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Standard
€
41
99
incl. tax

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€
54
99
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€
69
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€
81
99
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Complete

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€
109
99
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Young
€
38
99
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€
51
99
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€
66
99
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€
79
99
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€
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99
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€
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If you have any open questions, check our FAQs below.

Deadlines:
Submission: February 6th, 2026, 8 pm CET

Everything that’s included

The Indie Film Music Contest is open worldwide to all nationalities and ages. Here are the details in a nutshell:

Choose your Age Group:

Starter

Standard
€
41
99
incl. tax

  • One Submission
  • No professional Feedback


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Double

Standard
€
54
99
incl. tax

  • Two Submission
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Learner

Standard
€
69
99
incl. tax

  • One Submission
  • One professional Feedback


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Popular

Advanced

Standard
€
81
99
incl. tax

  • Two Submissions
  • One professional Feedback


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Complete

Standard
€
109
99
incl. tax

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  • Two professional Feedback


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Starter

Young
€
38
99
incl. tax

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  • No professional Feedback


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Double

Young
€
51
99
incl. tax

  • Two Submission
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Learner

Young
€
66
99
incl. tax

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Popular

Advanced

Young
€
79
99
incl. tax

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Complete

Young
€
104
99
incl. tax

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Starter

Standard
€
41
99
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Double

Standard
€
54
99
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Learner

Standard
€
69
99
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Popular

Advanced

Standard
€
81
99
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Complete

Standard
€
109
99
incl. tax


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Starter

Standard
€
41
99
incl. tax


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Double

Standard
€
54
99
incl. tax


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Learner

Standard
€
69
99
incl. tax


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Popular

Advanced

Standard
€
81
99
incl. tax


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Complete

Standard
€
109
99
incl. tax


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Starter

Young
€
38
99
incl. tax


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Double

Young
€
51
99
incl. tax


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Learner

Young
€
66
99
incl. tax


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Popular

Advanced

Young
€
79
99
incl. tax


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Complete

Young
€
104
99
incl. tax


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Starter

Young
€
38
99
incl. tax


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Double

Young
€
51
99
incl. tax


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Learner

Young
€
66
99
incl. tax


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Popular

Advanced

Young
€
79
99
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Complete

Young
€
104
99
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What
Participants
are saying:

Thank to the team for holding this contest, it’s a great opportunity for me to learn from other film composers.
Pei-Jung LiuS25 Participant
A really enjoyable and interesting experience. Feedback was super-helpful. Looking forward to the next contest.
SteveS25 Participant
I love the feedback; to me that really makes it worth the money. I think the categories for scoring are very nice in getting specific and I also loved the specific feedback. It makes me know that the contest is scored and judged fairly.
AaronS25 Participant
Thank you. I really appreciated the opportunity to challenge myself by way of this contest. I learned a lot through the process. I will certainly use the feedback I received to improve my next submission. All the best!
RobertW24 Participant
This was a real eye opener for me. Thank you for this opportunity! 🙂
AnonymousW24 Participant
Thank You for all of Your work! It was a wonderful first experience. And thanks for so fast and easy answers to emails. You are great team!
RitooW23 Participant
This is a great contest because it is possible to get valuable feedback. It’s also good, that it is available twice a year. The films chosen are also very good fun to write to.
AndreaW23 Participant
I really appreciate the transparency in knowing my ranking and the ability to get feedback.
Chris MW23 Participant
Keep on going guys, you rule 😊
AnonymousW23 Participant
Very well organized contest. Super friendly staff and superb, respectful feedback. 🙂 I’d like to participate again.
Annie RosierW23 Participant
Great competition; every feedback I received gave me a chance to improve my compositions and focus my work on some details that can make a real difference in film scoring.
MaxW23 Participant
You did a great job as usual! 🙂
Laios GoldbeckW23 Participant
Thank you so much for the amazing feedback. I really appreciate it and the time taken by whoever wrote it. It is very helpful.
Munashe JeraW23 Participant
I greatly appreciate the opportunity to recieve feedback. This far outweighs any desire to place or win (not saying that wouldn’t be a goal 🙂 ).
Steve WinklerW23 Participant
This is my second participation and I always learn more and more. Looking forward to a new challenge
Mário Santos Music S23 Participant
It was the first experience for me and very interesting so thank’lot.
Hervé from DijonS23 Participant
Great experience
Sébastien DIDONS23 Participant
I do not know of any other event that can be prepared as complex and detailed as this competition and produce wonderful products. So just thank you! Good luck with your efforts…
Ali GüvenW22 Participant
Please retain the judges. My feedback received was highly detailed in a scene by scene fashion with timing references. Keeping this format would be much appreciated.
Adriaan van NiekerkW22 Participant
I wasn’t able to participate this time, but I participated in the last contest and I loved the ways in which it challenged me. The fact that one gets feedback is invaluable to a growing composer.
Katya Zoio S22 Participant
it is an amazing initiative, great support for unrecognised musicians, young composers! Thank you for your work!
Aiva KrūmiņaW22 Participant
You guys are doing a fabulous job.
Shreyas BagalkotW22 Participant
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
John DoeW22 Participant
I think it’s a very good initiative on your part, it’s really well organised, it’s varied with prizes in different categories. There are not many competitions of this kind in the world, so it was a real discovery for me to find you.
Toni Giménez Cerezo W22 Participant
I really enjoyed the competition, there were many possibilities in the clip.
Ferenc BátriW22 Participant
I think you’re heading in the right direction! I’m excited
AnonymousW22 Participant
I really enjoyed this experience, thank you for launching this contest and providing an opportunity to hear a professional opinion on my music!
PetrW22 Participant
You’re all doing a hell of a job, so keep up the fantastic work !!!
WimbyW22 Participant
Congratulations for the winners score music competition! It’s great to be part of it I was amazed by the experience. Finally, thank the organizers again for their hard work in putting together the competition.
Hossam FoudaW22 Participant
The feedback was really helpful for me in improving my skills and knowing what the professionals are looking for. I loved the experience that I could see where I stood among fellow film composers and learned from each other.
Irelin LuoW22 Participant
A great run contest. Wonderful films.
ManfredW22 Participant
I really love what you guys are doing!
Benjamin FraserW22 Participant
i’d just like to say that you guys are doing an excellent job in putting this together and giving a chance to amateur composers to build up experience in film composition. keep it up!
GeneralxtitusW22 Participant
I had a blast!
Steve MurdockW22 Participant
It’s awesome, though there’s still a feeling of getting burnt after participating in your first ever competition and only receiving 2 sentences of feedback (however since you fixed it, I have no complaints to the current team)
Gustė GalW22 Participant
I just wish we had more time to prepare the score. Being a complete begginer with a full time job it is very difficult to put anything decent together.
RenatoW22 Participant
I think everything is good and I appreciate your work. Huge thanks for this opportunity!
Alina NenashevaW22 Participant
I appreciate the amount of care the organizers are putting into making this a unique type of composer competition.
Timothy G.W20 Participant
My feedback was really detailed, i really enjoyed that. I can understand that some composers may feel that was harsh, but i feel it was well intentioned, so no problem with that. Great experience overall, i didn’t win but learned a lot.
RaimundoW20 Participant
It was a brilliant experience for a first-time film composer, I would definitely do it again
ReubenW20 Participant
Overall a fun contest – taught me loads about scoring a complex piece. Loved the individual feedback and wish more contests would have this option.
Rob BurnleyW20 Participant
I thought this was a brilliant competition, great fun and gave me an opportunity to write my very first film score. Now that I know I can do it I would definitely enter again, running it twice a year sounds a great idea. See you next time!
TimW20 Participant
Really enjoyed the contest, was very difficult but learned so much from it and the feedback from the judge was very helpful. I like that the feedback was brutally honest so it helps me improve for next time.
Ryan ThomsonW20 Participant
I think this kind of contest is golden for every young composer out there. Thank you!
ShawyeeW20 Participant
Thanks for handling the feedback well. I got a good feedback so I’m happy about that even if I wish I was a finalist haha. Everyone does. Anyway I was grateful for the opportunity and I think you did a good job.
FredrikW20 Participant
Big fan of this contest. I’m looking forward to the next one!
kweidmannW20 Participant
A great contest which offers a great opportunity for composers of all fields and age. It was a lot of fun.
Sebastian AeberhardW20 Participant
Thanks for the opportunity. You’re the best.
Darko PavorW20 Participant
Thank you so much for putting together this contest. I had a lot of fun doing it, learned what it’s like to score a film, and got the chance to make something I’m proud of. I look forward to the opportunity to try this again in the future. Thank you!
Jonathan CalvelloW20 Participant
It was an amazing experience.
Isaac MorganW20 Participant
This contest was such a great experience. As a composer at the beginning of your career, it’s hard to get recognition for your work without the expensive equipment. This is a fun, communizing building way to do that!
Tristan HarrisW20 Participant
Keep it up!
KTGW20 Participant
Such a huge thank you to everyone at IFMC and IGMC. What you guys are doing is awesome! This was such a wonderful experience. It challenged me in ways I’ve never been before, and helped me further my skill set as a not only a composer but as a musician in general. I look forward to joining again, and hopefully securing a place in the future🤞
Neriah Yang-GuerreroS25 Participant
This contest is a great opportunity to put into practice your skills, to share your work with others and it’s also great to see the work of other people too. It is fun and inspiring to see different points of view, decision making, sounds choice, etc. I’m looking forward to the next one!
María B.S25 Participant
I find this contest phenomenal. The prizes are very substantial, and the opportunity to be reviewed by professionals is incredibly valuable for those trying to improve. I also think the price is more than reasonable for us participants (almost a steal!) The films you bring are of the highest quality, and for those who want to sharpen their skills, they are a godsend. Over the years, you’ve added more and more ( video games contest, video course). Congratulations on the enormous work you’re doing!
AllessandroW24 Participant
IFMC is a great contest! While simple and effective, it provided me with the opportunity of getting back to one of my wildest dreams as a child: being a movie composer! It is just a nice opportunity and a great way to get feedback and get to know other composers.
Luís Espírito SantoW23 Participant
It’s cool to see IFMC growing and bringing in more competitors over the last 4-5 years. There’s something about being against more competitors and submissions that makes you want to give it all you got. Even the feedback is very valuable which makes you want to do another season while having those in mind; in hopes of more improvement. Blending a bigger competition with solid feedback I believe is a great way to improve effectively and I think IFMC captured that spot on. Thank IFMC!
Trevor Thomas DicksonW23 Participant
I loved how I got specific (and great) feedback! Even though it took a long time to see what the results of the contest were, I thought it was worth it so everyone (that paid for it) could get feedback. The only way to grow is to hear from professionals what you should work on, so I loved the option for feedback.
Cole BrinleeW23 Participant
I loved how I got specific (and great) feedback! Even though it took a long time to see what the results of the contest were, I thought it was worth it so everyone (that paid for it) could get feedback. The only way to grow is to hear from professionals what you should work on, so I loved the option for feedback.
Cole BrinleeW23 Participant
I had a lot of fun participating for the first time. I definitely didn’t not expect to place where I did. The IFMC pushed me out of my comfort zone to try new things. The feedback was in-depth and helpful. I will definitely be participating again. I’m pushing for top 3! 🙂
Don JamesW23 Participant
Thank you for this program. I have been challenged for the past 5 years after music school as to where can I seek for film scoring platforms, and your platform was one of the platforms that catered to music scorers. So thank you for this initiative and thank you for the survey to improve on the competition, it really shows that this platform really cares about the upliftment of music composers in the film and gaming space.
Nothando Mkhwanazi W23 Participant
I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving us the opportunity to share our work, improve our craft through the amazing feedback of the jury, and meet fellow composers. You are doing great work and I hope there will be many more contests to come!
Timo RiegerW23 Participant
It has been such a great experience to enter the IFMC and an even bigger thrill to be the competition winner! The video I scored was really well chosen as it was open for so much musical direction. The feedback was excellent and it was interesting to get constructive insight from an industry professional.
Thomas BennettW23 Participant
That was my second time, that I participate in this contest. And it was a really great experience. I love it, that you can get feedback from the judges. That is a really great help for getting better and better. I will definitely participate again next time!
ChristianS23 Participant
IFMC does an outstanding job at constantly updating and improving their contest level of standards by requesting constant feedback and suggestions from the participants and doing an excellent job of finding judges to help with the feedback and giving us, the composing participants, things to think about and improve upon. I appreciate everything this contest does. Keep it up!
Kory HS23 Participant
I loved my feedback for The Cook. It’s my first time doing anything like this, and the feedback was very constructive, helpful, and supportive. It helped me learn how I could’ve been more effective within the film scoring genre and was delivered in a super clear and constructive way. Whoever that was must be a great teacher!
One thing is that I found the website to be a bit clunky, especially when waiting for registration to open.
Joseph FallonS23 Participant
From my experience, the contest was well executed and I could feel the organizers’ genuine passion and determination to make this contest as fair as possible, even when there were hiccups, because they were quick to respond to feedback/complaints and communication was clear. To me, that is way more important than the problems, hence I had an enjoyable time participating in it!
One thing is that I found the website to be a bit clunky, especially when waiting for registration to open.
SimmyS23 Participant
I absolutely loved the clip The Cook so much just because out of all the clips I saw it felt like it allowed for the most creativity? A lot of animated films have a certain tendency to be or need to be scored orchestrally whereas with the cook I really enjoyed that (I felt) the arrangement could be much more malleable? I’d personally advocate for more Indie films!One thing is that I found the website to be a bit clunky, especially when waiting for registration to open.
Francis MasseiS23 Participant
The contest was great, and I received the most detailed feedback on my score among all the competitions I’ve ever participated in. I really could feel that the judges care about the submitted music. Would absolutely participate more!
Dmitri P.W22 Participant
I really enjoyed participating in this contest. As my goal is to move toward scoring films, this was a great experience. The feedback was firm and clear, highlighting both positive and negative points. I would have liked it to go a bit more in depth though, but I can imagine that this would have been hard given the many contestants. I will definitely compete more often in the future!
Tomek G.W22 Participant
I think what you guys are doing is amazing I m in my first year at berklee for film composition and I have appreciated every bit of feedback I have received from these contests a free version would be amazing for new and old composers alike.
Mr. DevinW22 Participant
I took part in this competition for the first time and I am very happy how this competition was organized. The feedback that I got from the judge was written professionally. The judge analyzed the second after a second my music and gave me valuable tips for me what I can improve, and what he liked. Although I did not get the first or second place, it is nice that I received a certificate of participation and the place where I qualified.
Andrzej GładkowskiW22 Participant
I am so grateful for the feedback that I was given. It was extremely useful for me and helped me see what I need to improve in. The opportunity to get feedback in the first place was amazing, considering how most other competitions don’t give that option. The feedback was wonderful, really.
John SaumaW22 Participant
Thank you cery much for the opportunity for doing such a thing. I found this by accident only a few weeks back, so for this time I only participated with one submission. But I really like the event, so I will definitely participate next time again.
ChristianW22 Participant
It was really a great experience! I was really nervous to receive the feedback and the finalists list. Although I didn’t make it to finalist, I found out I was ranked in the 6th position! It was really great to have that place. Also, the feedback was really detailed and correct, I’m positive it will help me in my future! Overall a great experience that I’ll be definitely checking it out again! Thank you for everything.
Víctor RodríguezW22 Participant
Thank you for giving people a platform and an opportunity to have their music heard and critiqued by professional composers. The feedback I recieved was a great help and gave me pointers on things I can improve in my future work.
Kenneth MalmW22 Participant
The contest for me was a great experience to improve my composer habilities, I’m totally encouraged to participate again. Loved the way you got me feedback and that motivates me to keep working in future contests. This was my first participation in a contest about film music so I’d like to participate more. The only thing I saw is that the cost for signing into the contest, it is kinda expensive, especially for people like me, from Latin America.
Mannuel Santiago CuadrosS21 Participant
Hey IFMC Crew, I had such a blast working on the summer edition of this contest and am sad to say that I registered but did not end up entering in the winter iteration. Nonetheless, I greatly appreciate the opportunity you have created here and am really looking forward to where this goes. Keep up the great work and I’ll see you soon for the next exciting contest!
Duncan HallS21 Participant
I just want to thank you for the opportunity to make this score. for me it was fun and enjoy and opportunity to learn and progress in writing music.Since this is my second score I didn’t mind the negative feedback because I know my limitations and problems and I think that the feedback is great and that I can learn something from it.
Thank you 🙏
ZareS21 Participant
It was such a big pleasure to create a score for the Caminandes LImaigos. I look forward to scoring more films from your place. My passion for film music composing would strongly stay until the end of my life. it is one of the most important and obvious reasons why I would like to be a composer.
BaoW20 Participant
I really enjoyed the opportunity and loved the animation we were given. I read the apology email so I do completely understand the difficulties you faced with one of the judges. I was one of the people who felt that the feedback was very negative and didn’t quite fit your ethos of beginner composers, and understanding our limitations in scoring and orchestrating capabilities. However still very much enjoyed the experience and you were great at getting back to me when I had any questions.
EleanorW20 Participant
I think the contest was very well put together, kudos to the team! I loved the concept and amount of free reign that was given to each contestant. I especially liked the regulation that said something along the lines of ‘we will not judge by audio quality, but rather by the ideas presented.’ All in all, I really enjoyed the contest and I can’t wait to participate next year! Keep up the great work!
Duncan HallW20 Participant
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John DoeW20 Participant
The contest was really good. Not only did it give me something to work on, but it also challenged me as an artist because I’ve never worked on anything like this. Its ever so important to push artists and composers out of their comfort zone, whether it be stylistically or via feedback. I’ll most likely be participating next time. Thank you for the opportunity.
Esteban RodriguezW20 Participant
I really enjoyed the contest and felt my judge did a good job of giving thoughtful feedback – I got much more than expected. My one qualm was that he said during the flight scene the llama was worried so the music should match. I did not entirely read this scene the way he described which would be fine (perhaps I misunderstood it!) if any of the winners had done what he described. The fact that none of the winners or finalists had music matching his description seemed odd to me. Otherwise a very valuable experience that I was happy to take part in and receive criticism on!
Will MaupinW20 Participant
This contest was very well put together. It seemed very open to everyone regardless of skill level, and created an opportunity to put music to a film that some people don’t normally have a chance to do. Overall an incredibly friendly experience to young composers like myself.
Ben RobertsW20 Participant

FAQs

Why can’t I see the films before registering?

For several reasons explained below, we unfortunately can’t show you the films before registering.
However, if you honestly don’t like any of the films after registering, you can just contact us within five days and we’ll be happy to send you a refund! Therefore there’s no risk for you.
Just send us an email with your order number at: films@indiefilmmusiccontest.com and we’ll send the refund within 24h.

We had the experience that many people just use the preview film to work on their score. The problem with that is that they are technically not allowed to do this by the people who give us the rights to use these films. These rights holders are generally very protective of their rights and were not exactly happy about the films being used by non-participants so we want to avoid this from happening again. Since we are dependent on cooperating with them to keep providing you with good quality films to score we, unfortunately, can’t show the films before you register anymore.

Moreover, as the contest is growing in numbers and attention, we just need to be generally more careful in legal matters especially concerning copyright which is a very complicated topic that we’re no experts on. So we’re rather a little bit too careful than to be liable for any copyright infringements which could cause the contest to end permanently.

However, we spent a lot of time handpicking these films for you and we are sure that there is at least one film in our selection that you’ll be able to work with. Moreover,  it’s only realistic to not be able to choose what project you work on, and trying something you haven’t done before can push you in new creative directions. Also, our surveys said that a big part of the participants actually likes the surprise.

Can I pay in different currencies than Euro?

Yes. We use PayPal for all our payment processing so whether you use a PayPal account to pay or a credit card you can pay using any currency which will then be converted to Euro. PayPal will show you the exact amount it will be in your currency when you click on “Complete Registration” or the PayPal button.

Additional Entries and the Fee

The fee is split into three parts the Base Fee which you only have to pay once, the Entry Fee for each Entry you want to submit, and the Feedback Fee for each feedback you want to receive.

Entry and Submission basically mean the same thing. For each additional entry, you can submit one more film with your music. For each additional feedback, one of your submissions will get feedback so if you have 2 entries for example and 1 feedback, one of your submissions will get feedback but the other one not.

When you later submit your film there is a box that you can check to decide if you want to receive feedback for that submission and you can also see on that page how many entries/submissions you have left and how many you can still use.

You can also always add other entries and feedback later.

About the films

This time we have a two films for you to compete with and three additional one to practice. There is one live-action and one animated short film for both of the Young and the Standard divisions. You can choose to compete with one one of the or do both if you register with an additional submission.

How long are the films?

The films are usually between 3 and 4 mintues long

Can I share my work online?

Yes, you can! You of course, keep full ownership of the music you created and can do whatever you want with it.
If you want to share the music wit h the film, it’s important that it is obvious that it is not the original and was created in context of this competition and that the creators are sufficiently credited. 
The creators may ask for specific requirements for the films to be published, but you can use it in your portfolio and anywhere else online.

Can we join as a Team?

Yes, you can! One of you needs to register and create an account at our website. Once you submit, you will be able to enter both of your names in the submission form which late appear on your certificate. 
In case you win a prize you will be responsible to split the prizes how you see fit though.

How does the verifiable Certificate work?

After the competition, you will now receive a verifiable certificate with your placement in the competition.
Verifiable means that there is a code on the certificate that can be entered on our website which will then verify its authenticity. So you can easily prove that you successfully entered the competition and achieved a specific placement and anyone who sees your certificate (if you put it on your website for example) can confirm that it’s real.

Why do I have to pay a fee?

The reason why we can not make it free for you is that there are 5 Judges and our team that put a lot of time and work into this and we think everyone in this industry agrees that working for free is not cool. Especially our highly qualified judges deserve appropriate compensation.

In addition to that, there are costs like website hosting and development, marketing, the cash prizes, etc. All of this is quite expensive and there is no other company behind this that can use it as marketing for their brand/products or something. 

The money needs to come somewhere so we have to charge everyone a fee to participate but because of this, we are only dedicated to making this contest the best possible experience for everyone that we think is worth the cost and we don’t have to pursue any other goals under which the quality of the contest could suffer like any free competition!
This for example also allows us to offer you opportunities like the personal feedback which you won’t get in any other competition. Moreover, we guarantee that every submission is evaluated by our judges and not by any other inexperienced panel which is done in most competitions to lower the costs.

If you can not afford it that’s ok and we understand that. We just hope that you can also understand that we too can not afford to make it free even though everyone deserves to compete.
We’re also trying to find ways to lower our costs so we can lower the fee for you in the future. So if you can’t participate this time maybe it will be possible the next time.

Should I join the Young or the Standard competition?

If you are currently 23 years or older, join the standard competition. If you are currently under the age of 23 you can choose which one you would like to join. The young one has fewer participants and therefore less competition but the standard one has slightly better prizes. In the rare case that you are 22 now but turn 23 until the winners are announced you are also allowed to choose and the moment you register will count.

Where can I find winners of previous contests?

You can find the winners of our previous contests on this page: https://indiefilmmusiccontest.com/previous-competitions/

How often does this competition happen?

We’re hosting the competition twice a year with one summer and one winter edition.

What does the “Indie” stand for?

The “Indie” is short for independent. The contest is for independent film composers and it also is independently organized which means that there is no other company behind this. We’re hosting the contest just for its own sake with no other motives.

Where can I find the download link for the films after I registered?

After you registered go on your account page and click on the “Contest” button. Then you will be redirected to your contest page. There you’ll find instructions for the contest including the download link. This is also where you can submit your composition and find the results after the competition ends.
You can also just click on this link (https://indiefilmmusiccontest.com/submission/) but be aware that if you’re not logged in and haven’t registered already you’ll be redirected to the registration page.

When will I get the individual feedback?

Everyone who registered with the feedback option will be able to see the feedback in their accounts the moment we announce the winners of the competition.

Can I get more than one Feedback for the same Submission?

Currently, our system only allows it to get one feedback for each submission.

Why can’t I see the films before registering?

For several reasons explained below, we unfortunately can’t show you the films before registering.
However, if you honestly don’t like any of the films after registering, you can just contact us within five days and we’ll be happy to send you a refund! Therefore there’s no risk for you.
Just send us an email with your order number at: films@indiefilmmusiccontest.com and we’ll send the refund within 24h.

We had the experience that many people just use the preview film to work on their score. The problem with that is that they are technically not allowed to do this by the people who give us the rights to use these films. These rights holders are generally very protective of their rights and were not exactly happy about the films being used by non-participants so we want to avoid this from happening again. Since we are dependent on cooperating with them to keep providing you with good quality films to score we, unfortunately, can’t show the films before you register anymore.

Moreover, as the contest is growing in numbers and attention, we just need to be generally more careful in legal matters especially concerning copyright which is a very complicated topic that we’re no experts on. So we’re rather a little bit too careful than to be liable for any copyright infringements which could cause the contest to end permanently.

However, we spent a lot of time handpicking these films for you and we are sure that there is at least one film in our selection that you’ll be able to work with. Moreover,  it’s only realistic to not be able to choose what project you work on, and trying something you haven’t done before can push you in new creative directions. Also, our surveys said that a big part of the participants actually likes the surprise.

Can I pay in different currencies than Euro?

Yes. We use PayPal for all our payment processing so whether you use a PayPal account to pay or a credit card you can pay using any currency which will then be converted to Euro. PayPal will show you the exact amount it will be in your currency when you click on “Complete Registration” or the PayPal button.

Additional Entries and the Fee

The fee is split into three parts the Base Fee which you only have to pay once, the Entry Fee for each Entry you want to submit, and the Feedback Fee for each feedback you want to receive.

Entry and Submission basically mean the same thing. For each additional entry, you can submit one more film with your music. For each additional feedback, one of your submissions will get feedback so if you have 2 entries for example and 1 feedback, one of your submissions will get feedback but the other one not.

When you later submit your film there is a box that you can check to decide if you want to receive feedback for that submission and you can also see on that page how many entries/submissions you have left and how many you can still use.

You can also always add other entries and feedback later.

About the films

This time we have a total of four films for you available. There is one live-action and one animated short film for each of the Young and the Standard divisions. This means you can only compete with two of them but you get access to all four so you can practice. There is also the possibility that we use one of the films again in the other division in case it is very popular and there are enough people who also want to use it to compete and not only to practice.

The films for the two divisions are not the same anymore to better distinguish those two competitions. This way the evaluation of a Young submission can’t be compared to and therefore possibly influenced by a Standard submission.

How does the verifiable Certificate work?

After the competition, you will now receive a verifiable certificate with your placement in the competition.
Verifiable means that there is a code on the certificate that can be entered on our website which will then verify its authenticity. So you can easily prove that you successfully entered the competition and achieved a specific placement and anyone who sees your certificate (if you put it on your website for example) can confirm that it’s real.

Why do I have to pay a fee?

The reason why we can not make it free for you is that there are 5 Judges and our team that put a lot of time and work into this and we think everyone in this industry agrees that working for free is not cool. Especially our highly qualified judges deserve appropriate compensation.

In addition to that, there are costs like website hosting and development, marketing, the cash prizes, etc. All of this is quite expensive and there is no other company behind this that can use it as marketing for their brand/products or something. 

The money needs to come somewhere so we have to charge everyone a fee to participate but because of this, we are only dedicated to making this contest the best possible experience for everyone that we think is worth the cost and we don’t have to pursue any other goals under which the quality of the contest could suffer like any free competition!
This for example also allows us to offer you opportunities like the personal feedback which you won’t get in any other competition. Moreover, we guarantee that every submission is evaluated by our judges and not by any other inexperienced panel which is done in most competitions to lower the costs.

If you can not afford it that’s ok and we understand that. We just hope that you can also understand that we too can not afford to make it free even though everyone deserves to compete.
We’re also trying to find ways to lower our costs so we can lower the fee for you in the future. So if you can’t participate this time maybe it will be possible the next time.

Should I join the Young or the Standard competition?

If you are currently 23 years or older, join the standard competition. If you are currently under the age of 23 you can choose which one you would like to join. The young one has fewer participants and therefore less competition but the standard one has slightly better prizes. In the rare case that you are 22 now but turn 23 until the winners are announced you are also allowed to choose and the moment you register will count.

Where can I find winners of previous contests?

You can find the winners of our previous contests on this page: https://indiegamemusiccontest.com/previous-competitions/

How often does this competition happen?

We’re hosting the competition twice a year with one summer and one winter edition.

What does the “Indie” stand for?

The “Indie” is short for independent. The contest is for independent film composers and it also is independently organized which means that there is no other company behind this. We’re hosting the contest just for its own sake with no other motives.

Where can I find the download link for the films after I registered?

After you registered go on your account page and click on the “Contest” button. Then you will be redirected to your contest page. There you’ll find instructions for the contest including the download link. This is also where you can submit your composition and find the results after the competition ends.
You can also just click on this link (https://indiegamemusiccontest.com/submission/) but be aware that if you’re not logged in and haven’t registered already you’ll be redirected to the registration page.

When will I get the individual feedback?

Everyone who registered with the feedback option will be able to see the feedback in their accounts the moment we announce the winners of the competition.

Can I get more than one Feedback for the same Submission?

Currently, our system only allows it to get one feedback for each submission.

Still open questions? Contact us at:
support@indiegamemusiccontest.com