Rules & Guidelines

Open to Indian citizens and residents aged 16 years and above.

Participants below 18 must submit a signed parental consent form.

Works must be original and created by the submitting contestant.

Collaborative works are accepted; one primary submitter must be designated.

Works released between 1 January 2024 and the submission deadline are eligible.

Previously submitted works from Season 1 or 2 are not eligible for resubmission.

Each submission requires a separate entry fee of ₹499 (early bird ₹299 until 31 July 2026).

A contestant may submit the same work in multiple categories with separate fees.

Video submissions must be in MP4, MOV, AVI, or MKV format, maximum 2GB.

Photo essay submissions must include 10–20 images in JPG or PNG format.

Audio podcast submissions must be in MP3 or WAV format, maximum 500MB.

All submissions must include a title, synopsis (max 200 words), and category selection.

Submissions may be replaced up to 48 hours after initial upload before the deadline.

Works containing explicit violence, sexual content, or hate speech will be disqualified.

All content must comply with Indian law, including the Information Technology Act and Cinematograph Act.

Works must not defame, harass, or misrepresent any individual or organization.

Use of copyrighted music requires proof of license or must use royalty-free tracks.

Works featuring real individuals must include signed release forms.

Documentary works featuring sensitive subjects must follow ethical journalism standards.

Branded content must clearly disclose the commercial relationship in the submission notes.

Each submission is reviewed by a minimum of 3 independent judges.

Judging is anonymous — judges do not know the identity of the creator.

Scores are given on four criteria: Creativity (25%), Technical Quality (25%), Storytelling (30%), Impact (20%).

Final scores are averaged across all judges; ties are broken by the head judge.

Judges with a conflict of interest must recuse themselves from affected submissions.

Judging decisions are final and binding. No appeals will be entertained.

All participants receive a score breakdown and brief feedback within 30 days of results.

Prize money is awarded to the primary submitter's registered bank account.

Winners must submit KYC documents (PAN card + bank details) within 14 days of notification.

Unclaimed prizes after 60 days of notification will be forfeited.

Prize money is subject to applicable Indian income tax deductions (TDS).

Physical certificates are mailed to the registered address within 30 days of the ceremony.

Motion Max reserves the right to use winning entries for promotional purposes with attribution.

Contestants must not attempt to influence judges or organizers in any way.

Plagiarism or submission of another creator's work will result in permanent disqualification.

Any attempt to manipulate the voting or scoring system will result in disqualification.

Contestants must treat all participants, judges, and organizers with respect.

Violations of the code of conduct may result in disqualification without refund.

Motion Max reserves the right to disqualify any entry at its sole discretion.