MiniMax H3 through a speed-tuned reseller undercuts everything at $0.02 per output second, while ByteDance's Seedance 2.5 is the priciest name that still publishes a real rate.
Eight competitions publish about $6 million in creator prizes, and the largest settles its field at a live Los Angeles final on September 25.
Nine entries are ranked on YouTube view counts read on September 19, 2026; No. 7 is our own short film, included as a pick rather than on the numbers.
August's releases from Lightricks and MiniMax reshuffled the open-weights field, but license territory clauses and VRAM needs decide which models creators can actually use.
