DISTRIBUTION STATUS
Projects may have distribution

SUBMISSION COPY FORMATS

Media Files   .MPG (MPEG or MPEG2)   Other - Digital   .MOV (QuickTime)

SUBMISSION COPY LANGUAGES

Subtitled Dubbed Dialog List English

EXHIBITION FORMATS

DVD Video NTSC PAL SECAM BLU-RAY REGION 0     REGION 1     Digital Video NTSC PAL SECAM DCP     Media Files   .MPG (MPEG or MPEG2)   Other - Digital   .MOV (Quicktime)

EXHIBITION LANGUAGES

Subtitled Dubbed Dialog List English

PRESSKIT REQUIREMENTS
A press kit is requested but not required, including:
> Production Still Photos - Digital

PRIZES & AWARDS
This category is a competition.


Best Tampa Bay Student Award
$250 US cash prize and trophy award for 1st place and Participation Certificate for all others
Cash Award Value: 250 U.S. Dollar
Value of Goods/Services: 250 U.S. Dollar


CATEGORY RULES
The BLUE Ocean Film Festival (BLUE) is committed to honoring, sharing and promoting the most outstanding ocean films in an effort to raise awareness and help inspire ocean stewardship.

We apologize in advance, but we are not able to offer Entry Fee waivers.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Once we have received your film submission we will contact you with a link and instructions to up load preview/evaluation content.

Submission/Preview Format:
h.264 up to 5mbps

Exhibition Format:
For the purpose of public screening, filmmakers will be required to provide a digital master copy of your film in the highest resolution.

We accept h.264 up to 20mbph, MPEG up to 50mbps,
ProRes (preferred), ProResLT,
ProResHQ, (no ProRes 4:4:4:4), DCP

Blu-Ray or DVD region 0 or 1 (DVD for SD submissions) or Request special support.

External Drive Formats:
HFS (preferred), NTFS, EXFAT, or FAT32 (FAT32 can only be used with files less than 4GB)

TO ENTER IN MORE THAN ONE CATEGORY:
Many films will qualify to be entered in multiple categories.
We DO allow you to submit your film into more than one category and encourage it if appropriate for your film. Since some categories receive a high number of submissions, entering in more than one category increases the chances of your film being recognized as a finalists. However, the Withoutabox portal does not provide a way to enter the same film into more than one category. To submit the same film into multiple categories, you can proceed two ways:

1. CONTACT US: at info@blueoceanfilmfestival.org
Please provide the following information:
Your Name
Title of Film:
Without A Box ID number:
Phone #
Email Address:
We will contact you to complete your submission for the additional categories and collect the additional entry fees.
PLEASE NOTE: An additional entry fee is required for each category entered.
or
2. SUBMIT THE ENTRY FORM FROM OUR WEBSITE
Go to www.blueoceanfilmfestival.org
The Entry form is available on the Home Page and under the Film Competition tab. Fill out and submit this form completed in its entirety, including method of payment for the additional entry fees.
Mention you have also entered your film through Withoutabox.

ELIGIBILITY
For a film to be eligible for consideration:
(1) Entrants must comply with these Rules & Regulations, including deadlines, submission material, film length, entry fees and other requirements
(2) We are accepting films completed after July 1, 2011, unless special permission is granted by festival staff.
To request a completion date exception, email info@blueoceanfilmfestival.org
(3) We are an international event. Non-English language films are encouraged. However English subtitles of the narration must be included on both the Preview and Exhibition submissions.

KEY DATES:
Latest Date To Enter Film Competition: May 9, 2014
Category Finalists Announced: Expected to be around July 18, 2014
2014 Festival Dates: November 3-9, 2014

FESTIVAL LOCATION:
Festival Headquarters will be in St. Petersburg, FL with screenings and events taking place throughout the entire Tampa Bay area.

HOW TO ENTER
All entries must include the following:
1) All the requested information as specified through Without A Box or through BLUE's online submission application. www.blueoceanfilmfestival.org
2) Payment of the applicable entry fees.
3) Student filmmakers please provide verification of student status.
4) Entries must be provided in the proper digital format.
5) All materials must be properly labeled with Contact Info, Film Title and Run Time.
6) It is Entrant's sole responsibility to ensure all materials arrive prior to the designated deadlines.
7) BLUE reserves the right to disqualify submissions which do not meet all of the festival's requirements or are received by our staff after the deadline.

FILM FINALISTS:
If your film is recognized as a category finalists you must fulfill all the requirements by the dates provided to you in order to get a screening time during the festival.

REQUIRED ITEMS:
Entrant is to supply the following items prior to any deadlines:
(a) A broadcast quality screening master for public exhibition
(b) 30 second clip for use in the Awards Ceremony
(c) A highlight trailer not to exceed 2 min for promotional purposes

TIME CODES, WATERMARKS, CHANNEL BUGS:
All Screening Masters must have time-codes, watermarks and channel bugs removed. Any films received with any of these visible will NOT be screened and allocated time will be given to another film.

COMMERCIAL BREAKS:
All commercial breaks must be removed from Screening Masters. Films with commercial breaks will NOT be screened and allocated time will be given to another film.

RE-ENTRY:
If your film was submitted for a previous BLUE Ocean Film Festival, you cannot re-enter it unless there have been significant changes and all other eligibility requirements are met.

FESTIVAL ARCHIVES:
A copy of each film entry will be archived in our Festival's Video Library (for reference, archival, and educational purposes)

SHIPPING:
Film finalists are responsible for all shipping charges, insurance and customs fees required to provide the Festival with an appropriate screening master.
In order to return or forward hard drives, DCP or other means used to of supply the screening master you must arrange for return shipping, insurance and customs fees and provide a pre-addressed label with to the return/forwarding destination. BLUE will provide packing materials and have staff handle the packaging of your return shipment. You may physically pick up your master in our office on the final day of the festival, Nov. 9th.

JUDGING:
All films will be evaluated through a tiered judging process with each film viewed in its entirety. The selection of finalists and category winners will be conducted by a jury of approximately 50 experienced professionals. The Jury will evaluate submissions on the basis of artistic excellence, creativity, scientific accuracy, technical achievement, entertainment value and ability to inspire appreciation and greater understanding of our ocean. The Executive Director and jury reserve the right to withhold an award or to create a Special Jury Award for films deserving special recognition.

ACCEPTED DEFINITION:
All ACCEPTED films are those who make it through the first round of evaluation. Due to the number of films submitted we are not able to publicly screen all accepted films. However all ACCEPTED films will be available for on-demand viewing during the Festival in our Screening Library.

FINALIST DEFINITION:
The CATEGORY FINALISTS are those accepted films that achieve the top evaluation scores. Some categories may have Honorable Mention recognitions.

SCREENINGS AT THE FESTIVAL:
All competition CATEGORY FINALISTS are guaranteed a public screened during the festival Nov. 3-9, 2014.

ACCEPTED FILMMAKERS BENEFITS:
Accepted filmmakers receive the following benefits upon request:
- 4 Complimentary Single Screening Tickets to screening of your choice (providing screening is not sold out)

FINALISTS FILMMAKER BENEFITS:
Finalist Filmmakers receive the following benefits upon request:
- 2 Festival Film Screening Passes (access to all film screenings)
- 2 Admitted to the Finalist Filmmaker Pre-Awards Reception
- 2 tickets to the BLUE Carpet Awards Ceremony and Gala on November 6, 2014
- 4 single screening tickets to one of your film's screenings.
- 25% Discount on the Industry Conference Pass, Conservation Summit Pass or additional BLUE Carpet Awards Tickets. (you must request the discount code)

SPECIAL JURY AWARDS:
BLUE's Executive Director and the competition Jury may choose to recognize outstanding achievements in additional areas other than those outlined in the regular competition categories.

SCREENING FEES:
NO screening fees are paid for films entered into BLUE's competition and screened at the festival.

AWARDS:
Award engravings and certificates will be made out as specified on your entry application unless we are notified prior to September 1, 2014. Any special award titling requests after the award notification deadline will require a change fee. If no individual is specified to be the award recipient, then the award will name the production company/organization as the recipient. Duplicate awards will be available for order after the BLUE Carpet Awards Ceremony for an additional fee. Award recipient is responsible for all applicable taxes, customs fees, tariffs, insurance and other costs if any.

FESTIVAL OPERATIONS:
Entrants hereby grant and assign to the festival and its successors and licensees the right to copy the entry in its entirety to facilitate promotional efforts and the technical operations of the festival, in and through any and all media formats now known or hereafter devised.

BLUE ARCHIVES:
All film submissions will be retained permanently by BLUE Ocean Film Festival for educational, promotional, traveling festival, and archival library purposes.

BLUE 2014 FESTIVAL PROMOTIONS:
Promotional segments of the competition films must not exceed two minutes in length.

By submitting to the Film Competition, entrant fully accepts the above terms & conditions.