GENIUS Short Film accepts environmental narrative, documentary and animation projects by one or two students. The current discipline page and Short Film Guide specify two to six minutes including titles and credits. The film should primarily contain student-created material; up to 20% external imagery may be used with permission and proper end credits. AI-generated films are not accepted. Non-English dialogue or narration needs English subtitles. Submit a YouTube Media Link; finalists bring an MP4 copy on USB and explain their work to judges.
The official 2027 tentative schedule, application rules and Finalist Guide, linked from the official guides page, were checked November 4, 2026. Finals are June 7–12, 2027 at St. John Fisher University in Rochester. The homepage states applications open December 2026; the tentative schedule adds December 15 without an explicit year beside that opening. An exact opening date remains unconfirmed.
Applications and the USD75 project fee are due March 1, 2027. The homepage gives 9 a.m. US EST, whereas the tentative schedule gives 11:59 p.m. EST; the cutoff time remains inconsistent. For eligible US/EU fair projects, the homepage gives April 16 and the schedule April 15, so that extension date is unresolved. Finalist announcements are scheduled for March 25. Participant registration and full participation payment are due May 5, 2027; May 10 on the homepage concerns trip/travel registration, not participant registration. Optional-trip and travel-information deadlines also differ between the homepage and guide; those services need separate confirmation.
The published participation charge is USD695 per student/chaperone, or USD495 when arranging and paying for separate hotel accommodation. Travel and affiliate charges can be additional. The Finalist Guide says GENIUS does not provide attendance scholarships or fee waivers. The website’s RIT award scholarships concern later university study, depend on admission and published eligibility, and do not pay for attending GENIUS. Future-cycle dates are not verified.