International competition rules Santiago Wild Film Festival 2025
Join the premier wildlife and environmental film festival in Latin America!
Santiago Wild Fest returns for its fifth edition in May 2025, organized by Ladera Sur, with the support of National Geographicand in collaboration with the Jackson Wild.International Festival.
This year, the festival will feature a hybrid format, combining in-person events in Santiago, Chile, from May 12 to 16, with a free streaming platform available until May 25, accessible to audiences in Chile, Latin America, and around the world.
In addition to showcasing documentaries on wildlife and the environment, the festival will host free and ticketed in-person activities, including the Summit, where global leaders from the audiovisual industry will offer talks and workshops.
The third Media Lab will also take place, marking a milestone as it is hosted for the first time in Africa during the NEWF Festival, supported by National Geographic. This year, selected participants from previous Audiovisual Labs will receive scholarships, with recipients to be announced soon.
The festival will also feature its renowned international competition. Celebrating its fifth anniversary, Santiago Wild Fest will expand to include seven competition categories for the first time, showcasing short and feature-length films focused on the environment, natural history, conservation, microfilms, new narratives, social media content, and emerging talent.
Check the rules below:
Awards & Prizes
The winner and authorised representative of each category will receive a laurel and trophy. Selected films will receive a trophy at the Awards Ceremony in May 2025.
Winners representing the categories ‘Puma of the Andes’ and ‘New Latin American Voices’ will receive a pass to the next edition of the Jackson Wild Festival 2025. More information in March 2025.
In addition, their films will be screened at the in-person screenings of Santiago Wild 2025.
Santiago Wild will also recognise the Official Selection Programme with a laurel.
The Jury will be announced during March 2025.
Categories
Santiago Wild Festival 2025 has seven categories for different films.
- Planet in crisis
- Stories of Nature
- Guardians in Action
- Earth’s Pulses
- Wild Gaze
- Digital Explorers
- New Latin American Voices
Considering the total duration of the archive, the footage is as follows
- Short film: 08:00 to 24:59 minutes
- Feature Film: 25:00 to 90:00 minutes
- Earth’s Pulses: 03:00 to 7:59 minutes
- Digital Explorers: 01:00 to 2:59 minutes
See below for descriptions of each category:
Planet en Crisis / ENVIRONMENT
Explores environmental issues such as climate change, pollution and promotes activist efforts. These films often portrait investigative stories and call to action.
Eligibility: Human impact on the environment should be the main focus of the production. Consider journalistic reporting and activism that includes impact campaigns.
Feature film and short film
Stories of nature / NATURAL HISTORY
Narratives that showcase the beauty, behaviour and interconnectedness of wildlife. A window into the natural world that highlights specific species, ecosystems or moments of discovery.
Eligibility: Natural history, ecosystems and/or animal behaviour should be the main focus of the production.
Feature film and short film
Guardians in Action / CONSERVATION
Inspiring stories of conservation projects, groundbreaking research, and collaborations between communities and organizations. These films offer hope through innovative solutions and showcase the determination to protect our planet.
Eligibility: Conservation initiatives, whether research, NGO projects and solutions to environmental challenges are the main focus of this category.
Footage:
- Short Film: 08:00 to 24:59 minutes
- Feature Film: 25:00 to 90:00 minutes
Earth’s Pulses / MICRO SHORT FILM
Short -format that capture the essence of nature, conservation and environment. These films stand out for their creativity, intimate storytelling and t thoughtful reflections on our relationship with the natural world.
Eligibility: Horizontal aspect. Must tell a story and/or show a connection to nature, environmental, conservation or natural history initiative. Be produced primarily on camera. May include digital visual resources or not exceed 10% of the content of the piece.
Micro short film:
03:00 to 07:59 minutes
Wild Gaze / NEW NARRATIVES
Films that break the mold of traditional nature storytelling. With bold cinematic techniques, fresh perspectives, and innovative narratives, these films challenge audiences to see the natural world through a completely new lens.
Running time:
03:00 to 60:00 minutes
Digital Explorer / SOCIAL MEDIA
Bite-sized shareable videos under 3 minutes, crafted for platforms like Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. Playful, engaging and tapping into trends or humor. These stories are designed to go viral.
Eligibility: The entry must be specifically designed for a format suitable for platforms such as Instagram, TikTok or YouTube (4:5 or 9:16). It must tell a story and/or show an aspect of nature that tells a narrative. It is mostly produced on camera. May include digital resources that do not exceed 15% of the production. A record or capture is not considered eligible Fragments or excerpts from other major productions will not be considered.
Micr oshort film:
01:00 to 02:59 minutes
New Latinamerican Voices / EMERGING TALENT LATAM
A platform for emerging filmmakers from Latin America. Celebrating fresh perspectives and creative storytelling. Themes range from nature and science to conservation and sports, highlighting the talent and potential of the region.
Eligibility: To be the first or second work of the director, producer or authorised representative of the work. The applicant is awarded. It considers academic degree projects. May have been financed by funds.
Feature film and short film
Puma of the Andes/ JURY AWARD
Puma of the Andes is the highest award given by the jury to the best film of the festival. This recognition celebrates works that represent the causes of nature with integrity, stand out for their powerful message, their technical and artistic excellence, and for having been made through responsible, conscious and sustainable production.
List of categories
| Category | Type | Length | Fee |
| Planet in crisis | Short & Long | 07:59 – 24:59 / 25:00 – 90:00 | 30 / 40 usd |
| Stories of nature | Short & Long | 07:59 – 24:59 / 25:00 – 90:00 | 30 / 40 usd |
| Guardians in Action | Short & Long | 07:59 – 24:59 / 25:00 – 90:00 | 30 / 40 usd |
| Wild Gaze | Open | 03:00 – 60:00 | 25 usd |
| Earth’s Pulses | Microfilms | 03:00 – 07:59 | 20 usd |
| Digital Explorers | RRSS | 01:00 – 2:59 | 20 usd |
| New Latinamerican Voices | Short & Long | 07:59 – 24:59 / 25:00 – 90:00 | 20 / 30 usd |
| Puma of the Andes | All categories | 01:00 – 90:00 |
Rules and terms
- Participants have to apply from 10 January until 23:59 (GMT-3) on Sunday 9 March 2025 and the finalists will be announced during April 2025.
- Films may have brand sponsorships. However, the use of brand names should be kept to a minimum in the production. Productions that focus on a particular brand for promotional purposes will not be considered.
- Fee: Applications to the festival competition involve an associated fee that can vary from 15 to 40 usd. Payment must be made by credit card.
- For films with foreign or native language subtitles or dubbing in Spanish are required.
- The production must have been completed on or after January 1, 2021.
- You can apply for more than one category.
- Films must be original and authored by the applicant.
- Those selected must submit a copy of the material in a minimum standard of Full HD in h264 codec and maximum 4K ProRes codec to be screened at the event.
- Finalists will be asked for additional material of the productions, such as promotional photographs, poster, headshot, trailer and audiovisual material for social media and the web catalogue.
- By applying, you accept the terms defined by Santiago Wild for the transmission of the content during the days of the festival and the Post-Festival Tour.
- Participation in the competition implies the acceptance of each and every one of its terms and conditions. The organisation reserves the right to resolve any contingency not foreseen in the Rules.
Premieres
Films making their premiere at the festival will be considered for a special screening at the discretion of the production team, in order to enhance their exposure and give the film and the event a wider reach.
Rights
By entering the competition, the entrant represents and warrants that: the entrant grants Santiago Wild the rights to screen the film during the Festival and on the Live Tour, as well as the right to promote the film in or through all currently known Internet and media formats.
In order to participate, the entrant must own all rights, title and interest, including copyright and all intellectual property rights, in and to the film that would be presented at the Festival.
The content and production of each documentary is the sole responsibility of its creators. The Santiago Wild Festival and its collaborators are not responsible for the opinions, actions or legal aspects of the productions submitted and selected for the competition.
Santiago Wild Tour
Santiago Wild Tour is an extension of the festival, an itinerant event that tours cities and towns outside the capital, taking the festival’s films to places where there is often no access to this type of content.
By applying to the Santiago Wild festival you accept the terms defined for the transmission of the content during the SW25 Tour throughout Chile.
