🇩🇪 FullDome Festival Jena 2026

📅 Key Dates

• Now open
  Submissions Open
  Registration forms live at fulldome-festival.de/submit — early sign-up strongly appreciated
• April 6, 2026 — 12:00 PM CET
  Submission Deadline
  All materials must be submitted by this date and time
• April 27, 2026
  Notification of Acceptance
  Selected works notified by this date
• May 25, 2026 — 12:00 PM CET
  Final Film Upload Deadline
  Accepted films must be fully uploaded by this date
• July 15–17, 2026
  Festival
  Three days of screenings, presentations, live performances, and the JANUS Award Gala on July 17

🎬 Submission Categories

🏆 JANUS Awards

The JANUS is the world's oldest and arguably most prestigious award for fulldome films, art, and media. The two-faced statue is modelled after the Roman god Janus, representing the 360° view in the dome. Award ceremony takes place on July 17, 2026 during the Festival Gala.

An international expert jury decides which films receive a JANUS. Criteria for approval:

• Quality of content and treatment
• Use of the dome
• Visual and sound design
• Technical implementation
• Creativity and originality
• Narration and entertainment value
• General contribution to the advancement of fulldome in science, art, and education

Award categories from recent editions include: Best Fulldome Innovation, Best New Talent, Best Feature, Best Science & Education, Best Art & Experiment, Best Fulldome Short, Best Fulldome Audio, Special Jury Award, and Lifetime Achievement. Categories and prize money depend on available funds each year.

📋 Technical Requirements

The Zeiss Planetarium Jena has been freshly renovated and upgraded in early 2026 — featuring brand new projection systems and a high-resolution 3D audio environment.

Video file

Parameter	Requirement
Codec	H.265 (HEVC) — only format accepted
Container	MP4
Resolution	4K — 4096×4096 pixels (domemaster)
Frame rate	30 or 60 fps
Color depth	24-bit RGB (8 bit per channel)
Video bitrate	60 Mbit/s CBR (constant bitrate)
Recommended encoder	Adobe Media Encoder (strongly recommended)

Audio files

Parameter	Requirement
Format	Stereo or 5.1 surround — separate WAV files per channel
Encoding	Uncompressed WAV, 16-bit, 48 kHz
5.1 channel order	L / C / R / LFE / Ls / Rs — 6 separate files
Sync	Audio must begin at frame 0, synced with video file
Naming	Match video filename + channel suffix (e.g. MyWork_L.wav, MyWork_R.wav)
Important	Every sound file must be a separate file — multi-channel files in one container are NOT accepted

YouTube preview (required)

• Upload your complete film to YouTube in domemaster format — set as unlisted (not VR mode)
• The jury uses Festoon (dome preview software) which requires a YouTube link

30-second domemaster clip (required)

• 1080×1080 pixels, includes sound
• Use a black circle mask — no credits or timecode overlays
• Used for the festival's Instagram and social media campaign
• Reference: instagram.com/fulldome_festival

Still frames (required)

• 2–3 frames in JPG or PNG format
• Maximum 4096×4096 pixels
• Used for programme brochure and press/marketing

Promotional video (for accepted films)

• 30-second video introducing your film and team
• Used on festival social media (Instagram, Facebook)
• Submitted after acceptance notification

📝 How to Submit

1. Complete the online registration form at fulldome-festival.de/submit
2. You will receive a standard confirmation email first, then a personal confirmation with an upload link
3. The upload link is password-protected and hosted on a German server
4. Upload your complete film and audio as soon as possible after receiving the link

📜 Competition Rules

• Open to producers and artists worldwide — both commercial and non-commercial productions
• The film must have been originally produced in fulldome format — flat-screen or giant-cinema productions adapted to dome are not accepted
• Multiple entries in different categories are allowed
• Language: preferably English, or any language with English subtitles
• Producers are actively encouraged to attend and participate in Q&A with audiences
• Award decisions by festival directors, jury, and curators are final

Copyright & promotion rights

• Participants confirm ownership of all rights, including visuals and sound
• The festival may use stills and trailers to advertise the FullDome Festival
• Selected works may be included in the Festival Reel (Best of Show) — a compilation made available for non-commercial and educational screenings at fulldome venues worldwide
• Full-length feature films are not included in the festival reel

🏛️ The Venue

The Zeiss-Planetarium Jena is the world's longest-serving planetarium — opened July 18, 1926. In 2026, it celebrates its centenary alongside the festival's 20th anniversary. The venue underwent a full renovation and upgrade in early 2026, with brand-new projection systems and a high-resolution 3D audio environment.

Address

Am Planetarium 5, 07743 Jena, Germany

Phone

+49 3641 885488

Dome type

Classic tilted dome

Opened

July 18, 1926 (100 years in 2026)

🎤 Live Performances

Live performance is a core pillar of the Jena programme alongside film screenings. Past editions have featured:

• The Gray Cloth — immersive music theatre with live orchestra, based on Paul Scheerbart's novel. Produced by Bauhaus University students with international artist teams
• Cloud Bodies (Allison Moore) — live volumetric capture dance performance with real-time dome projection
• ET Moments — live Space Violin (Linda Trillhaase) + performance lights (Michi Happak)
• Clubnight — the final evening transforms the planetarium into a dome club with VJs (Fairlix, Juladi, Meisam/Sulfation) and electronic music acts

If you create live generative audio-visual work, contact the festival directly about live performance slots — the Frameless Forum and evening programme have historically accommodated live acts beyond the standard film submission process.

Information sourced from the official FullDome Festival Jena 2026 Submission Guidelines (PDF, November 2025) and festival website. Verified February 2026.