Kling AI launches $42K video contest with Cannes and Tokyo festival screenings

Making an indie short film used to mean maxing out credit cards, renting gear, and praying a festival programmer noticed your submission.

Now, KuaiShou’s Kling AI is throwing cash and red carpets at creators to see what their video generators can really do. The company just opened submissions for its NextGen Creative Contest, putting up a total prize pool of $42,000 to hunt down the best AI-powered stories.

Real cash and film festival tickets

Submissions are open now and close quickly on October 6, 2025.

The prize structure splits the money among ten creators: one Grand Prix winner walks away with $15,000, two Jury Prize winners get $10,000 each, and seven Official Selection creators take home $1,000.

On top of the cash, winners will split 1.25 million Kling AI credits to fund their next generation runs.

The real hook, however, is the distribution. Winning shorts will get screened at international festivals, specifically MIPCOM CANNES and the Tokyo International Film Festival, along with exposure to industry executives and global media coverage.

KuaiShou says the contest is designed to push the boundaries of AI storytelling and get emerging creators onto bigger stages.

Why it matters

If you are an animator, filmmaker, or solo visual artist messing around with AI video, this is worth an entry. Most AI experiments die on social feeds after getting a few reposts. Getting a real screening at Cannes or Tokyo gives you actual industry legitimacy that internet views cannot buy.

From a business perspective, KuaiShou is playing a smart game. Competing video platforms are racing on specs and realism, but technical demos only get you so far. By putting up $42,000, Kling gets hundreds of creators pushing its tool to the absolute limit, handing the company free viral marketing and a library of polished case studies.

The catch? The October 6 deadline gives creators very little breathing room. If the turnaround is too tight, we might see the competition flood with glossy cinematic montages rather than coherent, compelling narratives—which would only reinforce the critique that AI video still struggles with real storytelling.