To be eligible for an award, you must follow the official rules. Here’s what you need to know:
Read the Rules
Length
Your film must be between one and five minutes, with up to an additional minute of credits.
Required materials/footage
At the beginning of the challenge period the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge will post the full assignment to the homepage. You will also receive a courtesy email, notifying you of the film challenge kickoff. You must include all the required components in your film. Teams are strongly encouraged to integrate story elements that acknowledge disability.
Originality
Your film must be entirely original and all creative work must be done over the course of the contest dates (March 24 – March 29, 2026), including all non-historical or personal footage and animations.
Crew
Your cast and crew must be volunteers. You are strongly encouraged to collaborate with at least one person with a physical or cognitive disability in one of the following roles:
Writer
Director
Producer
Actor/On-air Talent
Before the finished film begins, the file must include a title card, which can be downloaded HERE.
Credits
End credits are limited to a maximum of 60 seconds and must conclude with the text “This film was made for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge”.
Music
The music available in the following folders is cleared for royalty free use for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge only. Make sure you properly credit these artists if you use their music!
If you use music from this folder, please include the following in your credits: Music by Stephen Charles Mann.
If you use music from this folder or this folder, please include the following in your credits: Music by Mike Barnett.
If you use music from this folder, please include the following in your credits: Music by Andrew Skrabutenas.
If you use music from this folder, please include the following in your credits: Music by Stephen Letnes.
If you use music from this folder, please include the following in your credits: Music by Tabi.
If you use music from this folder, please include the following in your credits: Music by Gaelynn Lea.
If you use music from this folder, please include the following in your credits: Music by Spartan Jet-Plex.
If you use music from this folder, please include the following in your credits: Music by Grace-Mary Burega.
If you are interested in working with composers and musicians with disabilities we encourage you to visit https://rampd.org/ for more resources.
For additional questions, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.
Technical Stuff
Films must be uploaded to directly into FilmFreeway (make the film downloadable in settings!), or to Vimeo and a downloadable link to the film must be included in your FilmFreeway entry. All participants must sign the following forms and submit to info@disabilityfilmchallenge.com.
Promotional Campaign Report 
(Please complete following the promotional campaign)