The Burn — 20 Short Film Challenge

Official Terms & Conditions

1. Eligibility

The 20 Short Film Challenge is open to filmmakers aged 16 years or over from Scotland, the wider UK and international territories.
Entrants must hold all necessary rights, licences and permissions for any content submitted, including music, archive footage and performances.

Films must be original works created or legally controlled by the entrant.

2. Film Requirements

Films must have a maximum running time of 20 minutes, including credits.

All genres are accepted excluding adult or pornographic content.

Films must be delivered in a high-resolution digital format suitable for streaming if selected.

The Burn reserves the right to refuse films that do not meet technical or content standards.

3. Submission

Entry to the challenge is free of charge.

Entrants must complete the official submission process before the stated deadline.

By submitting, entrants agree to these Terms & Conditions.

4. Selection Process

A panel of appointed judges will review all eligible entries.

Nineteen (19) films will be selected directly by the judges.

These selected films will be announced following the judging process.

All remaining eligible submitted films may be included in a public voting process.

5. Public Vote

The public vote will open after 24 April and will run for a period of two weeks.

The film receiving the highest number of valid public votes will become the final selected film, completing the total of twenty (20) films to launch the platform.

The Burn reserves the right to verify votes and remove any fraudulent or automated voting activity.

6. Streaming Opportunity

Selected films will:

Form part of the official launch content on The Burn streaming platform.

Receive a six-month pay-per-view streaming licence on the platform.

The Burn platform is currently scheduled to launch in July, subject to completion of all necessary legal agreements with selected filmmakers.

7. Pricing

Filmmakers will set their own pay-per-view price within platform guidelines:

Minimum price: £1.99

Maximum price: £4.99

8. Revenue Share

Filmmakers will receive 70% of net income generated from paid streams of their film during the six-month licence period.
The Burn will retain 30% to cover platform hosting, marketing, payment processing and operational costs.

Payments will be made periodically in accordance with platform payment schedules and minimum payout thresholds.

9. Rights and Licence

Filmmakers retain full ownership of their work.
By participating, selected filmmakers grant The Burn a non-exclusive digital streaming licence for the agreed six-month period.

The Burn may use film clips, still images and promotional material for marketing and publicity purposes.

10. Legal Agreements

Selected filmmakers must enter into formal content licence agreements before their film can be streamed.
Failure to complete legal agreements or provide required delivery materials may result in withdrawal of the selection.

11. Platform Discretion

The Burn reserves the right to:

Amend timelines

Replace selected films if necessary

Delay platform launch

Remove content that breaches platform standards or legal requirements

12. Liability

The Burn accepts no responsibility for:

Technical submission issues

Loss or corruption of files

Platform delays outside reasonable control

13. Governing Law

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of Scotland.