Alex Kamb had no idea that the Sundance Ignite Fellowship existed until a friend texted him shortly after the submission period opened. There were two weeks until the deadline and Kamb figured why not, Sundance was a well-known, trustworthy organization. “I have to do this,” he remembered thinking. “It’s a huge opportunity, and it’s so clear cut.” By the deadline, Kamb had created a short film about a specific moment in his life a few years earlier where he tried to remind his elderly grandfather who he was, dramatizing it to be more universal.

Kamb is just one of the current Sundance Ignite fellows, but his experience by no means embodies the norm. Laura Holliday submitted a film she had made long before the submission period opened. Hers was more character-driven, a comedy about a girl returning to West Virginia.

For both Kamb and Holliday, the fellowship provided an incredible opportunity to get more exposure to the film industry as a whole. By providing mentors, exclusive events and continued contact after the end of the fellowship, Kamb left the program thinking, “anything you can imagine the best way a fellowship could go, this is it.”

Because the competition is geared toward students, there’s no expectation that the submission be perfect from a technical perspective.

“The only thing that matters is making a piece of art that feels like you,” Holliday said. “Don’t overthink it, just go for it.”

While the competition won’t officially open until August, this summer is the perfect time to venture out and put together something to submit. Or, if you’re more like Alex, just wait a few months and then scramble during the submission window to pull something together.

Submissions open Aug. 14-Sept. 25. Submit a one to eight minute short film that answers the question, “What stories ignite you?”