24-Hour Festival 2025 Official Rules

The 24-Hour Festival competition begins Saturday, March 8, at 5:00pm and concludes Sunday, March 9, exactly 24 hours from the moment the Barry Cavin announces the elements and starts the clock.

All entrants will be subject to the official rules.

Basic Requirements of the 24-Hour Festival:

At 5 p.m. on Saturday, the required elements will be disclosed, and the clock will begin. Entrants will receive the elements and be given exactly 24 hours to make a video, stage play, visual art, musical composition, dance piece, performance art, or any combination of forms.

Each performed project should be no longer than FOUR minutes. Performances will take place in the SBDAC without the assistance of staff. There will be basic lighting. Any special sound or light requirements must be completely performed by the entrant without the use of house systems.

Videos must be submitted in a playable format on a Mac computer. (CHECK BEFORE YOU SUBMIT)

Music compositions must be performed live.

Each static visual art (2d/3d) should be made to be displayed in and around the SBDAC. It is the sole responsibility of the artist to provide a harmless means of display. No work shall be affixed to the walls of the building. All work must be removed after the event. Work left behind will be destroyed. Each work must bear your name and a title of the work.

Terms of Submission:

By submitting an entry to the 24-Hour Festival, each entrant warrants and represents that the entrant owns (or has permission to) all rights to the total submission he/she is entering, including, without limitation, the video or digital recording, any music or sound effect, visual representations, and all performances contained in each submission.

By submitting an Entry, Entrant agrees to the Official Rules, and further agrees to indemnify and hold the producers of the Annual 24-Hour Festival and their respective affiliates, officers, directors, agents, or other partners, and any of their employees (referred to collectively as producers), harmless from any and all claims, damages, expenses, costs (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) and liabilities (including settlements), brought or asserted by any third party against the producers due to or arising out of the entrant’s submission, or the entrant’s conduct during and in connection with the 24-Hour Festival, including but not limited to trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property rights, right of publicity, right of privacy or defamation. Entrant agrees to release, indemnify and hold harmless the producers of the Annual 24-Hour Festival from any and all claims that any advertising, presentation, web content or any other material subsequently produced, presented.

ALL MATERIALS USED IN THE 24-HOUR FESTIVAL MUST BE FAIR USE MATERIALS – NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENTS OF ANY SORT WILL BE TOLERATED FOR ANY REASON.

The participating group / team must submit its work by the deadline, only works that meet the deadline will be officially part of the festival. Plan to submit early to avoid the possibility of being caught in line as the seconds tick down.

All work must be original unless you have obtained performance permission and will submit that permission with your project.

Content must be governed by the knowledge that it will be shown to a general audience that will include children. Work deemed inappropriate for young audiences will be disqualified. 

All creative work must reflect complete engagement with the festival elements.

No harm shall come to the facility within which the event is held, and all materials must be removed at the conclusion of the event.

All costs associated with the production of the entrants to are solely the responsibility of the entrant.