Anyone can participate in Film Score Fest for free, including novice filmmakers/animators and all types of music-makers (not just orchestral composers).
Guidelines (Film Score Fest Denver 2026)
The Details
- Sign up by November 30, 2025 to participate. Filmmakers have until December 31. It’s free!
- Filmmakers and composers/music-makers are randomly paired up to work together on an under-5-minute film (or you can sign up with a partner).
- Filmmakers have 3 months to create their film and send it to their composer partner.
- Composers have 1 month to write music for the film and submit their score.
- A panel of judges reviews the films & scores.
- The chosen films are screened in Denver with our orchestra performing live, plus any guest musicians/composers performing their own score.
Guidelines for Filmmakers/Animators
- Video must be under 5 minutes (including credits)
- All styles welcome (narrative, documentary, animation, drama, comedy, abstract films, phone videos…)
- Based on this year’s theme: “shift“
- .mp4 or .mov format
- By February 28, 2026: Send your film to your composer (cc denver@filmscorefest.org)
- By March 29, 2026: Submit your final film here along with your composer’s score materials (see below).
Guidelines for Composers/Music-Makers
All music-makers are welcome to sign up, even if you don’t write sheet music. You can:
- Write sheet music for the orchestra
- OR get paired with an orchestrator who can help write sheet music
- OR create music live on stage yourself
- OR write music for a guest musician to perform live
- OR any combination of the above! If you’re planning to do something other than write for the orchestra, we’ll reach out after you sign up to make sure your performance idea is doable.
This year’s featured instrument is Therevox, played by Will Niemeier. You don’t need to write for the Therevox, but it’s an option! The Therevox creates theremin-like sounds, but is linked to a reference keyboard for pitch control. It is a continuous pitch analog instrument inspired by the Ondes Martenot and early analog synthesizers. (Demo clip: https://youtu.be/s2dxb8DDd70?si=Qb4j_y2kDvW1-b8L&t=18)
- If you’re writing for the orchestra, you may use any or all of these instruments, with one player per instrument:
- flute
- oboe
- Bb clarinet
- saxophone (alto or soprano)
- bassoon
- French horn in F
- Bb trumpet
- trombone
- tuba
- drum set
- piano (upright)
- violin
- viola
- cello
- double bass
- percussion – one player to play:
- marimba – 4.3 oct
- crash cymbals (18″)
- suspended cymbal
- crotales – high octave (struck or bowed)
- 3 Chinese small opera gongs (8″)
- triangles
- tambourine (hand or mounted with foot pedal)
- woodblocks
- vibraslap
- claves
- shakers
- finger cymbals
- 6 temple bowls (not singing bowls)
- mark tree
- bamboo wind chimes
- doumbek
- djembe
- frame drum
- bongos
- cajon
- high pitched bird whistles
If you sign up to perform your own score or write for guest musicians, we’ll be in touch to talk through the logistics of your plan.
If you’re submitting sheet music for the orchestra, please follow these recommendations.
By March 29, 2026: Submit your score and final film here and include:
- The final video with your score demo audio (for the judges)
- The final video WITHOUT your score demo audio (for the video playback)
- 8.5″ x 11″ PDFs (vertical layout) of your score and parts if writing for the orchestra
- A metronome click track that fits the timing of your score (for the conductor to listen to during the performance). Include 2 measures of click before the start of the score.
Make sure all the links you share are public links. If using Google Drive, make them viewable to “anyone with the link”:
Need Help?
Here’s a presentation from our 2019 kickoff that includes helpful composing and filmmaking tips for your submission. If you have more questions, feel free to email denver [at] filmscorefest [dot] org.
You can also join our Facebook group to learn from other participants.