Every music video call we can verify, and what each one costs
Nine awards and festivals with a music video category, from free to $85 a category. The cheapest serious entry is the one almost nobody entering music videos knows about.
Music video is a minority category at most film festivals, and the dedicated awards are small in number. That makes the list short enough to compare properly. Every fee below was read on the organiser's own entry page on 11 September 2026, not on a listings platform.
What it costs to enter one category
| Call | Next deadline | Fee for one category |
|---|---|---|
| ToruńCAMERIMAGE | 2027 call not open | Free |
| Porto Music Video Festival | 23 September 2026 | €15 |
| Munich Music Video Awards | 27 September 2026 | €29 |
| International Music Video Awards | 20 September 2026 | €35–49 |
| Berlin Music Video Awards | 15 November 2026 | $45 early bird |
| SXSW Film & TV Festival | 15 September 2026 | $70 |
| UK Music Video Awards | Closed until 2027 | £120 (£80 low budget) |
| Hollywood Music Video Awards | 7 December 2026 | Not published |
| Leeds International Film Festival | Closed until 2027 | See organiser |
Three things the table hides
Per category, not per video. Most of these charge for each category you enter, so a video entered in four categories at Munich costs €116, not €29. Several offer an all-categories price that undercuts three or four separate entries: €119 at the International Music Video Awards for all 34, €49 at Porto, €99 at Munich.
The headline category often costs more. At the Berlin Music Video Awards, most categories are $45 at the early bird, but Best Music Video and Best Production Company are a flat $85 regardless of when you enter. At the International Music Video Awards, Best Music Video, Best Director and Best Cinematography are €49 while most others are €35.
The free one is judged on camerawork. ToruńCAMERIMAGE charges nothing and awards a Golden Frog, but it is a cinematography festival: the competition rewards how the thing was shot, not the concept. If your video's strength is its camera, it is the best-value entry on this page by a distance. Its 2026 call closed on 31 July and the 2027 call is not open yet; the 2026 one opened in late February, so check back in the spring.
An order that makes sense on a small budget
Enter ToruńCAMERIMAGE when it opens, because it is free. Then pick one paid award and enter the single category your video is genuinely strongest in, rather than spreading the same money across four categories at one festival. An all-categories bundle is only good value if the video could plausibly place in several.
Deadline or fee changed? Tell us and we will re-check it on the organiser’s own site.
