Short Film Contest

Eligibility

The contest is open to users who meet applicable legal requirements in their country of residence and can participate under local laws.

Participants must submit through The Final Patch landing page and provide a valid email address for confirmation, notifications, and prize claim instructions.

• There is no limit to the number of entries a participant may contribute to unless the organizer states otherwise.

Entry requirements

Each entry must follow the creative and technical requirements.

• No longer than 90 seconds.
• Related to Dota 2, its community, culture, players, heroes, tournaments, or The Final Patch.
• Animation, live action, game footage, motion graphics, 3D, mixed media, AI, or any combination is allowed.
• Source Filmmaker is not required.
• At least 1080p quality.
• New creation, without unrelated ads, paid promotions, sponsor integrations, offensive, illegal, hateful, explicit, or inappropriate content.

Rights and permissions

Participants are responsible for all rights, licenses, and permissions for materials used in the entry.

• You must own or have permission for third-party intellectual property.
• Entries that infringe third-party rights may be disqualified at any stage.
• The organizer may request proof of creative process, permissions, source files, or contributor approval.

Submission process

Upload the video to YouTube as a public video named “The Final Patch - film name”, then submit the contest form by December 13.

• Enter a valid email address and confirm it using the verification code.
• Add the YouTube link, title, and names or nicknames of all contributors.
• Confirm that all required rights and permissions have been obtained.
• Incomplete, late, inaccessible, incorrect, or invalid submissions may not be accepted.

Review and winners

Valid entries will be reviewed by the organizer. Finalists may be selected based on creativity, relevance, production quality, originality, storytelling, community appeal, and impact.

• The organizer may use community voting, public voting, jury voting, or a combination.
• The contest will be considered valid only if at least 10 eligible entries are approved. If fewer than 10 entries are approved, the contest will be deemed cancelled, no winners will be selected, and no prize payments will be made.
• Winners will be announced after December 13 on The Final Patch landing page and/or official channels.
• Finalists and winners will be contacted via the submitted email address.

Prizes and use

Prizes are 1st place $10000, 2nd place $5000, and 3rd place $3000. Places 1-10 also receive a ticket to the next TI (Total of $2000). Prize claim instructions will be sent by email.

• If an entry has multiple contributors, prize distribution may require contributor confirmation.
• Participants grant the organizer and affiliates a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free right to use and promote submitted entries in connection with the campaign.
• Participants retain ownership of their original work.

Disqualification and changes

The organizer is not responsible for lost, late, invalid, inaccessible, delayed, or technically affected submissions.

• Bot submissions, fraud, false information, vote manipulation, rights violations, or abuse may result in disqualification.
• The organizer may amend rules, adjust dates, change selection, replace prizes, suspend, or cancel the contest if necessary.

Important notice

This contest is an independent community campaign initiative and is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or affiliated with Valve Corporation.

Dota 2 and related trademarks, names, characters, logos, and materials are property of their respective owners.

If betting-related offers are present, they are available only to eligible users. Terms apply. Please gamble responsibly.