SVAIFF KOREA 2026 (Silicon Valley AI Film Festival Korea 2026), hosted by E-Park AI Co., Ltd. (CEO INGANG SONG) and the Korea AI Marketing Institute (CEO Dong-hyun Lee) and co-organized by the SVAIFF Korea Organizing Committee (Co-Chairs Young-sang Kim and JI LIN) and MBIG Co., Ltd. (CEO Doo-seong Choi), is accepting entries from October 25 to November 25. The Global AI IDOL Award 2026 will be held on the same day at the same venue.
Win in Seoul, Go to Silicon Valley
Under the slogan “My AI Film Goes to Silicon Valley,” the festival sets out to discover films and video works made with generative AI and to open a path that connects Korean creators to the international stage. It shines a light on the creator’s point of view, the story and the new visual language within each work, and aims to be a festival where creators, audiences and people from the technology and content industries meet in one place.
SVAIFF operates as a global network linking 10 cities and regions: Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Boston, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, New York, London, Paris and Shenzhen. The 50 winning works from the Korean edition advance to the Global Final in Silicon Valley, USA, in January 2027, opening onto the international stage (the final evaluation fee for the 19 prize-winning works is covered by the organizers; the 31 Global Final Encouragement Award works enter at their own expense). The Global Final is run independently by a separate partner organizer (Star Alliance Culture Inc.), which sets the judging, schedule and conditions of the final.
KRW 30 Million in Prizes, 50 Winners
The Korean edition offers KRW 30 million in total prizes, including a KRW 10 million Grand Prix. Nineteen winners (individuals or teams) in 12 categories receive prize money, a certificate and a trophy shared worldwide, and 31 Global Final Encouragement Award winners are added, for 50 winners in all. Each work may receive only one award, except that a film-category award and Best AI Idol may be received together.
The 19 prize winners must enter the Global Final, and the organizers pay their final evaluation fee (USD 99 per work). The 31 Global Final Encouragement Award winners receive a certificate and a Global Final advancement certificate and decide for themselves whether to enter the final; those who enter pay the evaluation fee themselves, and the award stands even if they do not enter. The organizers’ jury decides which Global Final category each winning work enters, in line with the global award categories. Winning works also receive benefits such as screening at CES, an art center exhibition and nomination as a Meta Oriental incubation candidate.
A Public-Interest Event with No Fees
The festival is a public-interest event with no entry fees, no paid seating and no merchandise sales. Thanks to support from Co-Chair JI LIN, who has also stepped forward as a sponsor of the event, both entry and admission are free. Seats go first to invited guests, and the remaining seats are offered through free advance registration; catering is also provided free of charge. Because the organizers even pay the final evaluation fee for the 19 prize-winning works, creators can focus on their work without worrying about cost.
Categories and Judging
The categories are AI Narrative Film, AI Animation, AI Documentary, AI Advertising, AI Music Video, AI IDOL and Arirang K-Culture. Separate awards for youth and university creators and a Special Award are also being prepared.
Judging gives 75 points to the finished work (story and structure, direction and completeness, artistic and visual expression, realization of AI results, and editing, music and sound) and 25 points to the creative process (intent and design, learning and references, failure and revision, and the creator’s own role). Entrants submit a two-page creative statement and three supporting scenes along with the video; writing skill, the amount of AI used and academic background are not scored. Once an entrant finishes the work and confirms the judging version, preliminary judging begins from November 1 in the order works are confirmed.
The Global AI IDOL Award 2026
The Global AI IDOL Award 2026, created independently in Korea in partnership with the Silicon Valley AI Film Festival, is held on the same day at the same venue. This year it takes the form of a pre-showcase ahead of its full launch in 2027, introducing AI idols and related content to audiences and the industry. One winner receives the Best AI Idol award with a prize of KRW 3.5 million.
December 17, Gabin Art Hall
The festival takes place on Thursday, December 17, at Gabin Art Hall in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Part 1, an AI conference and talk show, begins at 1:30 p.m., followed by Part 2, a curated screening of winning works, at 3:30 p.m., and Part 3, the awards ceremony and celebration performances, at 6:00 p.m. Detailed sessions, screenings and performers will be announced in stages.
The festival’s theme is “Two Halves, One Moon.” Like a moon jar, whose upper and lower halves are shaped separately and joined by human hands, it expresses the idea of human hands and AI meeting to complete a new story. The theme, its philosophy and the special invited artists are covered in detail in the third article of this series.
At a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | SVAIFF KOREA 2026 · Global AI IDOL Award 2026 |
| Entry period | October 25 – November 25, 2026 |
| Date and time | Thursday, December 17, 2026, 13:30–19:30 |
| Venue | Gabin Art Hall, Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul |
| Awards | 50 winners — 19 prize winners in 12 categories, 31 Global Final Encouragement Award winners |
| Prizes | KRW 30 million in total, KRW 10 million Grand Prix / Best AI Idol KRW 3.5 million |
| Fees | None — free entry and admission (public-interest event) |
| Hosts | E-Park AI Co., Ltd., Korea AI Marketing Institute |
| Co-organizers | SVAIFF Korea Organizing Committee, MBIG Co., Ltd. |
| How to enter | korea.svaiff.com → “Submit” |
| Media contact | SVAIFF KOREA 2026 Secretariat · help@svaiffkorea.com |