"In January 2026, the UAE will present the world's largest AI Film Award with a prize fund of US$ 1 million."
The authorities of the United Arab Emirates announced the launch of the AI Film Award as part of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, which will take place from January 9 to 11, 2026. The award was created in collaboration with Google Gemini and is aimed at supporting films created using modern artificial intelligence technologies.
Organizers expect more than 30,000 authors from more than 140 countries to participate, including over 15,000 content creators. The summit program features more than 400 speakers with a total audience of over 3 billion followers on various platforms.
Main Goal of the Award: to promote short films that use AI technologies to effectively communicate ideas to a wide audience, as well as to develop the creative and technical skills of directors.
Within the framework of the summit, a Creator’s Market with more than 100 startups will operate, and the Creators Ventures accelerator will allocate more than 50 million dirhams (≈ $13.6 million) to authors wishing to develop their projects as entrepreneurs.
Applications are open until November 20, 2025 on the website: www.1billionsummit.com/ai-film-award.
Ten finalists will be selected from November 21 to December 4, public voting will take place from December 10 to 15, the top 5 films will be announced on January 3, 2026, and the winner of the $1 million grand prize will be revealed on January 11, 2026. Participation is open to all active authors from around the world.