ShotDeck calls for submissions to 2025 Recreations Contest

ShotDeck, the world’s leading cinematic image library, has announced a call for submissions for the 2025 Recreations Contest–which tasks participants with recreating shots from their favourite film, series, music video or commercial available on the website.

Filmmakers will have to match a shot as creatively and accurately as possible, all in-camera and with no AI or computer-generated imagery involved. 

The Recreations Contest is described by ShotDeck as “a celebration of cinematic creativity designed to inspire and educate filmmakers, photographers, and visual storytellers”, and will accept entries between Monday 1 September and Tuesday 30 September.

Lawrence Sher ASC, ShotDeck founder and Academy Award-nominated cinematographer, said: “The Recreations Contest is about honouring the art of visual storytelling and the joy of collaboration, which is key to what we fundamentally believe in.

“Every year, I’m blown away and inspired by the level of talent and dedication on display, and it’s our privilege to be able to champion it through the contest.” 

Over $125,000 worth of prizes are up for grabs across multiple categories, with the contest rewarding storytellers, from emerging talents to established professionals, with high-end filmmaking gear. 

This year’s sponsors include: Sony, ZEISS, Blackmagic Design, Aputure, Rosco, Filmmakers Academy, FilmLight, Arthouse Film Lab, Musicbed, Saturation, FilmConvert, Nanlux-Nanlite, Other World Computing (OWC), American Cinematographer, RED Digital Cinema, Scriptation, and DEEP-LIGHT, among others.

ShotDeck annually awards prizes across multiple categories, including Grand Prize, Runner-Up, and Honorable Mention winners, including Best Production Design, Most Difficult Lighting, Best Team Effort, Best Family Recreation, and Best Hair & Make-Up. 

Yet this year’s contest will also feature special challenges presented by both new and returning sponsor brands, each bringing their own unique spin (and prizes) to the competition.

These include The Music Video Motion Challenge, sponsored by Sony, The Textured Lighting Challenge, sponsored by Aputure, and Rosco’s Color Challenge, which “dares filmmakers to recreate shots known for bold and creative colour use for a chance to win Rosco lighting prizes”. 

The Large Format Challenge, presented by Blackmagic Design, tasks participants with recreating iconic shots originally captured on large-format IMAX film cameras, and the ZEISS Radiance Challenge asks for shots with a focus on lens flares.

Other categories include the Highest Degree of Difficulty Challenge, the Colour Precision Challenge and the LA Film Challenge.

Winners will be selected by a panel of world-renowned filmmakers and industry artisans, to be announced in mid-September. Final winners will be revealed in early November.

Full details on submissions and rules can be found on the ShotDeck website.