Yes. PAIFF presents hand-crafted physical trophies and sometimes certificates recognizing achievement in filmmaking, performance, craft, and special jury distinction. However, the filmmaker or a designated representative must be present to receive a physical award (not guaranteed). We do not ship out awards after the event. We do not contract with third-party vendors.

The Bi-Monthly Awards are a part of PAIFF’s seasonal submission cycle and recognizes only 5 outstanding early submissions every two months throughout the summer, fall, and early winter culminating in 15 automatic nominees / official selections for the annual event. The Annual Festival Awards are presented as part of the official festival event. One submission is all you need to be eligible for both the annual and bi-monthly awards.

Yes. Bi-monthly selected projects automatically become official selections / nominees for the annual festival but are not guaranteed to win at the annual event. The judging process treats it as a separate award.

Yes, certain categories may include stipends or special incentives as of Season 4 of PAIFF, but only attending filmmakers are eligible for cash prizes and stipends. Please review the current rules for details.

Outside of the live audience which heavily influences the final award decisions, our judges have access to all the materials submitted with the film. At the award stage itself, it's more about performance merits. The assets are not much of a consideration at this stage, although if a filmmaker isn't present to screen the film or accept an award, we often read snippets of their director statements to the audience.For our initial selection process, the film is judged on its own merits of which we have 12 areas of assessment we look at. However, our judges do consider all the materials, especially after watching the film and before scoring them. Additionally, there are technical proficiency points we give for complete asset kits, which helps with the tiebreakers, the maybes, and the close calls. Incomplete assets with submissions are frowned upon in the selection process. The more materials we receive with the submission, the more serious we consider the film.