📌About the Event

The Late Dr. K. Niranjan Reddy Memorial Short Film Competition 2026 is a creative filmmaking contest organised by You & Me Counselling and P.D. Centre in connection with World Mental Health Day. The competition invites young filmmakers and storytellers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to create original short films around the theme “Mental Health Awareness.” Through cinema and storytelling, the initiative aims to encourage conversations about mental well-being, challenge stigma and create positive social impact among young audiences.

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ℹ️ Event Details

• Theme: Mental Health Awareness
• Mode of conduct: Online submission
• Film duration: 4–5 minutes
• Languages accepted: Telugu or English
• Participation: Individual as well as group participation is allowed.
• Geographical eligibility: Participants should be from Telangana or Andhra Pradesh.
• Age limit: Participants must be up to 25 years of age.

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📅 Important Dates

• Registration deadline: 29 September 2026
• Short film submission deadline: 2 October 2026, 10:00 PM
• World Mental Health Day: 10 October 2026

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🎯 Eligibility & Rules

• Eligibilty:
• Participants must be 25 years old or younger.
• The competition is open to young creators from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• Participants may enter individually or as a group.
• Short films must focus on the theme Mental Health Awareness.
• Films can be created in Telugu or English.
• The prescribed duration of the short film is 4–5 minutes.
• Entries should be original creations.
• The organiser states that AI tools are not permitted for creating the film.
• Submitted films are required to achieve a minimum of 200 views on YouTube.
• Award categories indicate that entries will receive recognition across areas such as the effectiveness of the mental-health message, originality of the concept, social impact and relevance to Gen Z audiences.

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🏆 Benefits for the Participants

• Cash prizes: Up to ₹15,000 have been announced.
• Award categories include:
• 1st Prize
• 2nd Prize
• 3rd Prize
• Best Mental Health Message
• Best Original Concept
• Best Social Impact Film
• Most Powerful Gen Z Message
• Audience Choice Award