Frequently Asked Questions

It is a national-level digital storytelling competition organised by Humanity First Software Technology Pvt. Ltd., with Bharat Family Legacy Preservation Foundation as co-organiser. It invites creators to tell meaningful stories about family, memories, heritage, life experiences, and future generations.

The purpose is to encourage people to document and preserve family stories, celebrate human relationships, protect cultural heritage, and use digital creativity for positive social impact.

Humanity First Software Technology Pvt. Ltd. is the principal organiser. Bharat Family Legacy Preservation Foundation (NGO) is the co-organiser.

Humanity First believes technology and digital media should serve humanity ('Humanity First, Technology Second'). The competition gives creators a platform to use their storytelling skills to preserve memories, strengthen relationships, and create meaningful content.

The Foundation supports the competition's family, cultural, and humanitarian objectives, particularly the preservation of family histories, traditions, memories, and intergenerational wisdom.

No. It is also a family storytelling and heritage-preservation initiative. Participants can create content that documents real people, memories, traditions, life journeys, and lessons for future generations.

Its central focus is meaningful storytelling around family, memory, legacy, life stories, and the future. It also aims to connect creators with learning, recognition, networking, and potential professional opportunities.

Yes. It is a pan-India competition, welcoming storytellers from across India and eligible participants from abroad (including NRI communities).

The overarching theme is 'Family • Legacy • Memories • Life Stories,' with stories intended to preserve meaningful experiences and celebrate India's human and cultural heritage across 5 official sub-themes.

To build a continuing community of creators who preserve family stories, celebrate human values, develop their creative skills, and contribute to a meaningful digital storytelling movement.

Reel creators, filmmakers, YouTubers, students, writers, editors, photographers, documentary makers, theatre artists, families, NGOs, cultural groups, senior citizens' organisations, and NRI communities.

Yes. The competition welcomes first-time smartphone storytellers as well as experienced filmmakers. Professional filmmaking experience is not required.

Yes. Students in film, media, journalism, animation, mass communication, engineering, humanities, and all other disciplines are warmly invited to participate.

Yes! Independent participation is open to creators aged 18 and older. School and college students under 18 are warmly welcomed to participate with parent/guardian consent or through verified faculty/campus coordinator sponsorship.

Yes. Senior citizens are explicitly welcomed and celebrated. They can create stories about their lives, families, ancestral journeys, traditions, and accumulated wisdom.

Yes. Families can collaborate on storytelling, filming, acting, interviewing, and documenting their shared history. A single family representative registers the entry and can credit family members in the submission credits.

Yes. The competition expressly welcomes NRI communities and global Indian diaspora to chronicle their roots and heritage. International online payment is supported.

Yes. NGOs, cultural groups, and community organisations can register directly or nominate an individual/creative team to submit stories representing their community heritage.

No. You can participate with a smartphone and a compelling story. The competition prioritises authentic emotion, human truth, and storytelling over expensive cinema equipment.

Yes. The competition is designed from the ground up to be accessible, encouraging, and supportive for first-time entrants and emerging creators.

Visit nationalreelsfilm.com, click 'Register Now' or 'Enroll Now', complete the 5-step registration form with your creator details, accept the participant declaration, and complete the ₹500 entry pass payment.

Participants provide basic personal details (full name, email, mobile/WhatsApp, state/city, age category), creator category, preferred language, tentative story title, and legal declarations.

Approximately 2 minutes, provided you have your personal and contact information ready.

Creator registration is a single flat fee of ₹500.00 (INR) (all taxes included, zero hidden charges).

The ₹500 entry pass covers one official competition theme submission, full 12-part Creator Kit access, jury evaluation, and an official participation certificate.

Yes. You can submit entries under multiple themes; however, each theme entry requires a separate ₹500 creator entry pass so it can receive dedicated jury scoring and certification.

Payment is securely processed via Cashfree Payments supporting UPI (Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM), debit/credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, RuPay), Net Banking across 50+ banks, and mobile wallets.

On successful payment, your pass is immediately confirmed and verified by the server. You receive an on-screen confirmation, immediate receipt, confirmation email with your docket, and WhatsApp confirmation.

Yes. Successful registration generates a unique Registration ID (e.g., NRSFC-2026-REG-XXXX). Keep it safe for all future correspondence, dashboard login, and submission tracking.

Under our Content Creator Registration, Refund & Cancellation Policy, the fee is generally non-refundable as it immediately provisions digital assets and jury allocations. Full refunds are granted for duplicate debits, verified gateway errors, or competition cancellation.

The five themes are: (1) Family, (2) Memory, (3) Legacy, (4) Life Story, and (5) Future.

You can document your family relationships, the story of your parents, sibling bonds, family traditions, the person who holds your family together, or the everyday moments that make your family special.

You can tell the story behind an old photograph, a family heirloom, a handwritten letter, a childhood home, a treasured memory, or a tradition that is disappearing.

It focuses on what one generation passes to another: family values, ancestral wisdom, crafts, traditions, skills, resilience, and cultural identity.

It celebrates an individual's journey—including achievements, struggles, sacrifices, lessons, and contributions. The subject may be a family member or an unsung community hero.

You can make a cinematic video message to your children or future great-grandchildren, share lessons you want future generations to remember, or build a personal time capsule.

Absolutely! Stories about a parent's life, sacrifices, dreams, challenges, and achievements fit naturally within both the Family and Life Story themes.

Yes. You can interview your grandparents about childhood, ancestral places, historical events, traditions, and life lessons learned across decades.

Yes. The competition specifically honours ordinary people whose everyday lives, courage, kindness, work, or sacrifices have extraordinary meaning.

Yes. Documenting vanishing traditions, regional customs, family recipes, handloom crafts, folk arts, and mother-tongue practices aligns directly with our heritage-preservation mission.

The competition accepts three main formats: (1) Short Reel (vertical 9:16), (2) Short Film (horizontal 16:9), and (3) Documentary Segment.

Vertical reels must have a duration of under 90 seconds (recommended 30 to 60 seconds).

Short films have a permitted duration of 90 seconds up to 10 minutes maximum.

Documentary segments have a permitted duration of 10 to 20 minutes.

Yes! Smartphone filmmaking is specifically encouraged. Over 70% of entries are captured on mobile phones. Story and emotional truth matter far more than cameras.

Yes. Both smartphones and professional cameras (DSLR, Mirrorless, Cinema cameras) are accepted, subject to competition rules.

Vertical 9:16 framing (1080x1920) is recommended for Reels; horizontal 16:9 widescreen (1920x1080 or 4K) is recommended for Short Films and Documentaries.

We evaluate 11 core Indian languages natively: English, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Odia. Entries in all 22 scheduled Indian languages and dialects are welcomed with subtitles.

Yes. The competition strongly encourages participants to tell authentic stories in their mother tongue, local idiom, or regional language.

Subtitles in English or Hindi are recommended for all non-Hindi regional language entries so pan-Indian jury members can fully appreciate your story. Silent/visual films are also accepted.

It is a comprehensive digital resource package designed to help participants discover story ideas, prepare scripts, interview family members, and produce polished videos.

Yes! The entire 12-part Filmmaker Creator Kit is included completely free of cost with your verified ₹500 entry pass.

50 story prompts, 20 elder interview questions, storytelling structures, emotional hooks, mobile filmmaking guides, audio SFX tracks, cinematic LUTs, lighting cheat sheets, sample scripts, and privacy guides (worth ₹4,999 to ₹9,000).

The kit includes 50 curated story prompts to help creators identify meaningful subjects and structure compelling narrative arcs.

Yes. It includes 20 carefully formulated interview questions designed to capture heartfelt memories, anecdotes, and wisdom from elders.

Yes. It includes 3-act storytelling structures, emotional hook formulas, sample scripts, and ready-to-film storyboard examples.

Yes. It provides practical guides for mobile camera framing, lighting, clear sound capture, and beginner-friendly editing apps.

Yes. Resourceful notes, sound effects (SFX), color LUTs, and curated copyright-free music guidance are provided for beginners.

The digital kit is available immediately after successful payment confirmation via your Creator Dashboard, confirmation email, and WhatsApp.

Yes. It is written in simple, non-technical language to help creators of any experience level produce a compelling film with basic equipment.

Log in to your Creator Dashboard at nationalreelsfilm.com/dashboard, navigate to 'My Film Submission', enter your title/synopsis, attach your video link or upload file, and submit.

Title, short description (synopsis), selected theme, language, format, video URL or upload, thumbnail image, creator/crew credits, and consent declaration.

Yes. You can save your entry as a draft in your Creator Dashboard and return to refine it at any time before the deadline.

Once you click 'Final Submit', the entry is locked and routed to the Jury Queue. Reopening is only considered in exceptional circumstances via admin support.

Yes. You can provide an unlisted or public YouTube/Vimeo link, Google Drive link (with view access), or upload an MP4/WebM file directly.

High definition (1080p) is recommended, but not mandatory. Clear visuals and audible dialogue matter more than expensive 4K equipment.

Yes, provided you have the necessary rights or use copyright-cleared/royalty-free tracks. You must confirm your music-rights declaration during submission.

Yes. Vintage photographs and archival home videos add immense historical and emotional value. Ensure you have permission from family members.

Yes. Real interviews with parents, grandparents, and relatives are ideal for documenting family traditions, life lessons, and ancestral memories.

Contact the support team via email at support@nationalreelsfilm.com or WhatsApp helpline at +91 7558220888 with your Registration ID and a screenshot of the issue.

Entries are evaluated through a structured, multi-stage blind evaluation process by the National Family Story Jury using our official scoring rubric.

An eminent panel of film directors, authors, journalists, cultural historians, senior citizens' representatives, and digital storytellers.

Visual storytelling, narrative depth, emotional resonance, authenticity, cultural context, respect for subjects, and technical craft across our published 25 Evaluation Criteria and 6 Impartial Safeguards.

Yes. Every verified, eligible submission is reviewed and scored by the national jury panel.

The published stages are: (1) Received & Verified → (2) Eligible & In Review → (3) Top 100 Shortlist → (4) Top 25 Finalists → (5) Grand Finale Winners.

Shortlisting notifications are sent directly to your registered email and WhatsApp, and displayed in your live Creator Dashboard.

Individual jury scores remain private to preserve evaluative independence, but shortlisted creators receive formal recognition citations.

As set forth in the competition rules, all jury decisions are final and binding. No appeals or score re-evaluations are entertained.

Final video submissions close November 30, 2026. The Top 100 Shortlist is announced on December 15, 2026, followed by the Grand Finale awards in January 2027.

The Grand Finale Gala and Conclave is scheduled for January 2027 in Mumbai, celebrating India's top family storytellers with big-screen screenings and awards.

The total verified prize pool is ₹2,50,000 (₹2.5 Lakh INR) in cash prizes and honours.

Winner: ₹75,000 + Golden Reel Trophy; Runner-up: ₹25,000 + Silver Citation.

Winner: ₹50,000 + National Trophy; Runner-up: ₹15,000 + Citation.

Yes! The Student/Youth Creator Award features ₹35,000 for the Winner (+ Campus Trophy) and ₹10,000 for the Runner-up.

Yes. 4 Special Jury Awards of ₹10,000 each (= ₹40,000): Best Emotional Story, Best Cultural Heritage, Best Editing & Sound, and Audience Choice Award.

Yes. Every registered participant who submits a valid entry receives an official Certificate of National Participation.

An official digital Certificate dual-sealed by Humanity First Software Technology and Bharat Family Legacy Preservation Foundation, complete with a tamper-proof QR verification code.

Yes. Category winners and runners-up receive custom-crafted physical trophies and framed citations presented at the Grand Finale ceremony.

Shortlisted entries and finalist films will be screened on the big screen during the festival showcase sessions at the Mumbai Grand Finale.

Yes. Selected creators and standout stories will be featured across our verified digital channels, social media spotlights, and press releases.

You do! Creators retain 100% intellectual property rights and full copyright ownership of their films and reels.

By submitting, you grant the organisers a non-exclusive license to screen your film at the festival, on competition channels, and in competition promotions, always with creator attribution.

Yes. Participants can indicate during submission if they prefer private jury screening only without public social-media re-posting.

Yes. You must obtain consent from identifiable persons appearing in your film, with special care when recording senior citizens and children.

Only if you hold the necessary rights, licenses, or explicit permissions. Simply giving credit does not grant legal copyright clearance.

Yes. Your personal information is securely managed under our Privacy Policy with 256-bit SSL encryption, strict confidential processing, and no third-party data selling.

Yes. Registered creators gain access to the National Creator Community, virtual workshops, interactive sessions, and collaborative masterclasses.

Yes. Humanity First and associated initiatives like Sahyadri Digital connect skilled creators with brands and organisations seeking content services—including promotional reels, short films, corporate biographies, and social campaigns.

No. Participation provides invaluable exposure and networking connections, but registration does not guarantee paid assignments, sponsorships, employment, or brand contracts.

Because every family has a story waiting to be told. You get the 12-part Creator Kit, expert jury review, national participation certificate, a shot at ₹2.5 Lakh in prizes, networking opportunities, and above all—you preserve an irreplaceable piece of your family's heritage for future generations.