About ShootDeadlines
ShootDeadlines is run by a photographer and film and TV crew member in Georgia who kept losing track of contest and festival deadlines, and kept finding contests whose fine print quietly took far more rights than they needed. This is the calendar that was missing: free, checked by hand, and honest about the catch.
Where the facts come from
Every listing comes from the organizer's own website or their official entry page (for many festivals that's FilmFreeway). Each listing links the exact page used and shows the date it was last checked. Anything that couldn't be confirmed says unknown instead of guessing.
The rights score
Here's the rule. Scores come from the official terms, not from what the marketing page says.
- Green: fair You keep your copyright, and the organizer only gets to use your work to run and promote the contest, with credit.
- Yellow: read first You keep your copyright, but the license is broad: commercial use, sponsor or store use, or no end date.
- Red: rights grab You hand over copyright, or give an unlimited commercial license to every entry, winner or not.
- Not rated yet The full terms haven't been reviewed yet. Read them yourself before you enter. These are being worked through.
Legitimacy notes
Each listing notes who runs it, how long it has been around when that can be confirmed, whether the prize is clearly stated, and whether the fee looks fair for what's on offer. A paid listing never changes a rating.
AI rules
Many contests now ban or limit AI-generated images. When the rules say so clearly, the listing shows it. When they don't, it's marked unknown.
Prize-to-fee ratio and costs
Where both the top prize and the fee are known, the listing shows roughly how many times bigger the prize is than one entry. Fees in pounds, euros and Canadian dollars are converted with rough fixed rates, so treat them as ballpark numbers.
How it pays for itself
The calendar is free. Down the road there may be clearly labeled featured listings, sponsors, and gear links. None of that will ever change a rating.
Spotted a mistake? Report it and it'll get fixed.