TEMECULA -- Local teens who want to take part in the third annual Temecula Youth Media Arts Festival better have their cameras rolling, as the deadline to enter the popular contest is July 31.

That may seem like a ways away, but time passes quickly as young actors and directors reshoot scenes, and their "editing rooms" become a blur of activity at crunch time.

For the inaugural festival, the city received 21 entries. It was such a hit that officials agreed to repeat it in 2008, expanding it with more categories and even folding it into the Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival. That year, more than 30 entries were received.

It's the same game plan this year, with the three-day youth festival set for mid-September to coincide with the international film festival. The movies chosen for screening will be debuted at the Old Town Community Theater on Main Street.

This year, in addition to categories such as short film, music video, documentary, experimental film and public service announcement, the submission categories include animation and marketing, the latter of which is a movie poster contest.

In the animation category, submissions can be drawn, or done with claymation or computer animation, said Martin Betz, the city's cultural arts administrator.

The festival is open to youths 18 and younger, but one of the categories is also called "family project," created so younger filmmakers could make films with mom and dad's help.

For all categories, the actors can be any age, and some of the people who work on the film can be any age, but the main producer of the film needs to be 18 or younger, Betz said. The cost to submit a film is $15.

The festival accepts local entries as well as others from across the nation.

"They can be from anywhere," Betz said. "Right now I got two films, one from Texas and one from New York. There is not a lot of major youth festivals in the United States, only about a dozen, and we are one of them."

The festival's finale includes a red carpet awards ceremony, with categories such as best drama, best comedy, best actor and best director.

Not all the movies submitted can be screened, Betz said, adding that time constraints and content are considered in developing the lineup. But most generally make it to the big screen, he said.

For information on entry guidelines, call 951-694-6480.