Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a short film competition aimed at promoting road safety among young filmmakers aged 18 to 35. The “Road Safety Film Festival Competition” invites university students with a passion for filmmaking to submit creative works that raise awareness about critical traffic issues in the emirate.
The contest features a total prize pool of Dh45,000, to be distributed among nine winners. Participants can submit short films individually or in teams of up to three members, with multiple entries allowed across different categories, as long as the content is original and student-produced.
The films must address one of three key road safety challenges identified by the RTA:
1. Dangers of sudden swerving
2. Dangers of driving distractions
3. Improper behaviour while riding bicycles and e-scooters
“Submissions will close on July 14 and entries can be submitted via the competition portal at RTA’s website, where participants can access detailed information on eligibility, evaluation criteria and submission guidelines".
According to RTA, the selected topics are based on recent traffic data, which highlights sudden lane departures and driver distractions as leading causes of fatal accidents. A third category was added to address unsafe practices among bicycle and e-scooter users due to the growing popularity of soft mobility options.
“The film topics were carefully selected based on recent traffic statistics, which identified sudden lane departures and driver distractions as two of the primary causes of fatal traffic accidents. A third category was introduced to address unsafe behaviours among bicycle and e-scooter riders, reflecting the significant and rapid rise in the use of soft mobility means in recent years,” according to Ahmed Al Khzaimy, Director of Traffic at RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency.
Winners will be announced after the competition concludes, with the initiative aiming to merge creativity with social responsibility by fostering a culture of road safety through youth-driven storytelling.