How to Enter
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Entry is open to any high school in Australia, with a maximum of 3 film entries per school.
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Teams must consist of 2-5 secondary students who have or are currently studying film.
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Each team must produce a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about a social issue.
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We accept a variety of genres including fiction, animation, claymation, stop motion etc.
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Films must be from 1 minute (minimum length) to 2 minutes (maximum length).
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Films must be submitted by the due date advertised on this website and submitted in the format described.
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Films may be in any language or have no dialogue at all. Non-English audio are encouraged to have English subtitles.
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If you include any copyrighted or trademarked content, you must be able to provide written permission for its use if requested. Entries containing any unauthorised content will be disqualified.
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In order for your entry to be valid, you must submit it using the online entry system on this website by the deadline.
Our Purpose
We provide young people with an opportunity to express themselves, their ideas and stories about social issues using film
Dates 2022
1st June
Registrations Open.
31st October
Deadline for submitting an entry.
7th November
Judging panel completes judging process.
15th November
Impact Film Challenge screening and awards event.
More ways to get in touch
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The Impact Film Challenge acknowledges this land and pays respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who are the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work. We recognise First Nations people as the original storytellers of these lands and acknowledge the vital role they continue to play in our community.
The incentive for students to gain practical and real world experience creating and producing a short film
The opportunity to win an award
judged by industry professionals and experts
A competition that promotes the voices and talent of young filmmakers, storytellers and changemakers
What we offer
Our Story
In 2020 Summer Brown partnered with award-winning director Jude Kalman from Little Drum Pictures to produce a short film called ‘Lessons’ which delivers a snapshot of her lived experience of domestic abuse through the eyes of children, learning lessons for life.
‘Lessons’ began winning international awards in USA, Canada, India and Japan (see the full list here) and that is when Summer saw the opportunity to use film as a vehicle to empower young people to have a voice, express themselves creatively and learn the skills of working in the screen industry.
Summer teamed up with Brett McCallum who caught the vision, along with many other industry professionals who agreed to support the idea as
mentors, judges and sponsors.
Resources
This resource is aimed at stage and screen content creators. It was developed to provide practical advice and information for those tackling issues such as mental health and suicide.
Preventing Suicide: A resource for filmmakers and others working on stage and screen. Page 9 has a great checklist of recommendations.
Here are some documentaries to inspire students who are researching topics and ways to create social change.
AndACTION is a resource that explores how entertainment can shift ideas, attitudes and perspectives and create social change.
This guide is for anyone who wants to create social change, and who wants to learn how storytelling can help.
More resources
ReachOut, Beyond Blue, BeYou, and Kidshelpline offer many resources for teachers and students who are discussing and researching social issues.
The Impact Film Challenge
The Impact Film Challenge is a film competition. Australian high school students are invited to produce and submit a short film about a social issue that impacts them or has shaped the lives of young Australians.
This is an opportunity for teams of young film makers to showcase their story telling and film making skills whilst shining a spotlight on the issues that young people feel are important to talk about and share with others.
Impact Film Challenge is held annually, all submitted entries are reviewed by professional film makers and social impact experts, and awards presented to winning films at the end of the year.
