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RULES AND GUIDELINES

  • The short film must highlight the horrors and/or toxic effects of plastic and plastic pollution in a creative way.
  • All submissions must pass The Begley-Cohen Test 
    • A film or TV show passes The Begley-Cohen Test if...
    • (1) No single-use plastics appear on screen (i.e., the film/show is set in a time with no plastic, or plastics are replaced with refillable, reusable, or package-free options), or…
    • (2) If a single-use plastic item appears on screen, it is portrayed or discussed as problematic.
  • Horror or horror-adjacent genres only: The tone should be fitting for Halloween. 
  • 1-3 minutes total run time.
  • Films must be submitted in .mp4 files.
  • Original, scripted material only
    • Documentaries, “unscripted” content, montages, reels, or trailers will not be accepted.
  • Films must be in English or subtitled in English.

SUBMISSIONS

  • Entrants must submit the following materials through the online submission form.
    • .mp4 file of film completed and available for online viewing by the time the contest period ends.
    • One sentence logline for film.

AWARDS

Grand Prize Winner receives:

  • Cash prize of $2,000
  • Special invitation to the Hollywood, Health & Society Sentinel Awards in Los Angeles, California
  • Special invitation to Plastic Pollution Coalition’s VIP event in Los Angeles, California, in May 2024
  • Film screening during the annual Hollywood, Health & Society Sentinel Awards, attended by press and entertainment industry professionals

Top Five Finalists Receive:

  • Plastic Pollution Coalition plastic-free swag bag
  • Promotion and shares across Plastic Pollution Coalition and Hollywood, Health & Society newsletters, pages, and socials

JUDGES

Paula Poundstone – Comedian and Author: Home Movies, Inside Out, Hyperspace
Peyton List – Actor: Cobra Kai, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jessie
Liv Hewson – Actor: Yellowjackets, Santa Clarita Diet, Before I Fall
Jack Bender – Producer and Director: Lost, Child’s Play 3, From
Ian Brennan – Executive Producer: Dahmer,  The Watcher, Scream Queens 
Alan DiFiore – Co-Executive Producer: Grimm, The Expanse
Esteban Gast – Comedian, recently named as one of Grist’s 50 Fixers
Paul Grellong – Executive Producer and Writer: The Boys, Revolution, Hawaii Five-O
John Herrera – Producer and Writer: Handmaid’s Tale, The Purge
Jill Mazursky – Producer and Writer: Exposure, Gone Fishin', Golf Punks.
Jonathan Penner – Writer and Actor: The Bye Bye Man, Let the Devil Wear Black, Horror Cinema
Sean Reycraft – Co-Executive Producer: Mayfair Witches, Coroner, Killjoys, Writer, Vampire Diaries
Paul Robinson – Mixed media, photography based artist 
Sarah Yarkin – Actor: School Spirits, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Happy Death Day 2 U

RESOURCES

INSPIRATION