ROUND 1 — SUBMISSION WINDOW
MELLOW ROCK GAMES IS A VIDEO-BASED CLIMBING COMPETITION DESIGNED TO SHOWCASE RAW TALENT, CREATIVITY, AND THE CULTURE OF OUTDOOR CLIMBING. THIS EVENT GIVES CLIMBERS AND FILMMAKERS A PLATFORM TO PRESENT THEIR BEST WORK IN A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN CONTEST.
THE TOP 24 VIDEOS FROM THE SUBMISSION WINDOW WILL ENTER A HEAT-STYLE ELIMINATION CONTEST THROUGH COMMUNITY VOTING. FINALS WILL CONSIST OF A VOTE FROM AN ELITE PANEL OF JUDGES TO FAIRLY SELECT THE WINNERS. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE JUDGED ON TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY, CREATIVITY AND STYLE, CINEMATOGRAPHY, AND OVERALL CULTURAL IMPACT.
$20KTOTAL PRIZE PURSE
TIMELINE
01
SUBMISSION WINDOW
SEP 20 – NOV 15
Climbers submit their video segments through Rock Games portal.
02
QUALIFIERS
NOV 30 – DEC 9
Four videos released every 48 hours in 6 heats. The community votes for their favorite video each heat.
03
FINALS
DEC 17 – DEC 22
The top-voted video from each heat moves on. A video is released every day.
04
RESULTS
DEC 27
The final six compete in a final vote — community (50%) and judging panel (50%). Live stream announces the winners.
PRIZES
1ST PLACE$10,000
2ND PLACE$5,000
3RD PLACE$2,500
CINEMATOGRAPHY$2,500
JUDGING CRITERIA
DIFFICULTY / TRY HARDLevel of grit or effort
CREATIVITY & STYLEApproach and execution of the video and climbing
CINEMATOGRAPHYQuality of filming, editing, and storytelling
OVERALL CULTURAL IMPACTInfluence of the video on climbing culture
JUDGING PANEL — Brooke Raboutou, Daniel Woods, Ben Neilson, Nina Williams, Hamish McArthur
RULES
VIDEO LENGTH3 - 10 Minutes
FILMING WINDOWFootage can be filmed at any time; the climb or climbs must have been sent in 2026.
MUSICCopyrighted music is not allowed. Use copyright-free or licensable music that adheres to YouTube’s guidelines.
SPONSORSNo brand logos may appear in the video. Logos on clothing, pads, ropes, or gear are fine. Not allowed: title cards, voiceover, or editing built around a sponsor.
ELIGIBILITYOpen to climbers and filmmakers. One entry per team.
VOTINGA free Mellow account is required to vote. This keeps results fair and prevents manipulation.
DELIVERABLES
FULL VIDEO EXPORTH.264 (.mp4) · Thumbnail 1280×720 (2MB) · Copyright-free or licensable music
PROMO ASSETS30 second promo · 10 second promo · 1–5 still assets
REQUIRED INFOYouTube description · Video title · All social tags (climber, filmers, photographers etc.)
HOW TO SUBMIT
01USE THE ENTRY TERMINAL ABOVE TO SUBMIT YOUR FILM.
02ADD A YOUTUBE LINK, A GOOGLE DRIVE OR OTHER FILE-SHARING LINK, OR BOTH. MAKE SURE YOUR FILM IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE ORGANIZERS.
03ENTER YOUR TEAM / NAME, EMAIL AND FILM TITLE. ADD YOUR INSTAGRAM HANDLE IF YOU’D LIKE.
04CONFIRM YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO SUBMIT, THEN PRESS LOAD TAPE. KEEP YOUR RECEIPT—AN ORGANIZER WILL REVIEW YOUR ENTRY.
CLIMBS MUST HAVE BEEN SENT IN 2026
