Calling all prospective filmmakers! Campus MovieFest (CMF), the world’s largest student film festival, returns to Georgia Tech on Sept. 27.

“If you’ve had the smallest urge to make a movie, now is the time to do it,” said Julia Howard, marketing coordinator CMF.

CMF began in 2001, when four students at Emory University provided their peers with everything they needed to make a movie in one week, including camcorders, laptops, and microphones. Today, CMF is assisting the next generation of filmmakers by providing them with the opportunity to share their stories through film.

This year, Georgia Tech’s Student Government Association and the Office of the Arts have teamed together to bring CMF to Tech for its 13th year. CMF is open to all Georgia Tech students and is completely free. Participants receive all the equipment and support to make a five-minute short film in seven days, including an Apple MacBook Pro, Panasonic HD camera, portable hard drive, microphone, tripod, and more than 1,000 royalty-free songs.

“Students should get involved with CMF for a chance at exposure, cash prizes, and networking opportunities,” Howard said. “It’s the perfect outlet for filmmaking veterans or for people who are just picking up a camera for the first time.”

This year, CMF will feature a new Seeker Stories category, offering a chance for students to share nonfiction works that touch on the realms of science, global issues, exploration, and beyond. This brand-new documentary category was created in partnership with Seeker, a digital network from Discovery Communications. Other categories include the Elfenworks Category, which focuses on addressing social justice issues, and the Points of Light Category, which is a documentary category that highlights ordinary people who go to great lengths to help those in need. Students have until May 1, 2017, to submit to the categories. All films must be under five minutes in length.

Students can sign up for the campus competition here. The event will host a launch on Tuesday, Sept. 27, from noon to 5 p.m. in the Ferst Center Lobby. The finale will take place Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Ferst Center of the Arts. This year’s competition includes a reception with food and prizes at 6 p.m. before the finale at the Ferst Center.

The top 16 films will be showcased at the a campus Red Carpet Showcase and the top four movies will continue on to the national event in Atlanta, TERMINUS. The movies will be entered in a nationwide competition for a chance to win $150,000 in cash and prizes.

TERMINUS is a film and gaming convention that will include the CMF Grand Finale. This convention will be held June 22-25, 2017. Starting in October, students may also submit original games to TERMINUS to win awards and have their games showcased. TERMINUS includes workshops where experts explain game making. Last year, speakers from Naughty Dog, EA, and Hi-Rez Studios were featured. Learn more about TERMINUS here.

“Georgia Tech is one of the longest running schools involved with CMF — the first regional winner was actually from Tech, and we’ve hired a few past Tech filmmakers,” Howard said.

Check out the Campus MovieFest Facebook page for more details.