Foothill Ranch, California
-An opportunity to be featured across RED’s social media channels
-Additional RED experiences and educational opportunities
Lexar Memory - (1)CFexpress 2.0 Type A or B Memory card
Prop Movie Money - $500 gift card
Old Fast Glass - 75% off any lens rental
CRDBAG -$500 store credit
Hollyland - (1) LARK M2S Microphone (1) Solidcom SE 2S Headset
Jakob Owens Studios - 10 Hour Shoot time credit at any of Jakob Owens Studios CA/AZ Film & Photo Locations
Shotdeck - 1 Annual Account
EMBR Film Plugin - (1) lifetime license
CineCore - Camera accessory prize package
Kondor Blue - (1) New HDMI to SDI Converter
Boom Library - “ONE” Ultimate SFX Bundle
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2nd place Trophy
Prism Lens FX - $750 Gift Card
Tropic Colour - “Everything Bundle”
Red Digital Cinema - 2 week V-Raptor XE Loaner Camera + The “RED Filmmaker Experience”
The experience may include:
-A two-week RED V-RAPTOR XE camera package loan for an upcoming project
- REDUCATION training
-A behind-the-scenes tour of RED headquarters in Foothill Ranch, California
-An opportunity to be featured across RED’s social media channels
-Additional RED experiences and educational opportunities
Lexar Memory - (1)CFexpress 2.0 Type A or B Memory card
Prop Movie Money - $300 gift card
Old Fast Glass - 50% off any lens rental
CRDBAG -$500 store credit
Hollyland - (1) LARK M2S Microphone (1) Solidcom SE 2S Headset
Jakob Owens Studios - 8 Hour Shoot time credit at any of Jakob Owens Studios CA/AZ Film & Photo Locations
Shotdeck - 1 Annual Account
EMBR Film Plugin - (1) lifetime license
CineCore - Camera accessory prize package
Kondor Blue - (1) New HDMI to SDI Converter
Boom Library - “Cinematic Horror” SFX Bundle
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3rd place Trophy
Prism Lens FX - $500 Gift Card
Tropic Colour - “Everything Bundle”
Red Digital Cinema - 2 week V-Raptor XE Loaner Camera + The “RED Filmmaker Experience”
The experience may include:
-A two-week RED V-RAPTOR XE camera package loan for an upcoming project
- REDUCATION training
-A behind-the-scenes tour of RED headquarters in Foothill Ranch, California
-An opportunity to be featured across RED’s social media channels
-Additional RED experiences and educational opportunities
Lexar Memory - (1)CFexpress 2.0 Type A or B Memory card
Prop Movie Money - $200 gift card
Old Fast Glass - 40% off any lens rental
CRDBAG -$500 store credit
Hollyland - (1) LARK M2S Microphone (1) Pyro 5 Monitor
Jakob Owens Studios - 6 Hour Shoot time credit at any of Jakob Owens Studios CA/AZ Film & Photo Locations
Shotdeck - 1 Annual Account
EMBR Film Plugin - (1) lifetime license
CineCore - Camera accessory prize package
Kondor Blue - (1) New HDMI to SDI Converter
Boom Library - “Thunder Chaser” SFX Bundle
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Official Film Funding Selection Trophy
1 filmmaker who’s film places in the top 15 will be awarded a $2,500 budget, to make their next short film executive produced by Jakob Owens & Room 23
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Best Cinematography Trophy
Fujifilm - X-S20 Camera
Fujifilm - Fujinon XF35MM F/2 R WR lens
Lexar Memory - (1) 1TB Lexar 1800x SD Card
Shotdeck - 1 Annual Account
EMBR - (1) Lifetime Access account
CineCore - Camera accessory prize package
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Best Scare Trophy
This is a trophy/prize that will be awarded to one filmmaker selected by our panel of judges who collectively decides this film had the best scare or was the scariest film.
Lexar Memory - 1TB Lexar 1800x SD Card
Shotdeck - (1) Annual Account
EMBR - (1) Lifetime Access account
CineCore - (1) Small camera accessory prize package
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Best Practical Effects Trophy
This is a trophy/prize that will be awarded to one filmmaker selected by our panel of judges who collectively decides this film had the best practical effects.
Lexar Memory - (1) 1 TB Lexar 1800x SD Card
PrismLensFX - $250 Store Credit
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Fan Favorite Trophy
This will be awarded to one of the top 15 films that screens at our LA Screening party (Oct 24th, 2026) To get tickets to the event click here
Voting for this award will take place at the screening party by all attendees.
Lexar Memory - (1) 1 TB Lexar 1800x SD Card
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Jakob’s Favorite Film Trophy
This will be awarded to one of the top 15 films that screens at our LA Screening party (Oct 24th, 2026) To get tickets to the event click here
This award is personally picked by Jakob as his favorite film of the entire contest.Lexar Memory - (1) CFexpress 2.0 Type A or B memory card
Thank You 🙏
I need to give a major shoutout to this year's contest sponsors. They all play an important role in my workflow as a filmmaker, creative, and business owner...so I can't thank them enough for being a part of this contest, supporting me and in turn providing you all with the opportunity to walk away with some really amazing prizes.
Contest Rules 📝
Every year I create a set of rules that every participant making a film needs to follow & incorporate if they want to be in the running to win the short film contest. These rules are intended to challenge you as a filmmaker and put everyone on the same playing field!
Submit your film ✅
Once you’ve finished your film, click the button below to officially submit your short film into the contest!
film screeningS 📽️
Once again we’ll be hosting an EPIC screening party of the Top 15 films at new warehouse location in Los Angeles, CA. The screening & award show is also a Halloween costume party with included food, drinks, concessions, and limited edition memorabilia! Attending the screening does not increase or decrease your chances of winning, it is just a fun way to celebrate, watch, and award your movies as you connect with this growing community of indie genre filmmakers. I will also be premiering & screening my new short film as well 👀
