FAQs

Rainbow Roll Fest

What is Rainbow Roll Fest?

Rainbow Roll Fest is a 3-day online festival celebrating LBGTQIA+-led Actual Play shows. Rainbow Roll Fest is brought to you by Rainbow Roll Network (that's us!). This is the fest's third year, and we are so excited for what is in store!

When is Rainbow Roll Fest?

Rainbow Roll Fest will take place over the weekend of June 28th-30th, 2024.

How many shows will be in the festival?

We are able to admit a maximum of 24 shows to the festival, and we hope to have all 24 spots filled. 

What counts as "Actual Play"?

We are defining "Actual Play" as any show where the hosts or cast members roleplay a story together using any system, including just improvising. Shows that contain non-AP segments, such as reviews or discussion, are eligible as well.

How will shows be chosen for the festival?

Our initial screening crew, made up of Rainbow Roll Network members, will review your submissions. Our first priority is to ensure the information from your application (for example, the content rating for your show) is accurate. Next, we will forward your screeners to our panel of judges,  who will help us determine which shows are accepted to the fest.

When are applications open?

Applications are open from March 18th through April 19th, 2024.

Where can I apply?

You can start the application process at our Ko-fi page. After you pay the entrance fee, you'll be directed to our submissions form. If the entrance fee presents financial hardship for you and you'd like to inquire about reduced fees or a scholarship, please email us at rainbowrollfest@gmail.com. 


The Ko-fi link is: https://ko-fi.com/s/bac8de6f59


What does the application fee go toward? 

Our entry fee helps cover the cost of labor and hosting for the Fest. We try to keep it significantly lower than most web fest fees, which typically range from $40-$80. If our fee presents financial hardship for you, please reach out to us at rainbowrollfest@gmail.com for reduced fee and scholarship information.

What are you looking for in submissions

We strongly encourage you to submit a festival cut of your show.  More specifically, we have the following minimum expectations: 


What is a festival cut

Festival cuts can be a selection of clips which tell a story, and/or which you feel highlight the best parts of your show, or one long segment of an episode. Festival cuts should demonstrate the qualities of your show that make it unique, enjoyable, and innovative.  

Why do you require a transcript? May we just use captions? 

At Rainbow Roll Network and Rainbow Roll Fest, we have a strong commitment to accessibility. Captions are a fantastic access tool, and we strongly encourage you to use them whenever possible!

Captions make shows more accessible to many folks, but they do have some limitations: for example, they aren't automatically picked up by screen readers. Transcripts provide access to folks using screen readers and folks who process best by reading and need to spend more time with the text than captions allow, to name only a couple of examples. For this reason, we require applicants to provide transcripts.

My show deals with sensitive topics/could be called transgressive art. Should I submit it to Rainbow Roll Fest? 

We welcome shows with sensitive topics/shows that aim to be transgressive art that are made with player and audience safety and consent in mind. We require all shows to submit descriptions, ratings, and content warnings as part of the application process. We reserve the right to deny admission if your show's values do not align with our values of respect, inclusion, and care for marginalized communities. 


How are shows presented at the festival?

Shows in the festival will be given a 45-minute chunk of time. As noted above, we strongly recommend submitting a festival cut of your show. 


In the past, we have accepted special format shows like live shows and summary shows as part of Rainbow Roll Fest. This year, all special format shows must request specific approval from Rainbow Roll Fest organizers via our submissions form. If accepted to the Fest as a special format show, your show will not be eligible for awards. We realize this may be a bummer, but it keeps labor expectations fair for our judges (and judging expectations fair for all shows).   

What counts as "LGBTQIA+ led"?

We are defining "LGBTQIA+ led" as any show with hosts, cast members, or production team members who identify as any part of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.

Can I enter if my show is not LGBTQIA+ led? 

If your cast isn't LGBTQIA+ led, you are still welcome to apply! However, we will be prioritizing LGBTQIA+ led shows.

Is this exclusively for podcasts, or can video-based APs apply too?

Streams, prerecorded video APs, and podcasts are all welcome to apply!

When will I learn if my show was accepted?

We will announce the accepted shows by June 7th, 2024.

Rainbow Roll Fest Awards 

What are the Rainbow Roll Fest Awards?

Our awards are intended to celebrate and honor AP artists, especially  LGBTQIA+ AP artists, for outstanding achievements and innovation in the art form of Actual Play.

Is my show eligible for awards?

Every submission accepted to Rainbow Roll Fest is eligible for our festival awards.

Is my show eligible under audio or video? 

At Rainbow Roll Fest, we have two awards “tracks” for shows: audio and video. Most awards categories are given to one audio-based show and one video-based show, with a couple of awards geared only toward video and a few awards where one award is presented to all formats. 


Your show is a good fit for our audio track if: 


Your show is a good fit for our video track if: 



How do I enter my show for awards consideration?

Each show self-nominates for every award you would like to be considered for. You may do so in the nominations section of our submissions form. You are encouraged to nominate your show for multiple awards, but you are not required to nominate it for awards if you don't want to!  

Do I have to pay an extra fee to enter my show for awards consideration?

Nope, our $20 submission fee covers that!

Who judges the Rainbow Roll Fest Awards?

Our judges are individuals who are active in the field of Actual Play as creators, performers, producers, thinkers, writers, and fans. 

How are the shows judged?

The judges will review each screener and judge entries according to a rubric provided by Rainbow Roll Network. We provide brief summaries of what we ask judges to look for in each category on the nominations form. 

Do Rainbow Roll Network members get special consideration?

No. Rainbow Roll Network members are automatically accepted to Rainbow Roll Fest but are nominated and judged for awards using the same process as non-network shows.

When will I learn if my show has won an award?

Award winners will be announced in the closing ceremony of the Fest on Twitch on June 30th, 2024.

I know (or think I know) the identity of one or more Rainbow Roll Fest judges. May I contact them about the judging process? 

It's fine if you know or guess the identity of one or more of our judges! Please do not contact them about the judging process. If we learn that any member of a show's team has contacted a judge about the judging process, or has tried to influence judging outcomes, that show will be automatically disqualified from this year's Rainbow Roll Fest and may be banned from future Fests and/or membership in Rainbow Roll Network.  

I have a different question.

Feel free to reach out to us at rainbowrollfest at gmail dot com or on Twitter @rainbowrollnet. We'll do our best to help!