Documentary film competition for young people 2027
with awards donated by the Bavarian Teachers' Association and the Munich Teachers' Association
Call for entries for the documentary film competition
For the 13th time, DOK.education, the literacy programme of DOK.fest München, is organising the documentary film competition for young people together with the Bavarian Teachers' Association and Munich Teachers' Association.
Are you a student, trainee or apprentice and can handle a camera?
Are you a school class or group and want to make a documentary film together?
Then tell us your real-life story! What is close to your heart? What is happening in your family, neighbourhood or circle of friends? Do you have the courage and openness to look? Grab your camera, smartphone or tablet and show us your view of LIFE!
How to submit your film
We look forward to hearing your stories on the topic of LIFE! In the Bavaria-wide film competition for young people, we are looking for short film stories (3 until 15 min.) that show us life: people, hobbies, experiences, observations, wishes. It is important that the story told comes from real life.
Who can take part
The competition is open to all pupils (from primary school to vocational secondary school), trainees and FSJ students from Bavaria – as a group or individually. The film does not have to have been made in a school context.
What we need from you
As the award is a documentary film award, pure feature films and fictional ideas are not permitted. Accompanying the film (file format .mov or .mp4 with max. 2 GB), please send us your CV and a short text (max. 1 A4 page) on the idea and realisation of the film. Please don't forget to include your age, school, address and telephone number.
Music in the film
If you want to use music in your film, there are a few things to bear in mind. You can only use music in a film if you have the appropriate usage rights. This means that you need the right to use the music or song in your film. This right usually lies with the record company. You also need the right to perform the music in public. This right usually has to be cleared through GEMA. This also applies to music that only plays in the background. Incorporating your current favourite song into your film will therefore be quite complicated. As a general rule, you should only use copyright-free music or music that you have composed and recorded yourself. Here you can find links to copyright-free music licensed under Creative Commons.
Image rights
You must first clarify the image rights for yourself and all other people who appear in the film: You need a declaration of consent that you are allowed to film other people and a filming permit for the locations where you are filming (e.g. school grounds, a café). You can easily create a document that briefly describes what you are filming and why. You must have this document signed and keep it in a safe place. You can download a template here and adapt it for your film project.
- Einverständniserklärung für Protagonist*innen über 18 Jahren
- Einverständniserklärung für Protagonist*innen unter 18 Jahren
- Drehgenehmigung für Drehorte
We also need permission from you, as filmmakers, to screen your film at the festival and on our website. We will send you a rights-of-use agreement if your film is among the winners. If you are under 18 years of age, you must have your parents sign it.
Guide lines for your documentary (in German language)
Send everything by email to
Anna Hofer, education@dokfest-muenchen.de
or by post (e.g. on a USB stick) to:
Internationales Dokumentarfilmfestival München
DOK.education Jugendfilmwettbewerb
Dachauerstr. 116
80636 München
Prizes and award ceremony
As part of a major awards ceremony at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF Munich), the
Sunday, 16 May 2027, at 2:00 p.m.,
the winners will be announced. Thanks to the main sponsors, the Bavarian Teachers’ Association and the Munich Teachers’ Association, four prizes with a total value of 1,100 euros will be awarded:
- 1st prize main category, endowed with 400 euros
- 2nd prize main category, endowed with 300 euros
- 3rd prize main category, endowed with 200 euros
- 1st prize category 6- to 11-year-olds, endowed with 200 euros
In recent years, great documentary films by pubils have won. Here you can find the films and the winners of the past editions.
The jury
The jury for the documentary film competition for young people consists of five people from the fields of film, festivals, and film education. It will be announced here at the end of 2026.
All information about the jury 2026
Partner and sponsor
Bavarian Teachers' Association (BLLV e.V.) and Munich Teachers' Association (MLLV e.V.)
Documentary film workshops
In addition to the competition, we offer documentary film workshops on the topic of ‘Storytelling with reality’ in various Bavarian cities and online.
If you are currently planning your film, have questions about editing, or even if you just want to learn more about the documentary film genre, this workshop is just right for you. The workshops will be conduct in German.
You find all the information and dates for the workshops here.
