Competition for college and university filmmakers
The Student Academy Awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in an annual competition for college and university filmmakers.[ 1] [ 2]
The awards were originally named the Student Film Awards and were first presented in 1973. The current name was adopted effective in 1991. Since 1975, the awards have been given annually. The event has been held in October since 2017 and usually takes place at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California.
The awards offer prizes in four categories: alternative (experimental film ), animation, documentary, and narrative . Gold, silver, and bronze awards may be given in each category, with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000, respectively, as of 2005. Since 1981, a separate award has been given annually to a student filmmaker from outside the United States – however in the 49th annual SAA (2022), the academy has merged its domestic and international categories to provide everyone with an equal footing. This reduced the 7 categories (4 domestic & 3 international) into 4 = narrative, animation, alternative/ experimental and documentary.
Several award winners have gone on to significant achievement as filmmakers, including Robert Zemeckis , Bob Saget , Spike Lee , Trey Parker , Pete Docter and John Lasseter .[ 3] Some of the award-winning student films have themselves been nominated for and/or won the Academy Award in the short film categories, including Chicks in White Satin , The Janitor , Karl Hess: Toward Liberty , The Lunch Date , 9 , Quiero ser (I want to be...) , Gang Cops ,[ 4] The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club ,[ 5] The Red Jacket , On the Line (Auf der Strecke) , God of Love , The Confession, 4.1 Miles [ 6] and Dcera (Daughter) .[ 7]
To extend the impact and honor beyond the competition, a compilation presentation of the gold medal award-winning films is circulated each year free of charge to educational and non-profit organizations nationwide.
Copies (and some elements) for over 90% of films honored with Student Academy Awards, along with recordings of many of the awards ceremonies, are held by the Academy Film Archive .[ 8]
1st Annual Student Film Awards – December 20, 1973[ edit ] Animation : Anti-matter , Lewis Hall, Carlos Guiterrez-Mena – University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
Documentary : You See, I've Had a Life , Ben Levin, Mort Jordan – Temple University (Philadelphia , Pennsylvania)
Dramatic : Manhattan Melody , Reuben Trane, Ken Wiederhorn – Columbia University (New York City)
Special Jury (Dramatic) : Norman Nurdelpick's Suspension: A Tribute to Alfred Hitchcock , Bob Dahlin – Northwestern University (Evanston , Illinois) 2nd Annual Student Film Awards – July 1, 1975[ edit ] 3rd Annual Student Film Awards – June 23, 1976[ edit ] Animation : Fame ,[ 10] Mark Kirkland , Richard Jefferies – California Institute of the Arts (Valencia , California)
Documentary : What the Notes Say Karen Grossman , Richard O'Neill – Adelphi University (Garden City , New York)
Dramatic : The Preparatory , Terence Cahalan – University of Southern California (Los Angeles)
Experimental : After Lumiere , Joan Laine – University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
Special Jury (Documentary) : The American Love Affair , Lee M. Rhoads, Jr. – University of Southern California (Los Angeles) 4th Annual Student Film Awards – May 22, 1977[ edit ] 5th Annual Student Film Awards – May 21, 1978[ edit ] 6th Annual Student Film Awards – June 3, 1979[ edit ] Animation :
Documentary :
Dramatic : The Writers , Harriotte H. Aaron – New York University (New York City) 7th Annual Student Film Awards – June 8, 1980[ edit ] 8th Annual Student Film Awards – June 7, 1981[ edit ] 9th Annual Student Film Awards – June 6, 1982[ edit ] 10th Annual Student Film Awards – June 5, 1983[ edit ] 11th Annual Student Film Awards – June 10, 1984[ edit ] 12th Annual Student Film Awards – June 16, 1985[ edit ] 13th Annual Student Film Awards – June 8, 1986[ edit ] 14th Annual Student Film Awards – June 7, 1987[ edit ] 15th Annual Student Film Awards – June 12, 1988[ edit ] 16th Annual Student Film Awards – June 11, 1989[ edit ] 17th Annual Student Film Awards – June 10, 1990[ edit ] 18th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 9, 1991[ edit ] 19th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 14, 1992[ edit ] 20th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 13, 1993[ edit ] Animation :
Documentary :
Dramatic :
Experimental Award :
Foreign Film Award : The Last New Year , Javier Bourges – Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica , Mexico City, Mexico
Directors Guild of America Student Award : Graham Justice 21st Annual Student Academy Awards – June 12, 1994[ edit ] 22nd Annual Student Academy Awards – June 11, 1995[ edit ] 23rd Annual Student Academy Awards – June 9, 1996[ edit ] Animation :
Documentary :
Dramatic
Alternative :
Foreign Film Award : Grænsen (Never) , Reza Parsa – National Film School of Denmark
Directors Guild of America Student Award : Patricia Cardoso 24th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 8, 1997[ edit ] Alternative :
Animation :
Documentary :
Dramatic :
Foreign Film Award : An Ordinary Mission , Raymond Boy – Academy of Media Arts , Cologne, Germany
Directors Guild of America Student Award : Charles R. Uy 25th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 14, 1998[ edit ] Alternative
Animation :
Documentary :
Dramatic :
Foreign Film Award : Rochade , Thorsten Schmidt – Film Academy Baden-Württemberg (Ludwigsburg , Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
Directors Guild of America Student Award : Bill Platt 26th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 13, 1999[ edit ] Alternative :
Animation :
Documentary :
Narrative :
Foreign Film Award : Kleingeld (Small Change) , Marc-Andreas Bochert – Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg , Germany
Directors Guild of America Student Award : Marni Banack
American Society of Cinematographers Student Award : David A. Armstrong 27th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 11, 2000[ edit ] 28th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 10, 2001[ edit ] 29th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 9, 2002[ edit ] 30th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 8, 2003[ edit ] Alternative :
Animation :
Documentary :
Narrative :
Foreign Film Award : The Red Jacket , Florian Baxmeyer – University of Hamburg , Germany 31st Annual Student Academy Awards – June 13, 2004[ edit ] 32nd Annual Student Academy Awards – June 12, 2005[ edit ] Alternative :
Animation :
Documentary :
Narrative :
Foreign Film Award : The Runaway , Ulrike Grote – University of Hamburg , Germany 33rd Annual Student Academy Awards – June 10, 2006[ edit ] 34th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 9, 2007[ edit ] 35th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 7, 2008[ edit ] Alternative :
Animation :
Documentary :
Narrative :
Foreign Film Award : On the Line (Auf der Strecke ), Reto Caffi – Academy of Media Arts Cologne , Germany 36th Annual Student Film Awards – June 13, 2009[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
37th Annual Student Film Awards – June 12, 2010[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
38th Annual Student Film Awards – June 11, 2011[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Alternative :
Animation :
Documentary :
Foreign Film Award :
Narrative :
39th Annual Student Film Awards – June 9, 2012[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Alternative :
Animation :
Documentary :
Narrative :
Foreign Film Award :
40th Annual Student Film Awards – June 8, 2013[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Alternative :
Animation :
Documentary :
Narrative :
Foreign Film Award :
41st Annual Student Film Awards – June 6, 2014[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Alternative :
Animation :
Documentary :
Foreign Film Award :
Narrative :
42nd Annual Student Film Awards – September 17, 2015[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Alternative :
Animation :
Documentary :
Foreign Film Award :
Gold Medal: Fidelity , Ilker Çatak – Hamburg Media School, Germany
Silver Medal: The Last Will , Dustin Loose – Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg , Germany
Bronze Medal: Everything Will Be Okay , Patrick Vollrath – Filmakademie Wien, Austria
Narrative :
43rd Annual Student Film Awards – September 22, 2016[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Year
Award
Winners
Nominees
Ref.
2016
Alternative
[ 15] [ 16]
Animation
Documentary
Narrative
Foreign Narrative
Foreign Animation
Foreign Documentary
44th Annual Student Film Awards – October 12, 2017[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Year
Category
Award
Winners
Nominees
Ref.
2017
Domestic Film Schools
Alternative
[ 17] [ 18]
Animation
Documentary
Narrative
International Film Schools
Animation
Documentary
Narrative
45th Annual Student Film Awards – October 11, 2018[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Year
Category
Award
Winners
Nominees
Ref.
2018
Domestic Film Schools
Alternative
Gold :Reanimated – Shae Demandt (Florida State University)
Transient Passengers (Experiment Number NÜN) – Natalia Hermida (Chapman University )
Emunah – Sang Hyoun Han (School of Visual Arts)
[ 19] [ 20]
Animation
Documentary
Narrative
Bini – Erblin Nushi (George Mason University)
Empty Skies – Wenting Deng and Luke Fisher ( Ohio University)
June – Huay-Bing Law (University of Texas at Austin)
Masks – Mahaliyah Ayla O (University of Southern California )
Mid City Blue – Kristopher D Wilson (University of California – Los Angeles)
International Film Schools
Animation
Gold :The Green Bird (MoPA – France) – Pierre Perveyrie, Maximilien Bougeous, Marine Goalard, Irina Nguyen-Duc, and Quentin Dubois
A Blink of an Eye – Kiana Naghshineh (Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg)
L'Aviatrice – Jacques Leyreloup, Victor Tolila, Perrine Renard, Laura Viver Canal and Gael Chauvet (ESMA)
Meli-Metro – Alexandre Blain, Lucas Germain, Christophe Gigot, Jade Guilbault, Andreas Muller and Simon Puculek (ESMA)
Documentary
Gold :Nomadic Doctor – Mart Bira (University of Hertfordshire)
F32.2 – Annelie Boros (University of Television and Film Munich)
Tracing Addai – Esther Niemeier (Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf)
Narrative
Gold :Get Ready With Me – Jonatan Etzler, (Stockholm Academy of the Arts)
Silver :Almost Everything – Lisa Gertsch, (Zurich University of the Arts , Switzerland)
Bronze :A Siege – Istvan Kovacs, (University of Theatre and Film Arts, Budapest)
Touch Me – Eileen Byrne, (Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München
August Sun – Franco Volpi (London Film School
Dead Birds – Johnny Kenton (National Film and Television School)
Sons of No One – Alan Toth (LUCA School of Arts)
46th Annual Student Film Awards – October 17, 2019[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Year
Category
Award
Winners
Nominees
Ref.
2019
Domestic Film Schools
Alternative
Rumours – Nicole Aebersold (Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF)
Two Paper Nightingales – Kaylin George (Chapman University )
[ 21] [14]
Animation
Documentary
Narrative
International Film Schools
Animation
Love Me, Fear Me – Veronica Solomon (Film University Babelsborg KNORAD WOLF)
The Ostrich Politic – Mohamad Houhou (Gobelins, l'ecole de l'image)
Daughter – Daria Kashcheeva (Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague)
Documentary
Gold : Family2 – Yifan Sun (The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz)
Oro Blanco – Gisela Carbajal Rodriguez (University of Television and Film Munich)
The Winds Heritage – Alejandra Retana, Cesar Camacho, and Cesar Hernandez (University of Guadalajara)
FAMILY – Yifan Sun (The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz)
Narrative
Gold : Bonobo - Zoel Aeschbacher (ECAL)
Silver : Dog Eat Dog - Rikke Gregersen (Westerdals Kristiania University College)
Bronze : November 1st – Charlie Manton (National Film and Television School)
Bonobo – Zoel Aeschbacher (ECAL)
Dog Eat Dog – Rikke Gregersen (Westerdals Kristiania University College)
November 1st – Charlie Manton (National Film and Television School)
Quiet Land Good People – Johannes Bachmann (Zurich University of Arts)
The Last Romantic – Natalia Garcia Agraz (Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica)
Senor – Masha Clark (The London Film School)
Human – Korwin Quinonez (Incine)
47th Annual Student Film Awards – October 21, 2020[ edit ] Site: Virtual event
Year
Category
Award
Winners
Nominees
Ref.
2020
Domestic Film Schools
Alternative
[ 22]
[ 23]
Animation
Tricked – Mengyuan Guo, Naicheng Liu, Suhn Young Chung (Ringling College of Art and Design)
Bear With Me – Rodrigo Chapoy (Ringling College of Art and Design)
Super Generic – Di Lu (Ringling College of Art and Design)
Death and Delilah – Kristoffer Molinari (BYU Center for Animation )
Documentary
Gold :Unfinished Lives – Yucong Chen (University of Southern California)
Silver :The Dope Years: The Story of Latasha Harlins – Allison A. Waite (University of Southern California)
Bronze :Making Waves – Laura Zéphirin (New York University)
Narrative
Gold :Umama – Talia Smith (New York University)
Silver :Bittu – Karishma Dube (New York University)
Bronze :Sweet Potatoes – Rommel Villa Barriga (University of Southern California)
International Film Schools
Animation
Gold :The Beauty – Pascal Schelbli (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
o28 – Otalia Caussé, Geoffroy Collin, Fabien Meyran (Supinfocom Rubika, France)
The Tree – Han Yang & Basil Malek (Gobelins, l'ecole de l'image, France)
Documentary
Gold :Dear Father… – Maren Klakegg (Westerdals Institute of Film and Media, Kristiania University College, Norway)
Miss Curvy – Ghada Eldemellawy (National Film and Television School, United Kingdom)
Tanda – Teodora-Kosara Popova (National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, Bulgaria)
Narrative
Gold :My Dear Corpses – German Golub (Baltic Film & Media School, Tallinn University, Estonia)
Silver :Crescendo – Percival Argüero Mendoza (Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, Mexico)
Bronze :I Was Still There When You Left Me – Marie McCourt (Institut des Arts de Diffusion, Belgium)
Da Yie – Anthony Nti (School of Arts, Belgium)
We Are Dancers – Joe Morris (Northern Film School, United Kingdom)
The Stamp – Lovro Mrdjen (Akademija Dramske Umjetnosti, Croatia)
Porfotto – Edson da Conceicao (Nederlandse Filmacademie, Netherlands)
Papapa – Kerren Lumer-Klabbers (Den Norske Filmskolen, Norway)
48th Annual Student Film Awards – October 21, 2021[ edit ] Site: Virtual event
Year
Category
Award
Winners
Nominees
Ref.
2021
Domestic and International Film Schools
Alternative/ Experimental
Apocalypse Baby, We Advertise the End of the World – Camille Tricaud, Franziska Unger (Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (Germany))
Do You Hear Those Crows – Ryen Goebel (Savannah College of Art and Design )
[ 24]
[ 25]
Domestic Film Schools
Animation
Documentary
Narrative
International Film Schools
Animation
Gold :Louis' Shoes – Théo Jamin, Kayu Leung and Marion Philippe (MoPA (France))
Migrants – Antoine Dupriez, Aubin Kubiak, Zoé Devise (Pôle 3D (France))
A Tiny Tale – Sylvain Cuvillier, Maÿlis Mosny, Zijing Ye (Rubika (France))
Documentary
Gold :Why Didn’t You Stay for Me? – Milou Gevers (Nederlandse Filmacademie (The Netherlands))
Haeberli – Moritz Mueller-Preisser (Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (Germany))
Pepedrilo – Victor Cartas Valdivia (Universidad de Guadalajara (Mexico))
Narrative
Gold :Tala’vision – Murad Abu Eisheh (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (Germany))
Silver :Adisa – Simon Denda (Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (Germany))
Bronze :Bad Omen – Salar Pashtoonyar (York University (Canada))
Carrier – Max Ovaska (Aalto University (Finland))
Day X – Katharina Rivilis (Deutsche Film – und Fernsehakademie Berlin (Germany))
First Last Summer – Nastazja Gonera (Państwowa Wyższa Szkola Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna (Poland))
I Am – Jerry Hoffmann (Hamburg Media School (Germany))
49th Annual Student Film Awards – October 20, 2022[ edit ] Site: David Geffen Theater
Year
Category
Award
Winners
Nominees
Ref.
2022
Domestic and International Film Schools
Alternative/ Experimental
[ 26]
[ 27]
Domestic and International Film Schools
Animation
The Boot , Seyed Mohsen Pourmohseni Shakib (Payame Noor University (Iran))
Goodbye Jérôme! , Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet, Chloé Farr (Gobelins, School of Images (France))
Little Thing , Clara Mesplé, Chloé Viala, Camille Burles (École Georges Méliès (France))
Period Drama , Anushka Nair, Lauryn Anthony (Ringling College of Art and Design (United States))
Documentary
Narrative
50th Annual Student Film Awards – October 24, 2023[ edit ] Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Year
Category
Award
Winners
Nominees
Ref.
2023
Domestic and International Film Schools
Alternative/ Experimental
[ 28]
Domestic and International Film Schools
Animation
Gold :Boom, Gabriel Augerai, Romain Augier & Yannick Jacquin (École des Nouvelles Images (France)
Silver :Diplomatie de l’Éclipse, César Luton, Achille Pasquier & Clémence Bailly (MoPA 3D Animation School (France)
Bronze : “Mum’s Spaghetti,” Lisa Kenney (National Film and Television School (United Kingdom)
Documentary
Gold :Winds of Dust, Giorgio Ghiotto, (New York University )
Silver : “Duet,” Lyuwei Chen, (New York University)
Bronze :Hasta Encontrarlos (Till We Find Them) . Jean Chapiro, (Columbia University )
Narrative
Gold :Invisible Border , Mark Gerstorfer, (Filmakademie Wien (Austria)
Silver :Revisted , Iain Aigin Stronach Forbes, (Den Norske Filmskolen, (Norway)
Bronze :Istina (Truth) , Tamara Denić, (Hamburg Media School (Germany)
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^ Tinoco, Armando (October 25, 2023). "Oscars: Medalists for 50th Student Academy Awards revealed" . Deadline . Retrieved October 27, 2023 . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored its student winners from colleges and universities around the world at the 50th Student Academy Awards ceremony. The Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards were announced and presented during an in-person ceremony held at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Combined major Academy Awards Acting Directing Film Countries of the nominees Nominees demographics Other Combined major awards