Film overview
The Golden Unicorn Grand Prix is the sole highest overall honour of HKAIIFF2027. It is selected from all shortlisted works in the main competition. A prior award or commercial development potential is not required.
Expression and originality: does the work present a clear, distinctive perspective that goes beyond tool presets or familiar combinations of material?
Emotional and intellectual power: how does the work create feeling, understanding, reflection or cultural meaning? No particular genre or emotional register is preferred.
Unity of form and content: how do AI-involved materials, rules or experiences serve the work, and how do narrative, sound, image and medium support one another?
Overall accomplishment: does the complete work fulfil its own scope? For dynamic works, the jury considers the representative experience, range of variation and ability to remain coherent across repeated experiences.
The jury watches or experiences the complete submitted version before examining the necessary evidence. Five-level descriptions support reasoned discussion; they are not mechanically added into a total or combined through undisclosed weights. The Grand Prix requires at least five eligible, conflict-free jurors who have completed review and support from at least two thirds. The award may be left vacant, and the announced winner receives a publishable jury rationale.
Prepare the complete work, creative intention, principal human contributions and an explanation of AI’s role. Dynamic works also need a stable version, suggested and independent review paths, and known limitations. Follow the current entry guide for payment and required uploads.
This overview accompanies the published guidance. Consult the current official documents for rules and permissions.
Related questions
Do I still need to calculate 51% AI use for 2027? How should I explain AI’s role?
AI must play a substantive role in principal audiovisual material, performance, narrative organisation, generative rules or audience experience. There is no fixed AI-use percentage for 2027. Explain its role and human creative decisions through the work, concise context and assessable evidence. Subtitling, denoising, upscaling or administrative assistance alone does not establish eligibility.
Do I still need to calculate 51% AI use for 2027? How should I explain AI’s role? ↗Is a linear film at a disadvantage compared with an interactive work?
Formats are not ranked. The Grand Prix evaluates the complete work’s achievement across fixed, interactive and generative forms. Characters need not converse live and worlds need not use a game engine. Interactivity, realism, runtime, equipment cost and commercial potential are not substitutes for artistic value.
Is a linear film at a disadvantage compared with an interactive work? ↗Will jurors assess the complete work or just the technical statement? How is the decision made?
Eligibility and material checks precede professional evaluation. A works panel evaluates the Grand Prix and three expression awards; a creative-achievements panel evaluates the three Silver awards. Jurors view or experience the complete object and examine the evidence needed for its claims. Five descriptive levels organise observations, reasons and outstanding questions. They are not mechanically added or subjected to undisclosed weights. Deliberation and voting follow the rules. Each award has at most one recipient object and may remain vacant; joint contributors can share credit. The Grand Prix requires at least five conflict-free jurors who have completed the review and support from at least two thirds. Other awards require at least three jurors and a majority. Qualified substitutes complete the review if recusals reduce the quorum. Public award announcements include publishable jury reasons.
Will jurors assess the complete work or just the technical statement? How is the decision made? ↗Which names, documents and images should media or partners use when presenting the new awards?
Use the 2027 hub, official seven award names and document centre. Keep the year on 2026 award names and film images; do not imply they are 2027 results. Use published press-room assets within their stated scope and confirm other uses of film stills, excerpts or third-party marks separately. Link reporting to the specific official page, not only the homepage.
Which names, documents and images should media or partners use when presenting the new awards? ↗