1. Eligibility
- Open to anyone age 3 and above, from any country.
- Participants under 18 require a verified parent or legal-guardian account. Registration cannot proceed without explicit parental consent (DPDP / PDPA / COPPA-compliant).
- Adults (19+) register on their own behalf in the Open category.
- Participants with disabilities or special needs may register in any age-appropriate category OR in the Special Needs (cross-age) category — whichever feels right.
2. Seven categories
- Junior I (3–4) — Junior tier
- Junior II (5–7) — Junior tier
- Junior III (8–12) — Junior tier
- Senior I (13–15) — Senior tier
- Senior II (16–18) — Senior tier
- Open (19+) — Open tier
- Special Needs (cross-age) — Special tier
3. Entry fees
Country-tiered to keep WSTC accessible. India routes through Razorpay; rest of the world routes through Stripe (Singapore entity). Fees are per round; you only pay for the next round if you advance.
| Country | Per-round fee | Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇳India | ₹99 | razorpay |
| 🇸🇬Singapore | $5 | stripe |
| 🇲🇾Malaysia | RM 15 | stripe |
| 🇮🇩Indonesia | $3 | stripe |
| 🇵🇭Philippines | $3 | stripe |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | £3 | stripe |
| 🇮🇪Ireland | €4 | stripe |
| 🇺🇸United States | $5 | stripe |
| 🇨🇦Canada | $5 | stripe |
| 🇦🇺Australia | $5 | stripe |
| 🇰🇷South Korea | $5 | stripe |
| 🇳🇦Namibia | $3 | stripe |
| 🇩🇪Germany | €4 | stripe |
| 🇨🇱Chile | $3 | stripe |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | $3 | stripe |
| 🇬🇷Greece | €4 | stripe |
| 🌍Other (International) | US$5 | stripe |
4. Submission format
- 2-minute video, recorded on phone or camera. Production quality is not judged — story is.
- Formats accepted: MP4, MOV, WebM. Maximum 200 MB. Maximum 3 minutes.
- Any language. Judges across 16 countries can score in your language.
- Upload window: 1 October – 30 October 2026, 23:59 IST. Late uploads are not accepted — the deadline is enforced by the platform.
5. Four rounds
- District / Qualifier round — opens 2 November 2026. All submissions judged.
- State / Semi-Finals — opens 16 November 2026. Top promotees from District.
- National Championship — opens 30 November 2026. Top 18 per category per country.
- World Championship — December 2026. Top 3 per category per country compete on the world stage.
6. Judging
- Independent country judges. Each submission is scored against a five-criterion rubric: craft · voice · content · engagement · overall impact.
- Each criterion scored 1–10. Judges save drafts, then click Submit → Review → Confirm Submit. Once confirmed, scores cannot be edited by the judge — only by an admin override with documented reason (audit-logged).
- Top three per category advance to the next round. Tied scores route to a third judge for re-scoring.
- Multiple judges per category — final score is the combined aggregate, not a single judge's call.
7. Prizes
- World Champions — top 3 per category receive WSTC trophies, Hall of Fame entries, and digital certificates with QR-verified authenticity.
- 4th–10th place — consolation prizes and digital certificates.
- Every participant who completes a round receives a participation certificate, free of charge.
8. Disqualification
- Submissions containing hate speech, violence, sexual content, or material harmful to minors will be removed.
- AI-generated or substantially-plagiarised content is disallowed. Auto-detection may flag suspect submissions for admin review.
- Falsified parental consent results in disqualification and a permanent platform ban.
- Disqualified participants receive a full refund of the relevant round entry fee.
9. Data protection
Participant data is processed under DPDP (India), PDPA (Singapore), and GDPR-aligned standards. Minors' data has additional protections. You have the right to export or delete your data at any time — see our Privacy Policy.
10. Changes
These rules may be updated. Material changes are announced via email and on this page. The version of the rules in effect at the time of registration governs your entry.