Join the Festivids Vid Exchange!

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Source: festivids

Current Festivids stage: Festivids nominations are open!

If you're not sure about participating or are new to Festivids, here are the basics.

What is Festivids?

Festivids is an annual vidding exchange for small, rare, and completely nonexistent vidding fandoms. Vidders sign up to make a vid for a rarely-vidded fandom to fulfill someone else's request, and in return receive a vid for one of their own requests. (Treats are also allowed—you don't need to sign up to participate!)

Festivids runs on the AO3's exchange platform; if you'd like to participate but you don't have an AO3 account, direct message us and we'll send you an invitation so you can make an account immediately without having to wait in the usual AO3 invitation queue.

What is a rare vidding fandom?

For Festivids this year, "rare vidding fandom" means a fandom that has less than 150 one-minute-or-longer vids made in the last ten years. Festivids volunteers go through the nominations and evaluate rarity of each fandom nominated! If you're not sure if your fandom is rare, you can check our guidelines to evaluating rarity.

We also have a list of fandoms that are already disqualified; this list isn't comprehensive as we'll be checking new nominations as they come in. This reflects fandoms evaluated so far, including those that were disqualified last year.

What kinds of things can I nominate?

Almost anything! If you can vid it, you can probably nominate it. Participants have nominated and vidded commercials, tv shows, movies, graphic novels, web comics, books, paintings, podcasts, music videos, celebrities, social media accounts, live performances, and just about anything else you can be fannish about. Festivids nominations rules help us to understand exactly what you're trying to nominate. (There are also some things that can't be nominated for Festivids; see the FAQ for more details.)

Because many Festividders write letters to describe their fandoms, and many Festividders watch every vid in the collection, this is also a great way to introduce your tiny fandom to a bunch of new people!

Want to see some of these vids? Check out last years' Festivids collection or every Festivids collection that's on the AO3.

What is the Festivids schedule?

• Mon 1 Sept - Fri 12 Sept: Fandom nominations
• Mon 22 Sept - Tuesday 30 Sept: Sign up for the exchange
• Fri 28 Nov - Mon 8 Dec: Check in with the mods to confirm that you're still planning to participate in the exchange
• Mon 29 Dec: Deadline to default on your assignment without a penalty. (The penalty is an earlier deadline the following year. See below for details.)
• Sun 11 Jan: Deadline to turn in your gift vid
• Sat 31 Jan: The collection goes live with a gift vid for everyone! There are also usually many treat vids made between the submissions deadline and go live, as well as some pinch hits.
• Sat 7 Feb: Vidders' names are revealed!

I defaulted after the deadline in a previous year - can I still participate this year?

Yes, you can still participate. If you defaulted after the deadline in a previous year, the mods will reach out to you after you sign up to discuss an earlier deadline for your vid this year. (That is, you may need to turn in a complete draft by December 29th instead of January 11th.) If you turn your draft in on time this year, your record will be wiped clean and you'll be back to the regular schedule next year.

I want to sign up, but I think I'll need some support to help me as I make my vid.

Festivids also has an optional Festivids Buddies system. You can sign up for Festivids Buddies and be assigned a fellow participant in the exchange to cheerlead your vid, make music recs, beta your vid, help you find source, or provide technical help. You can ask for exactly what you want in the Festivids Buddies signup and we'll do our best to assign you a Festivids Buddy who knows your software system, shares your fannish interests, or is really excited to offer the kind of help that you want. (If you're new to the exchange, this is also a great way to meet people and find a beta who will keep your secret vid secret!)

Where else can I find Festivids?

Discord | Bluesky | Dreamwidth | Google Group

More questions? Check out our complete guide to Festivids 2025.