Roots & Reels – Terms & Conditions  

By submitting a film to Roots & Reels – Short Film Competition, you agree to the following key points. This is only a summary – the full Terms & Conditions, Data Protection & Privacy Notice and Rights of Use apply.

Eligibility

• You must be between 13 and 27 years old on 1 April 2026.
• You must live in Europe (defined by the member states of the council of Europe) or in a country covered by the wider EUSTORY network.
• You can participate individually or as part of a group (e.g. friends, classmates, youth group).
• Teachers and youth workers may support you, but the creative lead must remain with the young participants.
  

Your film

• Maximum length: 3 minutes.
• Topic: history, memory or heritage, connected to the past and why it matters today.
• Your film must use at least two historical sources (e.g. documents, photos, letters, interviews, places, objects).
• Any style is allowed (documentary, video essay, animation, etc.).
• You may use any language, but your film must have English subtitles.
• You are responsible for ensuring that all music, images and footage you use are either your own or properly licensed (e.g. public domain, Creative Commons, permission).
  

Submission

Rights & usage

• You keep the copyright of your film.
• By submitting, you grant IDMC – Institute for Democracy, Media & Culture, the EUSTORY and Körber-Stiftung a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to:
• host, screen and share your film in non-commercial educational, cultural and commemorative contexts linked to Roots & Reels / EUSTORY;
• use clips, stills, your film title and short bio in communication and documentation about the competition.
• This licence does not stop you from showing your film elsewhere or submitting it to other festivals.
  

Jury, awards, Hamburg & fair play

• A jury of historians, educators, youth representatives and media/film practitioners will evaluate eligible films.
• Films are assessed on: historical reflection, storytelling & creativity, media literacy & ethics, and technical execution (age-sensitive).
• The jury selects a Top 30 and awards 1st, 2nd, 3rd prize, plus possible special mentions.
• The Top 30 also enter Instagram Audience Awards (Most Liked, Most Commented, Most Shared) on the official EUSTORY account.
• In the case of group entries, usually 1 or 2 participants will be invited to represent the group in person at any Roots & Reels / EUSTORY ceremony events in Hamburg.
• The jury’s decision and the final Instagram award results (after fair-play checks) are final. Clear manipulation (fake likes, spam, etc.) may lead to adjustments or disqualification.
  

Data protection

• Your personal data is processed only as needed to run the competition, communicate with you, organise jury and prizes, and report on the project.
• Your data is not sold or used for independent commercial advertising.
• You have rights of access, correction, deletion, objection and withdrawal of consent, in line with our Data Protection & Privacy Notice.
• Contact for data questions: rootsandreels@idmc.al.
  

Organiser and contact

Organised by:

Initiated by:

Supported by:

General questions: rootsandreels@idmc.al