Runway Launches a Weekly AI Video Challenge With 175,000 Credits in Prizes

Runway has launched the Runway Weekly Challenge, a recurring creator contest with a new creative brief every week. The first round puts 175,000 Runway credits up for grabs.

Challenge #1 is called “The Impossible Shot.” Entrants have until Monday, October 19 at 12 PM EDT to create and submit a 15–30 second video.

The First Brief: The Impossible Shot

Runway is asking for a video featuring a moment that defies reality. In its announcement on Reddit, Runway offered examples like a city folding in on itself, an impossible transformation, or a world where gravity works differently.

Beyond that, the direction is open. Every entry must be made with Runway, and each person can submit one video.

Runway is also asking entrants to share a short description of their process, including which Runway tools they used and anything they discovered along the way.

How to Enter and How Winners Are Picked

Entries are posted to the r/runwayml subreddit using the Weekly Challenge flair and a title formatted as “[Weekly Challenge] Your Title.” All entrants have to follow Runway’s official challenge rules, which are linked from the announcement.

Winners are decided by the community. The three eligible submissions with the highest Reddit post scores at the deadline win, so this works as a popularity vote rather than a juried contest.

What the Prizes Are Worth

The kickoff prizes are 100,000 credits for first place, 50,000 for second, and 25,000 for third.

For scale, Runway’s Max plan includes 9,500 credits per month at $95. First place equals about 10 and a half months of Max plan credits, and Runway’s Gen-4.5 model uses 12 credits per second, so 100,000 credits covers about 2 hours and 19 minutes of Gen-4.5 video.

Second place covers about 69 minutes of Gen-4.5 output, and third place covers about 35 minutes. Higher-cost models like Aleph 2.0 and Seedance 2.0 Pro use credits faster.

Competitive Context

Runway has run creator-focused programs before, most notably its annual AI Film Festival. The Weekly Challenge is lower stakes and faster, with a new prompt and winners every seven days.

Other AI video platforms are also building creator programs to keep users engaged and producing work. ByteDance’s Dreamina recently launched Originals, a label for AI films and series, covered in ByteDance’s Dreamina Launches “Originals”.

The Signal in the Noise

For anyone already using Runway, this is an easy way to practice on a defined brief and possibly earn months of credits. The 15–30 second format keeps the time commitment manageable.

Because winners are chosen by Reddit votes, visibility and timing will matter alongside the work itself. Posting early and sharing the entry will likely help.

The Details

• Challenge: Runway Weekly Challenge #1, “The Impossible Shot”
• Format: 15–30 second video made with Runway
• Deadline: Monday, October 19, 12 PM EDT
• How to enter: Post to r/runwayml with Weekly Challenge flair
• Entries: One per person
• Judging: Top three Reddit post scores at the deadline
• Prizes: 100,000 / 50,000 / 25,000 credits
• Updates: @Runway_Creators on X

Are you entering Runway’s first Weekly Challenge? Share what your impossible shot would be in the comments.

Resources & Reads

• Runway Weekly Challenge #1 — r/runwayml
• Runway announcement on X
• Runway Pricing
• ByteDance’s Dreamina Launches “Originals”