iQIYI Launches Global AI Short Film Competition "Beyond Tools, Toward Teammates" to Accelerate AI-Driven Entertainment Innovations

BEIJING, July 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 10, iQIYI, China's leading online entertainment platform, is excited to announce the launch of the "Beyond Tools, Toward Teammates" AI Short Film Creation Competition, a global initiative designed to inspire the next generation of storytellers to redefine what's possible with AI-powered video creation. Organized by iQIYI International in partnership with Google and ByteDance's Volcano Engine, the competition aims to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge AI creative tools for visual storytelling, empowering creators to innovate and explore fresh ways to streamline the creative process to focus on their artistic expression.

The competition officially opens for registration on July 15th, welcoming creators from all backgrounds and experience levels to submit original works -- from Short dramas and Short Animation to Vertical Micro Dramas-- with no limits on the genres. Creators from around the world can visit the official competition website https://aic.iq.com/ to register for the competition with their video submissions before September 30th, the winners will be announced in November.

"AI is transforming the creative process, and iQIYI, is leading the revolution as we integrate AI across our entire ecosystem. We see AI as a vital creative partner that enhances imagination and efficiency," said Wenfeng LIU, President of iQIYI's Infrastructure and Intelligent Content Distribution Business Group. "The 'Beyond Tools, Toward Teammates' AI Short Film Creation Competition reinforces our commitment to empowering creators and advancing innovation across the entertainment industry through technology. We look forward to collaborating with creators worldwide to unlock AI's limitless potential in storytelling and shape the future of content creation."

Entrants will have exclusive, free access to advanced AI tools provided by Google and ByteDance's Volcano Engine. This includes Google Veo 3, an AI video generation model, and Volcengine platform, a cloud service that includes its video generation model Doubao Seedance 1.0 pro. The available tools may vary by participant location to ensure compliance and optimal functionality.

About the Competition: A Platform for Global Creativity

iQIYI welcomes creators worldwide to join the competition, whether individuals or in teams of up to five, to showcase their talents. Submissions should be between 1 and 5 minutes, delivered in full HD (1080p or higher), and leverages AI tools for at least 70% of their creative content. To reach a broad audience, entries must include both Chinese and English subtitles.

Judging panel brings together a vibrant mix of experts from academia, the entertainment industry, and media, who will assess each entry on creativity, effective use of AI, production quality, emotional resonance, and originality. Finalists and winners will be announced publicly, with top works featured on iQIYI International platform and given official promotional support.

Prizes include a grand prize of USD $3,000, three second-place awards of USD $1,500 each, five third-place awards of USD $600 each, and two special awards of USD $800 each recognizing Best Creativity, and Best Narrative. Multiple Excellence Awards will also be given, featuring certificates and promotional support to boost winners' visibility.

The competition offers dedicated support channels, expert-led training sessions, and clear guidance on compliance and best practices, making it easier than ever for creators to bring bold AI-driven stories to life.

Embedding AI Across Every Aspect of Entertainment

The "Beyond Tools, Toward Teammates" AI Short Film Creation Competition is a living example of iQIYI's overarching AI strategy, showcasing how iQIYI is embedding AI throughout the content creation process and beyond. By democratizing access to video creation AI tools in the competition, iQIYI is not only fostering experimentation and innovation among global creators but also reinforcing its commitment and leadership as a technology-driven entertainment pioneer.

From content ideation and creation to production, distribution, and promotion, iQIYI has already implemented AI across the entire content lifecycle. Its in-house AI tool - Imaging Studio - support creators in generating concept posters, character designs, and scene layouts — with over 100,000 images produced in Q1 2025 alone. AI-powered platforms are also capable of automatically generating diverse video and graphic content based on in-depth understanding of storylines and audience engagement patterns. In the past year, one of its AI applications produced over 640,000 short videos, garnering more than 10.8 billion views across platforms.

iQIYI's empowerment for creators include AI tools that streamline creative workflows, virtual production technologies that boost filming efficiency and quality, and AI-driven customized recommendations and virtual assistants that enhance audience engagement.

CONTACT: iQIYI Press, [email protected]

SOURCE iQIYI Inc.