A. Production companies, advertising agencies, brands, post production companies, editing houses, music production companies, digital production companies, creative studios and independent professionals worldwide are eligible to enter.

B. CICLOPE is an international Festival and English is the official language. Entries may be submitted in any language, but English subtitles are required for all non-English-language films (except in the Music Video section).

C. Entries must be submitted and paid through CICLOPE’s online registration system or via wire transfer. An entry is only considered complete once all the materials have been uploaded and payment has been received.

D. To be eligible, entries must comply with these Terms & Rules and the technical specifications outlined in the registration platform. CICLOPE is not responsible for incomplete or incorrect submissions. Entry fees are not refundable.

E. Entrants must have secured all necessary rights and authorizations, including those from advertisers, agencies and/or rights holders, including talent and music licensors. By entering, participants confirm they hold all required rights and grant CICLOPE the right screen and publish the work for Festival and promotional purposes. The Festival shall not be held accountable for any type of responsibility that may arise in the shape of legal claims of third parties for this or any other motive related to the intellectual property or reproduction rights of the work.

F. All information submitted as part of an entry, including supporting materials, must be true and accurate. Entrants are solely responsible for its content, and CICLOPE reserves the right to request supporting documentation at any stage and to disqualify any entry containing false, misleading or incomplete information, without refund. CICLOPE accepts no responsibility for any misrepresentation or fraudulent claims.

G. Entries must have been first broadcast between 22 August 2025 and 28 August 2026. CICLOPE and/or the Jury may request proof of broadcast at any stage. Entrants should be ready to provide it within 72 hours. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.

H. Work submitted to previous editions of CICLOPE Festival is not eligible. However, entries submitted to the 2026 editions of CICLOPE Latino or CICLOPE Asia Pacific may be entered, provided they comply with the eligibility dates outlined above.

I. Commercial work submitted to CICLOPE Craft and CICLOPE Ideas must have been commissioned by a brand. Spec work is only eligible in the Unsigned Director category, and must be clearly identified as such within the film.

J. For the New Talent in Commercials and New Talent in Music Videos categories, directors must have had less than two years of professional experience directing commercials or music videos. The organization will have the right to ask for proof, if necessary.

K. Campaigns are only eligible in specific categories within the CICLOPE Craft Production and Animation sections, and CICLOPE Ideas Film, Innovation and For Good sections. In all other categories, entries should be submitted as individual pieces.

L. To ensure fair judging, commercials and supporting materials must not include any company names, logos or credits from the production companies or agencies involved. If such information is included, entrants will be asked to remove it. If no response is received within 48 hours, the entry may be disqualified. This requirement does not apply to short films and music videos submitted to CICLOPE Entertainment.

M. CICLOPE and the Jury, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to move an entry to a more appropriate category when considered necessary, or to disqualify it if it does not comply with any requirements expressed in the current Terms & Rules. No compensation will be provided.

N. Full and accurate credits must be provided during submission. These will be used for publication if the work is awarded.

O. The use of AI tools must be disclosed at the time of submission. Entrants remain responsible for ensuring all rights and permissions are in place.

P. CICLOPE’s judging process consists of three rounds:
Online voting by the Executive and Grand Jury.
Shortlist sign-off by the Executive Jury.
Final judging by the Executive Jury in Berlin, where Gold, Silver and Bronze are decided. The Executive Jury can also award a Grand Prix per section to the most outstanding work.

Q. Judges will not vote on any entry in which they, their companies, or affiliated companies within their global network were involved.

R. The Jury reserves the right to not award a category if the required standard is not met.

S. Entry deadline is 14 August 2026, and winners will be announced on 8 October 2026 at the CICLOPE Awards ceremony in Berlin. Winners not present at the ceremony will receive their trophies by courier.

T. For the ranking to determine the Special Awards points are awarded as follows:
– Grand Prix: 25 points
– Gold: 15 points
– Silver: 7 points
– Bronze: 3 points
– Finalist: 1 point

U. To qualify for Special Awards: Production Company, Advertising Agency or Brand of the Year, companies must be credited in at least 3 shortlisted entries. For Director, VFX Company, Animation Company, Editing Company and Music Company of the Year, a minimum of 2 shortlisted entries is required. For Sound Company of the Year, companies must be credited in at least 1 shortlisted entry. Entries from all offices worldwide contribute to a company’s total score.

V. CICLOPE reserves the right to amend schedules and formats as required without prior notice.