Well, I guess they liked the Vidu Q1ntessential Contest enough to keep me going here on Civitai, because today I'm here to officially announce that I'm taking lead on the biggest AI video contest of all: Project Odyssey Season 3!
What is Project Odyssey?
Founded in 2024, Project Odyssey is the worldâs premiere AI filmmaking competition focused on uniting creators, communities, and companies across the industry. Seasons 1 & 2 attracted over 6,000 films and 2,000+ teams from 87 countries. Season 3 aims to double participation with a target of more than 10,000 film submissions, new video categories and ways to engage, and conclude with an hybrid livestream/inâperson awards gala in Las Vegas.
Vision
While previously the focus of Project Odyssey was to increase the visibility of AI video as a creative medium, at this point it's moved from a cool experiment to an everyday creative tool. Thus, the new vision for Season 3 is:
While It's all fine for me to type in promo jargon about all this, I also speak from the heart because if it wasn't for Project Odyssey Season 2, I wouldn't have been the one typing up this article right now. I truly want to help other talented-but-hidden creators to find their flow and connect with opportunities to shine - whether it be contract video work with an agency, building up your own social media niche to profitability, making AI-powered videos for a cause you believe in, or even taking my job!Â
And if that vision isn't quite fluffy enough, brace yourselves for the goals.
Goals
Democratize Storytelling
Arm thousands of new creators with the tools and support they need to produce creative video content.
Showcase Diversity & Innovation
Highlight voices across 100+ countries and every storytelling style with an extended focus on highlighting developing markets.
Stronger Brand Partnerships
Connect top creators directly with brands for briefs, commissions and career opportunities â building pathways from âfinalist to festivalâ and acting as a career accelerator.
Year-Round Engagement
Stretch goals (if we get enough sponsors) to introduce potential weekly âOdyssey Hoursâ streams after the competition, masterclasses, and incubator grants: keeping the community active and advancing skills all year.
Return of the Stream
That's right, for Project Odyssey Season 3 I'll be bringing back the Civitai weekly community stream ahead of the contest launch to help you get ready, as well as during the competition to help you along the way with image/video editing help, sponsor trial highlights, chat with previous winners, and more.Â
TimelinesÂ
Since I was brought on to this role a little late to make this happen in early summer, we're looking at a late-summer/early-fall timeline:
Submissions Open: August 29, 2025
Submissions Close: October 3, 2025
Final Gala & Winners Announced: MidâNovember 2025 (Las Vegas, NV; hybrid event)
While this is still considered a tentative timeline, my goal is to meet those dates, with the potential to open it earlier if we can get enough sponsors secured in the short term.Â
SponsorsÂ
If you have any recommendations for sponsors that you'd like to see participate in Season 3, please comment below and let me know + thumbs up the ones you really want to see!Â
If you have connections to, or you ARE a potential sponsor, please feel free to message me on here or email [email protected].Â
As we get sponsors on board and more competition details, I'll be sure to share them here and on the Project Odyssey social media accounts, so stay tuned and start thinking up your masterpieces for this time around!