The 20th Annual FÍS Film Competition
Countdown to FÍS Film Competition 2025 Submission Deadline
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There is an open invitation to all Dept. of Education designated Irish primary schools to enter their films into the annual national FÍS Film Awards competition. There is no need to register in advance. To enter, primary schools across the country are asked to create an (up to) five-minute film on a subject of their choice.
Before you begin, check out the rules and guidelines and judging criteria for further details and information on the competition.
If you would like more information on incorporating film into the primary classroom, check out our Teacher Resources and Document Drawer to help get you started with your submission.
The competition closes on the last Friday of June each year. Entries can be made (HERE) starting in the spring. Shortlisted schools must be available to attend the FÍS Film Awards Ceremony, which takes place in the Helix Theatre, DCU Dublin. It is a large-scale national event with over 900 people in attendance, filmed and broadcast by students and staff from the National Film School, at the Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT). The awards ceremony is live- streamed via this website. Shortlisted schools must be available to attend the ceremony.
2025 Special category title: Met Éireann: Weather, Climate, and Our Future
Guidelines about the category/theme:
Met Éireann, Ireland’s National Meteorological Service, is the leading provider of weather information and related services in the State. It monitors, analyses and predicts Ireland’s weather, climate and flooding. Met Éireann does this to provide Irish society and decision-makers with world-class weather, climate, and flood services to protect life and property, and to promote wider societal and economic well-being.
Met Éireann was established in 1936, so 2026 is a special year for the organisation, our 90th Anniversary! We are delighted to sponsor this category to mark it with all the participants. Met Éireann’s category gives an opportunity for students to do an educational video to explore meteorology and/or climate science through film. From the history of weather recordings to capturing real-life climate stories, this category offers endless possibilities to take young filmmakers on a journey to capture the science behind storms, rising temperatures, and shifting weather patterns.
Exploring the world of meteorology and/or the reality of climate change will help students understand how weather works and how severe weather can impact them, why our climate is changing and what we can do about it.
*For the 20th Annual FÍS Film Competition closing for submissions on the 27th of June 2025, there is a special award category of ‘Met Éireann: Weather, Climate, and Our Future’. Film submissions do not have to be pertaining to this subject matter, but schools looking for their films to be considered under this topic can opt for consideration in this category at the time of submission via the competition submission form.
2025 FÍS Webinar: FÍS and Film-making in the Primary Classroom. This webinar, taking place on Thursday, March 27th at 3:15pm, will explore the benefits of engaging in film-making to support and enhance teaching and learning in the primary classroom.
Webinar: FÍS and Film-making in the Primary Classroom – Oide Technology in Education
Submitting A Film Tutorial
Film Criteria Highlights
- Film Duration (excluding credits) must be no longer than 5 minutes
- Films can ONLY be submitted using a YouTube link which can be pasted into the entry form. A tutorial is available here if required. If your entry is shortlisted FÍS will require the actual film file later in the process.
- Movie file format must be either .mp4 or .mov.
- Use of copyrighted visual material or music including re-recording by the school is not permitted and will lead to automatic disqualification
- Parental Consent & Release Form available here … with Irish Version available here
- Location Release Form available here … with Irish Version available here
- Online Entry Form available here
- Closing Date is last Friday in June each year at 5:00pm
Judging Criteria Highlights
- Imagination and creativity
- Originality of the story
- Curricular relevance (include details of subject/strand/strand unit where relevant)
- Support of pupils’ literacy and/or numeracy skills development
- Excellence in set design, costume design, film direction, film production, the use of sound, acting, cinematography, etc
- Excellence in the art of storytelling
- Excellence in the use of special techniques, e.g., animation or special effects
- Excellence in visual interpretation of a story or concept
- Cuirfear faílte ar leith roimh scannáin as Gaeilge