DUBAI, Sept. 30, 2026 — Dubai will award a $1 million prize for the best artificial intelligence-generated film at the fifth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, organisers announced on Wednesday, in the emirate’s boldest bid yet to be crowned the world’s capital of content creation.
The UAE Government Media Office unveiled the plans at a press conference at Creators HQ in Dubai, setting the dates of the flagship summit for January 8 to 10, 2027, under the theme “Content for Good.” The event brings together creators, platforms, brands and policymakers in what officials expect to be the largest edition to date.
A Million Dollars for AI Cinema
The headline AI Film Award will be organised in partnership with TikTok, its parent company ByteDance and the company’s Seedance AI creation platform, the media office said. Applications are currently open for an original five-to-seven-minute film produced using AI software, with the grand prize set at $1 million.
Trade sources said the award follows the January 2026 edition, when Tunisian filmmaker Zoubeir Jlassi took the inaugural $1 million AI Film Award for his AI-made short “Lily,” presented by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairperson of Dubai Culture. That edition drew some 3,500 submissions from 116 countries, according to organisers.
Second Award and a Creators Market
A second new award, titled “1 Million Stories,” will be run in partnership with TikTok and will honour stories that inspire positive content and narratives shared on the platform under the hashtag #1millionstories. The grand prize for that category is $100,000.
The three-day programme will also dedicate a full day to Instagram creators, while a Creators Market will pair about 100 major companies with content creators to explore commercial partnerships and investment opportunities, officials said.
Under-15 Restrictions on the Agenda
Among the heaviest debates on the 2027 agenda will be the UAE’s forthcoming restrictions on social media use for children aged 15 and under. State media reported that the legislation takes effect next year, and that schools, parents and the wider society will need to rally behind the move.
Saeed Al Eter, chairman of the UAE Government Media Office, described the creator industry as a standalone economy, saying the summit would test whether the region has built the legislative platforms, partnerships and ecosystem such an economy needs. “It is going to be the biggest summit — with the biggest impact — to date,” he said during Wednesday’s preview.
Also addressing the press briefing, the UAE’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Al-Gergawi said the Emirates had transformed into a hub of content creation and new media, framing the summit as proof of that standing.
The summit’s 2027 edition will also examine questions around society and humanitarian causes, truth and misinformation, the relationship between humans and AI, and climate and nature, organisers said.
