The Emerging Filmmaker Award honors early-career filmmakers who demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films focused on wildlife, wild places, and the communities working on the frontlines of conservation.
● The filmmaker cannot have any broadcast credits as a writer, director, producer, or director of photography/cinematographer.
● The filmmaker cannot be a prior recipient of the REEL WILD Emerging Filmmaker Award.
● The filmmaker must identify as an emerging, early-career filmmaker with aspirations to stay in the wildlife filmmaking world.
● The filmmaker must demonstrate tenacity and vision, with a commitment to conservation and natural-world storytelling. ● The film must contain potential for impact, including giving back to the community that is featured, or building an impact campaign for awareness.
● Films may be fiction or non-fiction.
● The filmmaker must submit an answer to the essay question stated below as part of their application for this award, in addition to their film submission to the 2027 REEL WILD New York Film Festival via FilmFreeway.
● The filmmaker must be at least 18 years of age at the time of submission.
● The filmmaker submits their film(s) to the “Emerging Filmmaker” category on FilmFreeway. The submission fee for this category will remain at $25 per film for the duration of the call for submissions period. (Please note, “submitter” in the Rules & Terms is not a defined term but a functional identifier; “filmmaker” here means the filmmaker of the film that will be submitted.)
● The filmmaker must answer the essay question for consideration for the Emerging Filmmaker Award.
● All films submitted to the Emerging Filmmaker category may be considered for inclusion in other award categories or Official Selection status, instead of for the Emerging Filmmaker Award, at the jury’s discretion.
● Looking for new perspectives, the jury will evaluate the filmmakers, their films, and their essay responses.
● Selected filmmakers will receive notification of winning the award and their film’s participation in the festival on
January 31, 2027.
*Scroll down this page to see the Contest Official Rules.
Three (3) selected films will win the Emerging Filmmaker Award. The filmmakers of the winning films will receive:
● A cash prize of $1,000 per film
● An Emerging Filmmaker Award certificate
● All-access festival pass to the 2027 festival
● Travel to/from the 2027 festival that includes round trip travel costs and accommodations for the duration of the 2027 festival
● Invitation to a networking breakfast with industry professionals during the 2027 festival
● Invitation to the Opening Night event during the 2027 festival
● Screening of their submitted film during the 2027 festival: April 7-11, 2027
REEL WILD New York Film Festival seeks to uplift emerging documentary filmmakers through its Emerging Filmmaker Award. The goal of the Emerging Filmmaker Award is to support early-career filmmakers who demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films focused on wildlife, wild places, and the communities working on the frontlines of conservation. REEL WILD New York Film Festival aims to spotlight voices of emerging talent from around the world and amplify the impact of their storytelling.
Applicants should answer the following prompt in 500 words or less:
What is the emergent voice you bring to your filmmaking, and how do your own lived experiences shape the visual language and storytelling you bring to the screen?
The answer must be original and written by the filmmaker; any use of artificial intelligence assistance to write the answer will disqualify the filmmaker and the film from consideration for the Emerging Filmmaker category and the Emerging Filmmaker Award.
The REEL WILD NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL 2027 EMERGING FILMMAKER AWARD CONTEST (the “Contest”) starts at 12:00:00am Eastern Time (“ET”) on July 1, 2026 and ends at 11:59:59pm ET on September 17, 2026 (“Contest Period”). The sponsor of the Contest is the Wildlife Conservation Society (“Sponsor”), with a principal place of business at 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York 10460. The Contest shall be subject to these Official Rules, and by entering, all entrants agree to be bound by the terms and conditions herein. Certain restrictions may apply.
ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individuals who (a) are eighteen (18) years of age or older as of the date the Contest begins; (b) are legal residents of (i) the fifty (50) United States (not including territories and possessions) and the District of Columbia or (ii) any other country or jurisdiction in which the Contest is not prohibited, restricted or otherwise subject to limitation and with respect to which there are no other applicable prohibitions or restrictions; and (c) as of the date the Contest begins, meet the following criteria: (i) identify as an emerging, early-career filmmaker with aspirations to stay in the wildlife filmmaking world, (ii) have not had any broadcast credits as a writer, director, producer, or director of photography/cinematographer, and (iii) are not a prior winner of the REEL WILD New York Film Festival Emerging Filmmaker Award (the “Award”). The officers, trustees, directors, partners, employees, independent contractors, interns, externs, volunteers, and agents of Sponsor and FilmFreeway (“FilmFreeway”), and each of the foregoing entities’ respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, licensees, sponsors, promotional partners, prize suppliers, and advertising and promotional agencies, and the immediate family members and those living in the same household, whether or not related, of the foregoing, are not eligible to enter or win. All United States federal, state, and local laws, rules and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law, statute, ordinance, regulation, code, rule, or any other governmental order or directive, or by treaty, pact, convention or accord.
HOW TO ENTER: Entrants are automatically entered into the Contest if during the Contest Period they (a) submitted their film that meets all applicable criteria and requirements stated at https://filmfreeway.com/REELWILDFilmFestival (“Entry Portal”) and at www.reelwild.org/emerging-filmmaker-award ("EFA Page") (each, a “Film”) to the 2027 REEL WILD New York Film Festival (the “Festival”), to be held April 7-11, 2027 in New York City, New York (“NYC”), to the Emerging Filmmaker Award category, and (b) submitted an original answer they wrote themselves - without any use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) assistance - containing 500 words or less, to the essay question, “What is the emergent voice you bring to your filmmaking, and how do your own lived experiences shape the visual language and storytelling you bring to the screen?”, both via the Entry Portal, which submission shall include taking all actions specified and required by the Entry Portal ((a), including the Film, and (b), collectively, an “Entry”), and only if after the conclusion of the Contest Period their Film is selected for inclusion in the Festival. All Entries must be complete and received by Sponsor through the Entry Portal by 11:59:59pm ET on September 17, 2026. No other method of entry will be accepted. There are no limits on the number of entries per person/email address. Entries containing, or reasonably suspected of containing, essay question answers written with any use of AI assistance will be disqualified. Incomplete Entries, and/or Entries generated by script, macro, or other automated or mechanical means, or by any means which subvert the entry process will also be void. All Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. Sponsor’s clock is the official and determining time clock of the Contest.
By submitting an Entry, each entrant (1) represents and warrants that entrant agrees to be and is in compliance with the Rules & Terms at the Entry Portal and that entrant’s Entry conforms to these Official Rules and (2) understands that Sponsor may disqualify entrant’s Entry for any reason, including if Sponsor determines entrant breaches any representation or warranty in the Rules & Terms at the Entry Portal or herein or the Entry fails to conform to these Official Rules in any way.
JUDGING CRITERIA & WINNER SELECTION: First, a group of pre-screeners selected by Sponsor will initially evaluate each eligible Entry received by Sponsor and rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest/worst rating and 10 being the highest/best rating, and the ratings for each such Entry will be calculated to determine the average rating for such Entry; next, such Entries that receive an average rating of less than 6 will be rejected; then, such Entries that receive an average rating of 6 or higher will move on to a qualified panel of jurors having filmmaking and/or scientific expertise selected by Sponsor; and finally, such panel will evaluate each such Entry based on (1) the entrant’s aspirations to stay in the wildlife filmmaking world, (2) the entrant’s demonstration of the entrant’s tenacity, vision, and commitment to conservation and natural-world storytelling, (3) the Film’s containing potential for impact, including giving back to the community that is featured in the Film or building an impact campaign for awareness, and (4) the entrant having a fresh/new perspective (such foregoing process, collectively, the “Criteria”). In the event of any disagreement among jurors or any question of a technical nature involving conservation, animals, and/or filmmaking, the jurors may consult with expert(s) in applicable field(s). Sponsor will screen all essay question answers using an AI detector of Sponsor’s choice, and any such answer determined by such AI detector as having been, or likely having been, created with any use of AI assistance will be disqualified. Entrants of the three (3) Entries that are judged highest/best against the Criteria will be deemed the potential winners (each, a “Potential Winner”). In the event of a tie, a tie-breaker juror will re-judge the tied Entries using the Criteria to determine the Potential Winner(s). Sponsor reserves the right to not award any prize if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries. All decisions of the pre-screeners and jurors are final and binding. Sponsor will not reveal the judging scores for any Entry.
WINNER NOTIFICATION: Sponsor will notify the Potential Winners initially via the Entry Portal on January 31, 2027 and subsequently by email. Each Potential Winner must (a) confirm his/her/their identity to Sponsor and (b) return to Sponsor (i) an executed and notarized Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability/Publicity Release and Prize Acceptance Form (“Affidavit & Release”) and (ii) an executed W-9 or W-8BEN form within the time period stated in the notification(s). Sponsor reserves the right to verify the identity and eligibility of each Potential Winner and once verified, and after such Potential Winner returns to Sponsor the above-mentioned documents, such Potential Winner will be deemed an official winner (“Winner”). Each presumptive Winner will keep secret and will not make any public announcements about his/her/their winning the Award and/or his/her/their Film’s inclusion in the Festival until after Sponsor publicly announces the Festival lineup. Sponsor is not responsible for changes to entrants’ email address after the date on which they enter the Contest. If any Potential Winner cannot be contacted, fails to reply to the winner notification as requested, is ineligible, fails to confirm his/her/their identity, fails to return an executed and notarized Affidavit & Release and/or an executed W-9 or W-8BEN form as requested, fails to claim the prize as requested, or otherwise fails to comply with these Official Rules, then such Potential Winner will be disqualified and forfeits the prize and, at Sponsor’s discretion, Sponsor may select an alternate Potential Winner, time permitting.
All decisions of Sponsor regarding the selection, notification, and any substitution of Winners in accordance with these Official Rules shall be binding and final.
PRIZE(S): There will be three (3) Winners and three (3) corresponding winning Films; no Film will win more than once. Each Winner will receive a prize package consisting of the following (each, a “Prize”): (i) a printed and framed “REEL WILD New York Film Festival 2027 Emerging Filmmaker Award” certificate (the “Certificate”); (ii) One Thousand United States Dollars (US$1,000.00) cash; (iii) an all-access festival pass to the Festival; (iv) travel to/from the Festival for the Winner that includes roundtrip travel costs between the Winner’s legal residence to the extent lawful and feasible (or an alternate location proposed by the Winner and acceptable to WCS in its sole discretion) and NYC and accommodation for the Winner at a NYC hotel, with all details for both as determined and arranged by Sponsor; (v) an invitation to a networking event with industry professionals during the Festival, with all details as determined and arranged by Sponsor; (vi) an invitation to the Opening Night event during the Festival, with all details as determined and arranged by Sponsor; and (vii) public screening of the Winner’s Film during the Festival, with all details as determined and arranged by Sponsor. Total approximate retail value (“ARV”) of each Prize is US$3,650.00 and of all three (3) Prizes is US$10,950.00.
Passes and invitations shall be subject to the terms and conditions stated thereon or as otherwise provided by Sponsor. All travel and accommodation arrangements to/from/in NYC for the time period of April 7-11, 2027 will be made by Sponsor. Transportation method, regardless of type, will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion and may include air, rail, and/or other ground transportation. Hotel accommodation, including without limitation brand and room type, will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Actual values shall be based on fluctuations of actual air, rail, and/or ground costs, the distance between departure city and NYC, and actual hotel accommodation costs. No compensation or substitution will be provided for any difference in the stated ARVs and the actual values of any transportation method or hotel accommodation. Invitations are non-transferrable. Winners must comply with all rules, policies, and restrictions of any venue or location involved in the Prize.
Each Prize includes only what is specified in the Prize description. Prizes do not include incidental costs (e.g., other meals; ground transportation for airport transfers, taxis, or otherwise). Prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied. If any presumptive Winner withdraws his/her/their Film from the Festival less than sixty (60) days before the Festival commences, or the Wildlife Conservation Society REEL WILD New York Film Festival Participation Agreement (“Participation Agreement”) is not signed as a necessary condition for any film’s inclusion in the Festival, then such presumptive Winner forfeits the Prize, and Sponsor reserves the right to award the Prize to an alternate winner, time permitting. Winners may not substitute, assign, or transfer the Prize (or any portion thereof) or redeem the Prize (or any portion thereof other than the cash portion) for cash, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute the Prize (or portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value. Each Winner is responsible for payment of all applicable taxes, charges and duties in respect of the Prize that are required to be paid by Winner pursuant to applicable law or the rules, orders or directives of any competent taxing authority, as well as any other costs and expenses associated with Prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided. All Prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion. If, for whatever reason, Sponsor is unable to award any Prize (or any portion thereof), no compensation or substitution will be provided in lieu thereof and Sponsor will have no further obligation to any applicable Winner.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to revoke a Prize, including without limitation the Award, in the event a Winner engages in harassment, discrimination, sexism, bigotry, or threatening, abusive, or disrespectful behavior (a) that brings, or is likely to bring, the Festival or Sponsor, or its mission or activities, into disrepute or notoriety, or (b) in connection with the Festival in any other manner.
AWARDING OF PRIZES: Sponsor will award each Prize only after verifying the applicable Winner and receiving the above-mentioned required documents from such Winner. Sponsor will award the Prize components to the Winners during the time period that begins after Sponsor’s public announcement of the Festival lineup and ends ninety (90) days after the Festival concludes as follows: travel and accommodation will be awarded in advance of the Festival by Sponsor’s REEL WILD team contacting each Winner via email to arrange such travel and accommodation, and such Winner is solely responsible for replying by the stated deadline; the all-access festival pass and the invitations to the networking event and Opening Night event will be sent via email in advance of the Festival; the Certificate will be provided during the Festival; the Film screening will occur during the Festival; and the cash component will be paid within ninety (90) days after the Festival concludes. Notwithstanding the foregoing and for the avoidance of doubt, Sponsor’s receipt of an executed Participation Agreement for each winning Film is essential, and Sponsor’s awarding any Prize (or any portion thereof), including without limitation payment of the cash component, may be delayed until Sponsor has received the corresponding executed Participation Agreement.
PUBLICITY GRANT: Unless prohibited by law, acceptance of a Prize constitutes the applicable Winner’s permission to Sponsor to use, and to allow others, including without limitation anyone acting on behalf of Sponsor and Sponsor’s licensees, successors, and assigns, to use, where permitted by law, such Winner’s name, city, state/province, and country of residence, photograph, image, likeness, voice, opinions, statements, winning Entry (excluding the actual Film), and Prize information in any manner, in any and all media now known or hereafter developed, worldwide in perpetuity for Sponsor’s institutional, educational, promotional, and publicity purposes and for publicizing any corporate sponsor’s support of or role in the Contest and/or the Festival, without additional consideration or compensation, permission, notification, or limitation except where prohibited by law.
Sponsor shall have the right, but not the obligation, to publicly announce the Winners and their Films, including without limitation on/in Sponsor’s websites (e.g., https://www.reelwild.org/ and https://www.wcs.org) and social media channels, on the Entry Portal, in print publications (e.g., press releases) and broadcast news outlets, at facilities operated by Sponsor, on-line, or in other locations.
The Festival will be recorded by Sponsor (such footage, the “Footage”). Each Winner understands that Sponsor shall own all right, title, and interest in and to the Footage and that Sponsor and its designees, successors, assigns, and licensees shall have the right to edit, modify, reproduce, distribute, display, perform, create screenshots, stills or derivative works based upon, or otherwise exploit the Footage and all elements embodied therein, along with her/her/their name, biographical information, likeness, voice, image, and opinions, in whole or in part, on their own or together with other materials for advertising, trade, promotional, and other purposes, in all media now known or hereafter discovered (including without limitation posting the Footage on Sponsor’s websites and digital properties (including without limitation its social media pages or accounts)), in any manner, worldwide in perpetuity, without further compensation, notification, or permission. Sponsor has no obligation to make use of any of its rights in and to the Footage. Contest Entities (defined below) are not responsible for any unauthorized use of the Footage by third parties.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Sponsor shall not be liable to the Winners or any other persons for failure to supply the Prize (or any portion thereof) by reason of any acts of God, any action(s), regulation(s), order(s), or request(s) by any governmental or quasi-governmental entity (whether or not the action(s), regulations(s), order(s), or request(s) prove(s) to be invalid), equipment failure, terrorist acts, earthquake, war, fire, flood, explosion, unusually severe weather, hurricane, epidemic or pandemic, embargo, labor dispute or strike (whether legal or illegal), labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down, civil disturbance, insurrection, riot, or any other cause beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control.
Sponsor, FilmFreeway, and each of their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, licensees, sponsors, promotional partners, prize suppliers, and advertising and promotional agencies, all of their respective officers, trustees, directors, partners, employees, independent contractors, interns, externs, volunteers and agents, and all others associated with the development and execution of the Contest (collectively, the “Contest Entities”) are not responsible or liable to any entrant or any other persons for any incorrect or inaccurate entry information; human errors; technical malfunctions; failures, omissions, interruptions, deletions, or defects of any telephone, broadband, wireless, or other network, computer online system, postal service, computer equipment, server, provider, mobile device, or software, including without limitation any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person’s computer or mobile device relating to or resulting from participation in the Contest; inability to access the Entry Portal; theft, tampering, destruction, or alteration of, or unauthorized access to, Entries; data that is processed late or incorrectly or that is incomplete or lost due to computer or electronic malfunction or traffic congestion on transmission lines or the Internet or the Entry Portal or for any other reason whatsoever; typographical, printing, or other errors; or any combination thereof.
UNITED STATES SANCTIONS: Sponsor is bound by United States economic sanctions, including (without limitation) those administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of Treasury (“Sanctions”). Sponsor is prohibited from providing funds, support or resources, whether directly or indirectly, to engage in, support, or otherwise facilitate a transaction in which an individual, entity, or country designated by OFAC has an interest of any nature whatsoever, direct or indirect, in violation of U.S. law or regulations, including, without limitation, those administered by OFAC. Each entrant agrees to provide Sponsor, promptly and at any point in the Contest process, with all reasonably requested information to allow Sponsor to assure its compliance with the Sanctions. Each entrant acknowledges and understands that no Awards or Prizes shall be made or given in violation of the Sanctions.
GENERAL: Entrants release and waive any claims they may have against the Contest Entities for any and all liabilities, injuries, claims, damages, losses, costs, or expenses of any kind (including without limitation attorneys’ fees) arising out of or in connection with the Contest, including without limitation those resulting from acceptance, use, or misuse of the Prize; participation in the Contest; or any technical malfunctions of the telephone network and/or transmission line, computer on-line system, postal service, computer, mobile device, or transmission device or its dating mechanism, equipment, hardware, software, or any combination thereof, or any Entries that are late (including delayed data transmissions), tampered with, garbled, incomplete, misdirected, lost, mutilated, delayed, corrupted, mechanically duplicated, illegible or otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules. FilmFreeway does not sponsor, endorse, or administer the Contest. All questions concerning the Contest must be directed to Sponsor and not to FilmFreeway. By entering the Contest, entrants affirm that they have read and accepted these Official Rules. The Contest shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. By entering the Contest, entrants hereby submit to the jurisdiction and venue of the federal and state courts of New York and waive the right to have disputes arising out of the subject matter hereof adjudicated in any other forum.
If for any reason it is not possible to operate the Contest as planned, or if the Contest or any website or any account address associated therewith (or any portion thereof), including the Entry Portal, becomes corrupted or does not allow the proper playing of the Contest and processing of Entries in accordance with these Official Rules, or if infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, actions by entrants, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes, in the Sponsor’s sole opinion, corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest, then Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual implicated in such action and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest or any portion thereof.
If a dispute about who submitted an Entry through the Entry Portal arises, then the Entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the email account associated with the Entry. The authorized account holder is deemed the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, service provider, or other online organization with such responsibility. A Potential Winner may be requested to provide Sponsor with proof that such Potential Winner is the authorized account holder of the email address associated with the winning Entry and that all eligibility requirements are met.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest for any reason or no reason.
For the names of Winners and their Films (available no later than March 1, 2027) or a copy of these Official Rules, send an email to reelwild@wcs.org with the request and “REEL WILD New York Film Festival 2027 Emerging Filmmaker Award Contest” in the subject line by April 30, 2027.
PRIVACY: Information collected from entrants is subject to the WCS Privacy Policy, which can be found at https://www.wcs.org/legal/privacy-policy, and to the FilmFreeway Privacy Policy, which can be found at https://filmfreeway.com/page/privacy-policy.
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