The 1st AURA KIDS AI FILM FESTIVAL 2026
— International Creative AI Competition for Children Through Inquiry-Based Learning —
CALL FOR ENTRIES
“Children’s dreams are the future of humanity.”
Our world faces many social challenges, including wars and conflicts, natural disasters, environmental issues, and poverty.
The AURA KIDS AI FILM FESTIVAL is an international creative competition that invites children to explore social challenges and imagine the future through their own unique perspectives, creativity, and imagination. Children are encouraged to express their ideas through stories, drawings, designs, films, and other creative forms.
This festival is not simply a competition for completed films.
“What if the future could be like this?”
“What kind of world would I like to create?”
We value the creative process itself: the journey of transforming these small “what if” ideas into original creations through children's own thinking, drawing, and hands-on work, with AI used as a creative tool when appropriate.
Our goal is to celebrate children's imagination and provide opportunities for their ideas to reach the world.
1. EVENT OVERVIEW
Official Event Name
The 1st AURA KIDS AI FILM FESTIVAL 2026
Eligibility
Children aged 4–12, primarily from Japan and the United Kingdom.
Participation
Individual or group entries are welcome.
Submission Period
August 1 (Saturday) – October 31 (Saturday), 2026
Submission deadline: October 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM.
Judging Period (Tentative)
Late October – Mid-November 2026
Awards Ceremony and Screenings (Tentative)
November 29 (Sunday), 2026
We aim to organize events and international exchange exhibitions in Tokyo and London.
2. COMPETITION THEME
Imagining the Future Through “What If”
Children are invited to imagine their ideal future and express it through their own creativity.
“What if the future could be like this?”
“What if something like this existed?”
Entries do not have to focus on major social issues.
We welcome imaginative ideas inspired by children's everyday lives and personal interests, including family, school, cities, nature, animals, outer space, and anything else that sparks their curiosity.
There are no limits to children's imagination.
3. ENTRY CATEGORIES
01 | SCREENPLAY
Create an Original Story
Children create an original story based on the theme of the future.
Participants should express their ideas in their own words and write their stories themselves.
Important: The screenplay must be handwritten by the child submitting the entry.
02 | TEXTURED PICTURE BOOK
Bring a Story to Life Through Materials and Textures
Children create an original story about the future and use physical materials and textures to bring their imagined world to life.
The story itself is the primary focus of the judging process.
Original illustrations and artwork will be evaluated as creative expressions that communicate the story's world, characters, and scenes.
Parents or guardians may assist with writing down the child's own words when necessary.
03 | STORYBOARD
Visualize a Story for Film
Children create storyboards to show how their stories would unfold on screen.
They are encouraged to consider which scenes to include, how to arrange them, and how to communicate their ideas visually.
Hand-drawn storyboards are the standard format for this category.
04 | CHARACTER DESIGN
Create Characters for the Future
Children design original characters that could appear in stories set in the future.
Characters may include people, animals, robots, imaginary creatures, or entirely new beings created through the child's imagination.
05 | FASHION DESIGN
Design Fashion for the Future
Children are invited to imagine and design clothing, accessories, and other fashion items that people might wear in the future.
Designs may explore new lifestyles, imaginative worlds, or entirely original fashion concepts.
06 | FUTURE ENVIRONMENT DESIGN
Design the World of Tomorrow
Children imagine and design environments they would love to see in the future.
Ideas may include futuristic homes, schools, cities, vehicles, parks, natural environments, outer space, or entirely imaginary places.
We welcome designs inspired by the question:
“What if a place like this existed?”
4. CREATIVE PROCESS AND THE USE OF AI
The AURA KIDS AI FILM FESTIVAL is based on a hands-on, analogue approach to creativity.
Children are encouraged to develop their ideas through drawing, writing, crafting, and other forms of physical creative expression.
Selected winning entries will be developed into films, animations, or other visual formats by the festival organizers using AI technology and will be made available to the public.
The purpose of the festival is not to encourage children to use AI themselves.
Instead, AI is used as a tool to expand the creative possibilities of children's original ideas and bring their imagination to life.
5. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
All submitted entries must be original works conceived and created by the participating children themselves.
Entries created on behalf of children by parents or other adults are not permitted.
Entries that directly reproduce existing characters, brands, or other people's creative works are also not eligible.
However, in all categories except the Screenplay category, parents or other adults may provide writing assistance to children who are not yet able to write independently.
For example, an adult may write down a child's spoken words.
The original ideas, imagination, and creative expression must always come from the child.
Important: Entries in the Screenplay category must be handwritten by the participating child.
6. JUDGING CRITERIA
The judging process will focus not only on technical skills or the level of completion but also on the creativity and imagination demonstrated throughout the creative process.
Judges will consider questions such as:
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What ideas did the child explore?
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What kind of future did the child imagine?
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How did the child transform their original ideas into a creative work?
The judging process will take into account differences in creative abilities across age groups.
Each entry will be evaluated holistically, with particular attention given to the child's individual ideas, imagination, and creative expression.
7. JUDGING PANEL
We are delighted to welcome a distinguished panel of judges who are active at the forefront of their respective fields.
The members of our judging panel will be announced progressively.
Stay tuned for further announcements!
8. AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
AURA Grand Prize
Trophy and Certificate of Achievement
Category Awards
Certificates of Achievement
Special Awards
Additional special awards may be established depending on the judging process.
Winning entries are scheduled to be featured on the official festival website and presented at the awards ceremony, screenings, and other festival events.
9. HOW TO ENTER
Applications can be submitted through the official festival website.
Please follow these steps:
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Choose Your Category
Select the competition category you wish to enter.
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Download the Worksheets
Download the designated worksheets or other required materials from the official website.
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Create Your Artwork
Encourage your child to develop and create their own original work.
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Photograph or Digitize Your Work
Take photographs of the completed artwork or prepare it in a digital format.
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Submit Your Entry
Upload the completed work using the online submission form.
Participants may also submit works created on their own paper or in other formats without using the official worksheets, provided that the entries meet the requirements of their chosen categories.
FREE ENTRY
No participation fee is required.
10. INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE BETWEEN JAPAN AND THE UNITED KINGDOM
The AURA KIDS AI FILM FESTIVAL aims to promote international cultural exchange between children in Japan and the United Kingdom through their creative works.
Although children may come from different countries and speak different languages, they share the ability to imagine and express the kind of future they wish to create.
Through this festival, we aim to provide opportunities for children to share their ideas, discover different cultures, and experience new creative perspectives.
International exchange exhibitions featuring winning and other selected works are planned in London and Japan.
11. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Copyright and Intellectual Property
As a general rule, copyright in submitted works remains with the participating applicants.
The organizer may reproduce, publish, display, screen, and otherwise use submitted works, including photographs and videos of the works, free of charge for purposes related to the festival.
These purposes include festival operations, judging, exhibitions, screenings, publicity, the official website, social media, press materials, and the promotion of future editions of the festival.
Parental Consent
As all participants are minors, parental or guardian consent is required to enter the competition.
Consent regarding the publication of participants' names, photographs showing their faces, and other relevant information will be confirmed during the application process.
Third-Party Rights
Entries must not infringe upon any third party's copyright, trademark rights, portrait rights, or other legal rights.
Works that violate these requirements are not eligible for submission.
12. ORGANIZER AND MANAGEMENT
Organizer
Aura Institute for Creative Education あうら創造教育研究所
Planning and Operations
Aura Co., Ltd. Aura株式会社
A Child's Imagination Can Move the World.
The 1st AURA KIDS AI FILM FESTIVAL 2026
A child's small “what if” could change the future.
We look forward to discovering the limitless creativity, imagination, and original ideas of children from around the world.
ENTRY DEADLINE
OCTOBER 31, 2026
Saturday | 11:59 PM
FREE ENTRY · AGES 4–12
