The Trenton Film Festival is accepting submissions for its 2026 festival through FilmFreeway.
The festival is open to student filmmakers up to age 25 who were enrolled in school when the film was made. Films must be under 20 minutes and must have been completed after Jan. 1, 2025, to be considered.
The festival accepts short fiction, short documentary, animated short, experimental/spoken-word, music video and audience-award entries.
Selected filmmakers are encouraged to attend the festival and take part in post-screening question-and-answer sessions. The format gives young filmmakers a chance to discuss their work with audiences, other filmmakers and festival organizers.
Prizes will be awarded during the festival’s closing-night ceremony in categories including best short fiction, best short documentary, best animated short, best experimental/spoken-word film and audience award. The prizes do not include monetary awards.
The submission deadlines are Friday, June 12; Friday, July 3; and Friday, July 24. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, at Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton.
For more information go to trentonfilmsociety.org.
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The New Jersey Web Festival is accepting submissions for its 2026 festival, including web series, music videos, pilots, short films, trailers, scripts and audio fiction projects.
The festival is designed for creators working in episodic storytelling, online video, digital entertainment, independent production and short-form serialized media. It gives web creators and digital producers a festival platform for work that often falls outside traditional film-festival categories.
Eligible categories include web series in multiple genres, music videos, pilots, short films, trailers, scripts and audio fiction projects. The festival accepts projects from independent creators and production teams working across online and streaming formats.
The late submission deadline is Friday, June 19. Notifications are scheduled for July 17, and the festival is scheduled for Sept. 24 through Sept. 27.
For more information go to www.newjerseywebfest.com.
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The New Jersey Animation Film Festival is accepting submissions for animated short films, animated feature films and animated films by New Jersey filmmakers.
The festival is open to a wide range of animation styles, including hand-drawn animation, 2D animation, 3D animation, stop motion, claymation, cutout animation, rotoscoping, experimental animation, abstract animation, anime-style work, computer-generated animation, pixel animation, silhouette animation, puppetry and mixed media.
Short films are defined as animated films under 45 minutes, while animated features are films longer than 45 minutes. The festival also includes a homegrown category for New Jersey animation filmmakers.
The festival will present awards for best film, best student film and boldest creative vision. Student submission rates are available in several categories.
The regular submission deadline is Monday, May 25. The late deadline is Thursday, June 25, and the extended deadline is Wednesday, July 15. The festival is scheduled for Aug. 22 and 23.
For more information go filmfreeway.com/NewJerseyAnimationFilmFestival.
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Pillow Fort Film Festival in Jersey City is accepting short-film submissions for its 2026 festival.
The festival is open to filmmakers of any experience level and accepts work in any genre. Films should generally be under 20 minutes and made in, or by people from, New Jersey, New York or Pennsylvania.
The festival is scheduled for Aug. 1 at The Barrow Mansion in Jersey City. Awards include audience-favorite honors and Golden, Silver and Bronze Pillow awards.
The first submission deadline falls on the May 20 issue date, so the later deadlines are the cleaner print deadlines to highlight. The next submission deadlines are June 10 and June 30. For more information go to filmfreeway.com/PillowFortFilmFestival.
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The Sustainably Green Music and Arts Fest in Washington, New Jersey, is accepting applications from green and earth-friendly vendors.
The festival will include live music, a farmers market, environmentally focused vendors and live art. Vendor spaces are 10 feet by 10 feet, and applicants are asked to describe their organization, pricing and whether they can provide an interactive experience or activity.
The event is hosted by Little Washington and is designed to kick off the farmers market season with a focus on sustainability, local commerce and environmentally minded community programming.
The vendor application deadline is Thursday, May 28. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 13.
For more information go to explorewarren.org/events/sustainably-green-music-and-arts-festival-little-washington.
