GUANGZHOU, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The 17th Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, China's only national-level documentary festival, has started accepting submissions worldwide.

The festival will be held from Dec. 9 to 12 in Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong Province, and the deadline for applications is Aug. 31, according to the organizing committee.

The organizing committee said this year's festival will add a new award category for documentaries telling stories in China.

The festival has been held annually since 2003. Last year, it received 4,542 submissions from 122 countries and regions.