Live screening of all jury selections & winners: May 8th, 9th & 10th, 2026
Online Screening Access: May 11th onward
Final Round Submission Deadline: Sunday March 15th at midnight!
(Submissions open January 26, 2026)
Notification date: Sunday April 5th, 2026
** NOTE ** — SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW BEING TAKEN THROUGH OUR FILM FREEWAY PAGE. Please go to https://filmfreeway.com/OverleaArtsFestFilmFestival to submit your films!
Thank you for submitting your films to the Overlea ArtsFest/CCBC Short Films Festival! All information fields must be filled out completely. You may submit up to TWO short films between 1 minute and 30 minutes in length for consideration in any category.
NEW INFO THIS YEAR:
- This year’s film screening will be a separate 3-day event held at the CCBC Essex campus, and in partnership with the CCBC Digital Media Department.
- Filmmakers must be 16 years of age or older to enter, and can be from anywhere nationally or internationally.
- You may enter in multiple film genres, but you must fill out a separate application for each genre category.
- There is a no fee to submit your films. But we are happy to accept a few hours of volunteer service at the film screening event. Please indicate your interest in volunteering below.
Thank you for submitting your films to the 2026 Overlea ArtsFest/CCBC Short Films Festival! If you have any issues with your submission, please email contactus@OverleaArtsFest.org for assistance.
Good Luck!
The Overlea ArtsFest Board & the CCBC Essex Digital Media Department