YouTube Effect Maker
Diwali Challenge

Let’s celebrate this month’s festivities with the YouTube Effect Maker Challenge, Diwali edition! Join the challenge and design interactive or visual effects that will help all YouTube Shorts fans enjoy the festivities of the Diwali season.
Your effects can celebrate the festival of lights & diyas, reimagine the many faces of Ravana or even be a new way to signal the victory of good over evil.
You’ve got until October 27th to register, publish and submit your effects for a chance to win up to $2,000!
Learn more about the Challenge and register below.
Terms & Conditions
Your task is to create and publish effects using Effect Maker. You can design effects fitting one of two categories:
Interactive
Visual script effects allow users to play and interact with your effect. We’re talking games, quizzes, drawing, tier lists – the more engaging the better!
Visual
Visual effects focus on transforming appearance and what the user will see in their camera view. Think face accessories, 3D, background swap or AI image transformation – creativity is what counts most!
Theme
This challenge is all about the upcoming Indian festival of lights, symbolising the victory of good over evil, or light over darkness, and celebrated during the Diwali season.
Try turning traditional customs into gamified, interactive effects or get inspired by iconic symbols like rangoli and traditional lamps or candles to design a visual effect.
ThemeTheme
Prizes!
In this Challenge you can win your share of the $10,000 prize pool!
divided into two categories:
Interactive
$2,000
1st place
$1,000
2nd place
$500
3rd place
$100
15 × Honorable Mentions
Visual
$2,000
1st place
$1,000
2nd place
$500
3rd place
$100
15 × Honorable Mentions
Read more about the prize payment process in our Terms & Conditions.
How to join
1. Register for the Challenge using the form below. You will receive an email confirming your registration.
2. Go to Effect Maker and start creating!
3. Once you’re happy with your effect, click “Publish” and make sure to record a YouTube Short showcasing your effect – a video link will be requested during the submission process.
4. Then enter your effect into the challenge using the Challenge Submission Form, which you will be able to access once you register. You will receive an email confirmation once you submit your Effect.
5. Keep in mind – You don’t need to register again to submit more Effects, and you’re more than welcome to create as many as you’d like, but you’ll have to submit each Effect separately.
6. Want to join in on more of the fun? Join the Effect Maker Discord space by joining the official YouTube server at discord.gg/youtube. Follow the onboarding instructions and select “Effect Maker” for the “What kind of creator are you” question when joining. Already a part of the server? Head to the “#🤙pick-your-role” channel and select “Effect Maker”.
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Timeline
Challenge Starts:
October 1
Submission Deadline:
October 27
Winners Announcement:
November 10
Judging Criteria
Idea Quality
How well does your effect reflect the theme and current content trends?
Originality
How unique or original is your effect?
User Experience
Is your effect intuitive and easy to use and utilize in content creation?
Use of Effect Maker
How well were the Effect Maker features implemented in your effect?
FAQ
Who can participate in this Challenge?
You must be at least the age of majority in your country, state, province, or jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry.
Residents of which countries can NOT take part?

Individuals who are residents of, or entities/organizations domiciled in countries noted in the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions: American Samoa, Anguilla, Dominica, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Panama, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, US Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Seychelles, as well as any country that is under any trade or economic sanction or on any program or country list designated by the United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or where the laws of the United States or local law prohibits their participation or receipt a prize in any contest and specifically excludes Russia, Belarus, Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria. Also, if Effect Maker is not available in your country or region, you can’t participate in this Challenge.

How to take part?
  • Register for the Challenge using the form below. You will receive an email confirming your registration.
  • Go to Effect Maker and start creating!
  • Once you’re happy with your effect, click “Publish” and make sure to record a YouTube Short showcasing your effect – a video link will be requested during the submission process.
  • Then enter your effect into the challenge using the Challenge Submission Form, which you will be able to access once you register. You will receive an email confirmation once you submit your Effect.
  • Keep in mind – You don’t need to register again to submit more Effects, and you’re more than welcome to create as many as you’d like, but you’ll have to submit each Effect separately.
  • Want to join in on more of the fun? Join the Effect Maker Discord space by joining the official YouTube server at discord.gg/youtube. Follow the onboarding instructions and select “Effect Maker” for the “What kind of creator are you” question when joining. Already a part of the server? Head to the “#🤙pick-your-role” channel and select “Effect Maker”.
Which Effects are eligible for this Challenge? Can I tag my older Effects?
Please DO NOT tag Effects that are not related to the Challenge. Only newly-made Effects that reflect the Challenge theme are eligible for this Challenge.
Is there any Submission Fee to take part in this Challenge?
There is no submission fee, you can take part free of charge.
Will I receive confirmation that my Effect has been submitted?
Yes, you will receive an email confirmation once you submit your Effect. In case you’d like to make sure your Effect is submitted correctly, or have any other questions concerning this Challenge, please send us an email at: [email protected].
Register here
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