The Big Sell

The brief

Make a Black Friday or Christmas ad, 20 to 60 seconds long, on OpenClips.

Make it for any brand you like. If you don't have a brand to make an ad for, pick one of the brands that have set a challenge in this track: you'll find their brief and brand kit on their page, and one ad can win both.

How to enter

1. 1

   Make your Big Screen Hack profile, if you haven't already. It takes about two minutes. Make your profile →

2. 2

   Share your card to unlock your partner credits. Your OpenClips code appears on your profile and on this page.

3. 3

   Pick your brand: your own, any brand you like, or one of the brand challenges below.

4. 4

   Make your Black Friday or Christmas ad on OpenClips, on your own or as a team.

5. 5

   Share your workflow publicly on OpenClips and submit it as your entry from inside OpenClips, following their step-by-step guide.

6. 6

   Get it in before midday (UK time) on Sunday 11 October. Early submissions are guaranteed to be judged.

The rules

For this track

• Your ad must be for Black Friday or Christmas.
• It must be between 20 and 60 seconds long.
• Make it on OpenClips.
• Entering means sharing your workflow publicly on OpenClips, under OpenClips' entry terms.
• An ad made for a brand challenge in this track can win that challenge and The Big Sell.

For every track and challenge

• Entry is free.
• Enter on your own or as a team. You don't need a ready-made crew: you can find collaborators among the people taking part.
• Entries close at midday (UK time) on Sunday 11 October. Early submissions are guaranteed to be judged.
• Unless the brief says otherwise, you can make something new during hack week or enter work you've already made, as long as you hold the rights to it.
• You keep what you make. Big Screen Hack gets the limited rights in the chapter terms to judge, screen, promote and archive your entry, and everyone in your team must have the authority to grant those rights.
• Before any public screening, you tell us who owns the script, which AI models you used, any material shot with real people, permission for anyone's likeness, the music rights and any territory restrictions.
• Sponsors' challenges are judged separately from the independent main jury.
• Partner credits are one code per person for each partner, redeemed on the partner's own platform.
• The shortlist premieres on Friday 16 October at the IMAX.

The full rules for the event, including rights and what you need to tell us about how your entry was made, are in the participant guide.

Prize and judging

• The winning ad takes a US$1,500 cash prize and an award presented by OpenClips on premiere night.
• The winning ads play on the IMAX screen before the films on Friday 16 October.
• Judged by a jury for this track that includes someone from OpenClips, separately from the main jury.

Challenges in The Big Sell

Sponsors set these challenges inside the track, each with its own brief and prizes.

• 
  Brand challenge

  SmartyPlants

  Turn SmartyPlants' Dragons' Den pitch into an ad, for US$500 and your ad on the IMAX. Use any tools you like.

  US$500 for the winner, US$250 for the runner-up

  The brief, how to enter and the rules →
• LockedBrand challenge · Unlocks this week
• LockedBrand challenge · Unlocks this week
• LockedBrand challenge · Unlocks this week
• LockedBrand challenge · Unlocks this week
• LockedBrand challenge · Unlocks this week

More brand challenges unlock through the week.