Program Rules & Regulations

All eligible projects must have a screenwriter and director attached. Click here to confirm your Eligibility.

Submissions open May 19, 2026 – June 21, 2026.

Before applying, please review all Rules & Regulations below, in addition to the program FAQs. If you still have questions regarding the entry process, please feel free to contact us directly: THLSubmissions@tribecafilm.com.

ELIGIBILITY:

• Applicant(s) must be at least 21 years old and reside in the U.S. or Puerto Rico.
• Current undergraduate and graduate students are not eligible to apply.
• Eligible applicants may be a writer/director, writer or director. If the applicant is solely the writer, then a director must be attached to the submitted project.
• Projects must have an attached producer that is not the film's director. Participants are invited to attend the Workshop as teams of two, and that team may include a producer.
• Applying directors must have directed at least one short film that has either screened in festivals, been distributed, or self-distributed to audiences as a director. Short films are defined as pieces 5-38 minutes in length. Filmed live performances are not eligible.
• Directors must provide a work sample completed no earlier than January 2019.
• Through Her Lens has no restriction on genre, style, theme or project.
• Films must be able to be completed with a $120,000 budget.
• All applicants must comply with the program's Rules and Regulations.

Any applicant who does not match the aforementioned criteria is ineligible to participate.

HOW TO APPLY:

Submission Period: Through Her Lens (the "Program") submission period is on a rolling basis commencing at 11:00:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) on May 19, 2026 and ending at 11:59:00 PM ET on June 21, 2026 (the "Submission Period"). Sponsor's computer is the official time keeping device for the Program.

• All applicants must complete an online application form.
• Bios and contact information for key applicant(s) must be included.
• A budget top sheet or summary including post-production costs, is required.
• Application must include a script for a narrative short film that is no more than 20 minutes in length.
• An artist statement on goals for this project and a filmmaker statement on participation interest and larger career growth, is required.
• At least one visual material (ex: lookbook, pitch deck, moodboard, tone reel), is required.
• At least one full sample of the director’s prior work must be supplied via an online-streaming source (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.). Sample work must be a minimum of 5 consecutive minutes in length; longer is encouraged. Examples may include a webisode, short film, music video, commercial, etc. Previous work cannot be a recording of a live performance or staged reading. NOTE: You must not take down your footage at any time through the submission process, or you will be disqualified.
• We highly encourage only ONE project per applicant, unless the applicant is working on another project in a different role.
• Entries will not be considered complete until all materials are received. Please refer to the guidelines above.

There is no entry fee to apply to Through Her Lens.

WINNER SELECTION:

Five (5) potential finalists (individually, a "Finalist", and collectively the "Finalists") will be selected by Sponsor based upon the originality, technical merit, market viability, previous work quality, and mentorship potential of the submissions. The Finalists will then have the opportunity to pitch their submission during the Workshop to a jury of media professionals (the "Judges"). Of the five Finalists, only one (the "Winner") will win an award for use in the production of the submitted film. The winning projects will be selected by the Judges based on the submitted project, entrant's prior work, and their pitch. Prize winners cannot assign or transfer a prize to another person.

The Winner will be required to set up a single-purpose LLC to receive the winning proceeds and to produce the film. The filmmakers, via the LLC, will assume all liabilities in connection with the production (e.g., errors and omissions and liability insurance, any guild obligations, etc.). The Winners must sign long-form contracts with Sponsor, plus submit a production schedule and budget in advance of receiving the first award payment.

JUDGING CRITERIA:

Judging will be conducted between June 21 and August 31 2026 and will take place in two phases. Phase 1 selection of the Finalists by Sponsor Staff and other industry executives will be based on the following five (5) criteria; Originality & Creativity (25%), Technical Merit & Skill (20%), Quality of Previous Work (20%), Market Viability (15%) and Mentorship Potential (20%). Phase 2 selection of the Winner by Judges will be based on the following six (6) criteria; Originality & Creativity (25%), Technical Merit & Skill (20%), Quality of Previous Work (15%), Market Viability (15%), Mentorship Potential (10%) and Live Pitch Execution (10%). Decisions of the Judges and Sponsor are final and binding in all respects.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION:

This Program is void where prohibited or restricted by law. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. By participating in the Program, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final in all respects.

By participating in this Program and/or by accepting any prize that he or she may win, each participant agrees to release Sponsor, and all entities involved in the production, sponsorship and/or promotion of the prize or Sponsor's programming, or any part thereof; each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees; and each of these companies and individuals' respective successors, representatives and assigns (collectively, the "Released Parties") from any and all actions, claims, injury, loss or damage arising in any manner, directly or indirectly, from participation in this Program and/or acceptance or use of the prize.

Each prize winner authorizes Sponsor and their designees to use his/her name, voice, likeness, biographical data, city and state of residence and entry materials for promotional purposes in any publicity or advertising carried out in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration by the Sponsor and/or its advertising or promotional agencies, except where prohibited.

DISPUTES:

Through Her Lens: The Tribeca CHANEL Women's Filmmaker Program is governed by the laws of the United States and the State of New York, without respect to any choice of law or conflict of law principles that would result in the application of any law other than that of New York. As a condition of participating in this Program, entrants agree that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between the parties and causes of action arising out of or in connection with this Program, shall be resolved individually through binding arbitration, without resort to any form of class action, in accordance with the arbitration provision below.

ARBITRATION PROVISION:

By participating in this Program, each entrant agrees that: (a) any claim, dispute, or controversy (whether in contract, tort, or otherwise) the participant may have against Sponsor arising out of, relating to, or connected in any way with the Program, the awarding or redemption of any prize and/or the determination of the scope or applicability of this agreement to arbitrate, will be resolved exclusively by final and binding arbitration administered by JAMS and conducted before a sole arbitrator in accordance with the rules of JAMS; (b) this arbitration agreement is made pursuant to a transaction involving interstate commerce, and shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act ("FAA"), 9 U.S.C. §§ 1-16; (c) the arbitration shall be held in New York, New York; (d) the arbitrator's decision shall be controlled by the terms and conditions of these Official Rules and any of the other agreements referenced herein that the applicable entrant may have entered into in connection with the Promotion; (e) the arbitrator shall apply New York law consistent with the FAA and applicable statutes of limitations, and shall honor claims of privilege recognized at law; (f) there shall be no authority for any claims to be arbitrated on a class or representative basis, arbitration can decide only the participant's and/or Sponsor's individual claims; the arbitrator may not consolidate or join the claims of other persons or parties who may be similarly situated; (g) the arbitrator shall not have the power to award punitive damages against the participant or Sponsor; (h) in the event that the administrative fees and deposits that must be paid to initiate arbitration against Sponsor exceed $125 USD, and the participant is unable (or not required under the rules of JAMS) to pay any fees and deposits that exceed this amount, Sponsor agrees to pay them and/or forward them on the participant's behalf, subject to ultimate allocation by the arbitrator; and (i) with the exception of subpart (f) above, if any part of this arbitration provision is deemed to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, or otherwise conflicts with the rules of JAMS, then the balance of this arbitration provision shall remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with its terms as if the invalid, unenforceable, illegal or conflicting provision were not contained herein. For more information on JAMS and/or the rules of JAMS, visit their website at www.jamsadr.com.

PRIVACY POLICY:

Any personal information supplied by an entrant to Sponsor will be subject to the privacy policy posted at https://tribecafilm.com/privacy. Prize notification and fulfillment in connection with the Program will be administered by Sponsor. By entering the Program and voluntarily providing entrant's personal information as described in these Official Rules, entrants agree to the collection and use of their personal information by the Sponsor and their respective representatives, promotional agencies, and marketing organizations for purposes of the administration of the Program, notification of prize winners, fulfillment and verification of prize awards, and disclosing the list of winners.

By entering this Program, entrants consent to use of their submission information for these purposes and for all purposes set forth in these Official Rules.

NOTIFICATION:

Applicants will be notified of their selection status by Fall 2026. Please check our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn) for updates on the selection process.

Please review the FAQs before submitting. If you have questions, please contact THLSubmissions@tribecafilm.com.