The calls that cost nothing to enter
Submission fees add up faster than anything else in a small budget. These seven take applications without charging, and two of them hand out five figures.
Entry fees are the quietest drain on a low-budget project: four festivals at €40 each is €160 that could have paid a colourist. These calls charge nothing, verified on the organisers' own pages on 11 September 2026.
Free to enter, and worth entering
- ToruńCAMERIMAGE Music Videos Competition — free of charge, and the award is a Golden Frog. Judged on cinematography. The 2027 call is not open yet; the 2026 one opened in late February.
- Film Southasia — "There is no charge for entry." Non-fiction only, South Asian documentary. The 15th edition closed on 15 July 2026.
Funding, which never charges
Grant applications do not carry entry fees, which makes them the best-value use of an afternoon in this whole list. The catch is eligibility, and it is usually the first paragraph that rules you out.
- PPL Momentum Music Fund — £5,000 to £15,000 for UK artists breaking through. Closes 26 October.
- PRS Foundation Composers' Fund — £8,000 to £15,000 for UK composers in the classical family of genres. Closes 7 October.
- PRS Early Career Promoter Fund — up to £3,500 for England-based promoters. Closes 29 October, then 10 December.
- Musicboard Berlin Karrieresprungbrett — Berlin-based project funding, next round 1 November for projects in 2027.
- Musicboard Berlin Support Tour Funding — up to €3,500 for Berlin musicians opening on tour. Rolling, but only until 30 November.
One that says nothing about a fee
The Cannes Cinéma de Demain residence does not mention a fee anywhere in its rules or registration pages. That is not the same as the organiser saying it is free, so we list it as "no fee stated" rather than free. Its eligibility bar is the real gate: your previous short or first feature must have been selected for a Category A festival, with no exceptions.
Where the money actually goes
If you have €150 for submissions, the arithmetic favours one free cinematography entry, one paid entry in the single category your work is strongest in, and the rest kept for the delivery costs that festivals spring on you after selection: DCP creation, subtitling, and in Berlinale's case a €250 selection screener.
Deadline or fee changed? Tell us and we will re-check it on the organiser’s own site.