Enter A Competition
The 2021 ABFF Comedy Festival features four competitions designed to discover and reward emerging black and brown comedic talent: content creators and performing artists. Please find the submissions eligibility criteria, fees and deadlines listed below. All submissions accepted via filmfreeway.com.
1. Stand-Up Performance Contest – A national search for emerging stand-up comedians.
(a) Eligibility Requirements:
- Open to all persons age 21 or older, of African descent, or who identify as Latinx, or Native American, who reside, and are eligible to work, in the U.S.
- Comedians must have no prior television experience, nor existing talent contract of any type, for example: a talent agent or manager, a music recording contract, an acting contract, a merchandising agreement, or any other contractual agreement that would prohibit you from entering into a management contract, talent contract, acting contract and/or merchandising contract.
(b) Submission Criteria:
- Provide one (1) stand-up performance video, between 3-4 minutes in length, which must have been produced after January 01, 2019. Video submission horizontally recorded preferred.
- One (1) entry per person only.
- Fee: $25.
- Deadline: March 8, 2021
(c) Prize:
- Up to fifteen (15) semi-finalists will be selected to perform live in Los Angeles, California (Covid-19 conditions permitting) to compete for one (1) winning position.
- From the pool, one (1) winner will be selected to receive a grand prize of five thousand dollars ($5,000), courtesy of WarnerMedia, plus a trip to the 2021 American Black Film Festival in Miami, Florida.
(a) Eligibility Requirements:
- Open to writers age 21 or older, of African descent, or who identify as Latinx, or Native American, who reside in the U.S.
(b) Submission Criteria:
- Provide one (1) webisode from the series, no longer than ten (10) minutes in length, ii. series synopsis and iii. episode logline.
- Webisode must be produced after January 01, 2019.
- Webisode must be in the English language or contain English subtitles.
- Multiple entries are permitted from any given writer.
- Only webisodes in the genre of comedy will be accepted.
- Fee: $25 per entry.
- Deadline: March 8, 2021
(c) Prize:
- Up to ten (10) finalists will be selected to screen virtually for the duration of the 2021 ABFF Comedy Festival on ABFFPlay.com
- One (1) winner will be selected to receive a grand prize of fifteen hundred ($1,500) dollars.
(a) Eligibility Requirements:
- Open to writers age 21 or older, of African descent, or who identify as Latinx, or Native American, who reside in the U.S.
(b) Submission Criteria:
- Provide i. short content, ii. synopsis, and iii. logline.
- Content must be no longer than 30 minutes in length.
- Content must be produced after January 01, 2019.
- Content must be in the English language or contain English subtitles.
- Multiple entries are permitted from any given writer.
- Only webisodes in the genre of comedy will be accepted.
- Fee: $25 per entry.
- Deadline: March 8, 2021
(c) Prize:
- Up to ten (10) finalists will be selected to screen for the duration of the 2021 ABFF Comedy Festival on ABFFPlay.com
- One (1) winner will be selected to receive a grand prize of fifteen hundred ($1,500) dollars.
(a) Eligibility Requirements:
- Open to writers age 21 or older, of African descent, or who identify as Latinx, or Native American, who reside in the U.S.
(b) Submission Criteria:
- Provide the i. first ten (10) minutes of one podcast only, ii. podcast synopsis, and iii. episode logline.
- Podcast must be produced after January 01, 2019.
- Podcast must be in the English language or contain English subtitles.
- Multiple entries are permitted from any given writer.
- Only podcasts in the genre of comedy will be accepted.
- Fee: $25 per entry.
- Deadline: March 8, 2021
(c) Prize:
- Up to ten (10) finalists will be selected to play for the duration of the 2021 ABFF Comedy Festival on ABFFPlay.com
- One (1) winner will be selected to receive a grand prize of fifteen hundred ($1,500) dollars.
