The Orcas Island Film Festival, Orcas Open Arts and SIFF invite filmmakers to explore the San Juan archipelago and use it as a canvas to create short films that inspire. Orcas Open Arts will give three-$3500 grants to independent film-makers to shoot a short film anywhere in San Juan County in the summer of 2016.

These three films will be featured in The Orcas Island Film Festival on October 7-10th, 2016. All scripts or storyboards must be submitted online at www.orcasfilmfest.com/submissions. Deadline to receive scripts is April 30. A panel of judges will select three winners. Winners will be announced on May 15.

The three winning filmmakers will each receive $3500 to shoot and edit their film from May 16 until September 1.

The films will be shown online beginning Sept. 5 and during the Orcas Island Film Festival on October 7-10. Online voting will be available on Sept. 5. The final winner will be selected by combined audience vote both online and in person at the Orcas Island Film Festival Festival on October 7-10. This year’s winner will have the honor of being featured in the Seattle International Film Festival in 2017.

Contest Rules: Submissions are accepted from now until April 25. There is no minimum age to enter the competition, however, minors (age 17 and younger) must acquire permission from a parent or guardian to participate. Films may be anywhere from 30 seconds to 15 minutes long, in any genre from live action to documentary or even stop-motion and must include 75 percent of the film’s scenes shot anywhere in San Juan County. Completed films must be delivered by Sept. 1.