Eligibility and Application Requirements

Please read the eligibility criteria carefully before submitting and refer to this FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions. If you have further questions, please email Cristin Stephens at cstephens@betterangelssociety.org. Due to the number of applicants, we cannot accept phone calls at this time.

1. The film must focus on an American historical subject, issue, or person within a time frame occurring at least twenty years prior to submission (prior to 2006) and must present a variety of perspectives grounded in extensive and thorough research. The majority of the film must be historically focused to qualify. We invite submissions employing a broad range of storytelling devices and archival materials, which should be integral to the story.
   Submissions must follow journalistic standards and consider multiple perspectives. Industrial, promotional, “advertorial”, advocacy, and instructional films are ineligible. No product placement or paid messaging is permitted. If a submission uses AI, the project must identify when and where AI is used and adhere to the Archival Producers Alliance’s Best Practices for Use of Generative AI.
2. Submissions must reflect a dramatic and compelling storytelling approach to the subject matter and have the potential for widespread appeal and distribution.
3. Submissions will be evaluated on whether they provide deeper insights and/or understanding on their subject matter, beyond what is already widely known, including historical context and significance.
4. At the time of submission, research and principal photography for the film must be completed, with editing and post-production in progress, and a full rough or fine cut completed. (To be considered, the applicant will need to submit a rough or fine cut of at least 50-minutes in length via a private online video link.)
5. The film may not be distributed, in any media (including theatrically, or via the Internet, physical media, or any form of television) before the award event on October 22, 2026. Limited, non-theatrical screenings, such as at film festivals, are acceptable.
6. Each eligible film must include an impact statement that articulates the filmmaker’s vision and practical examples for using the film to promote civic engagement and encourage civil discourse.
7. Films must have been completed within the past two years (March 2024), unless in rough or fine cut stage.
8. A film previously submitted to the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film may be re-submitted for consideration if the film is substantially changed since the last Submission. However, filmmakers that were previously awarded as finalists, runners-up, or winners are ineligible to re-submit the same film.
9. Applicant must be the director and/or a producer of the film and be authorized to submit the application without the consent or approval of any other person or entity. Applicants will be required to confirm that they have informed and secured the necessary permissions from all involved parties. Sales agents and distribution partners are not authorized to apply on behalf of filmmakers.
10. The applicant must submit a budget showing total production costs required for U.S. distribution (including post-production expenses; the projected cost of third-party rights, such as archival footage; and all customary, technical deliverables), as well as funds received to date or anticipated (including source). Films do not need to be fully funded or financed in order to be eligible for the Prize.
11. Applicant must submit a full post-production timeline.
12. Relationships with Key Persons:
    Applicant must submit a complete list of all producers, executive producers, writers, directors, lead editors and other department heads and key “above-the-line” personnel involved with the applicant’s film, i.e., those individuals bearing material responsibility for the creative development, production, and direction of the film, and/or with a financial interest in any commercial benefit to be derived from the film (“Key Persons”).A film shall be deemed ineligible if any Key Person:
    (i) is a member of the Prize’s National Jury or Internal Review Committee;
    (ii) has a close professional or personal relationship with Ken Burns, the Librarian of Congress, any member of the Prize’s Internal Review Committee or National Jury, the Prize funders (Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine) or their family members, or any other person or entity in an evaluative or decision-making role related to the Prize;
    (iii) is now, or at any time in the past three years, has been employed or contracted by Florentine Films or The Better Angels Society, or is now currently employed or contracted by the Library of Congress.
    (iv) The Better Angels Society reserves the right to determine if any additional relationships not listed above may impact fair and equitable judging and are, therefore, conflicts of interest that make a submission ineligible.
13. Conflicts of Interest:
    Applicants shall review the National Jury, listed on The Better Angels Society’s website, and disclose all actual or potential conflicts of interest in the space provided for in the application, and shall update any disclosure if potential conflicts arise following submission of the application. Resolution of potential conflicts of interest will be made at the discretion of The Better Angels Society and the Library of Congress. Failure to disclose conflicts of interest will result in a film’s disqualification.
    Below are examples of relationships that would make a film ineligible. These examples are not comprehensive, so if you have a question about a potential conflict of interest, please reach out to cstephens@betterangelssociety.org before submitting.
    i. A member of the Prize’s Internal Review Committee or National Jury is a consulting producer on the submitted project
    ii. A writer, producer, director or lead editor of the submitted project is married to or closely related to a member of the Prize’s Internal Review Committee or National Jury.
    iii. A writer, producer, director or lead editor of the submitted project worked for the Library of Congress or Florentine Films within the past 3 years.
    iv. A part-time editor or producer at Florentine Films is entitled to receive a fixed or contingent fee or profit participation in connection with the submitted project.
    v. A senior production advisor, although not a “key person”, has a very close professional relationship with Ken Burns.
14. Applicant must agree that, in the event that they become a finalist, they will provide the Library of Congress and The Better Angels Society with a copy of the completed film, and authorize the Library and The Society to use limited clips of the film in connection with the promotion of the Prize or otherwise to further their respective missions. The completed film will be included in the Library or Congress’ permanent collection and made available to researchers at the Moving Image Research Center.
15. Applicants shall indicate their citizenship and country of residence in the application. Prizes are conditional on payment eligibility.
16. Films previously supported by The Better Angels Society, financially or otherwise, are eligible to submit, if all other eligibility requirements are met.
17. Submissions must be received by May 3, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. No exceptions will be made. Applicants will not receive feedback on their submissions.