Academy Names 16 Winners of 2026 Student Academy Awards
Winning films from Duke, NYU, USC and other schools worldwide gain eligibility for the 99th Oscars.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected 16 students as winners of the 53rd Student Academy Awards competition, chosen from 2,972 entries submitted by 894 colleges and universities around the world. The winning filmmakers represent schools including Duke University, New York University, the University of Southern California, Concordia University and several international institutions. For the first time, the presentation ceremony for the Student Academy Awards will take place at the Toronto International Film Festival, held inside TIFF Lightbox at Reitman Square, in partnership with Rolex.
This year, the Student Academy Awards competition received 2,972 entries from 894 colleges and universities worldwide. The 2026 winners join the ranks of such past Student Academy Award winners as Patricia Cardoso, Pete Docter, Spike Lee, Patricia Riggen and Robert Zemeckis.
The presentation ceremony for the annual international student film awards will be held at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) inside TIFF Lightbox at Reitman Square on Monday, September 14, 2026, at 6pm ET, in partnership with Rolex.
The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative/Experimental
Lei He, 'Drifting,' Duke University, United States
Viktorie Štěpánová, 'Volklore,' Filmová a Televizní Fakulta Akademie Múzických Umění v Praze (FAMU), Czech Republic
Nina Broers, 'Where Is My Sex Drive?' St. Joost School of Art & Design, Netherlands
Animation
Jonathan Lally, Elio Molinaro & Nicolás Acevedo Ferraté, 'COWS,' Ecole Supérieure de Métiers Artistiques (ESMA), France
Noran Fikri Alezabi, Xinyue Ma & Yulin Yue, 'Gauze,' Gobelins, France
Matthias Strasser, 'The Panic Inside,' Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Documentary
Arjun Fischer, 'Artificial Love,' University of Southern California, United States
Jason Elliott, 'I Want to Live,' National Film and Television School, United Kingdom
Lara Dihmis, 'The Last People of Petra,' New York University, United States
Narrative
Stanzin Jigmet, 'The Dragon Letter,' Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC), Spain
Leon Korzyński, 'Kamathipura Express,' Warsaw Film School, Poland
Antoine Boulanger, 'The Pichenotte,' Concordia University, Canada
First-time honors go to students from Concordia University, Duke University, Ecole Supérieure de Métiers Artistiques (ESMA), Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC), St. Joost School of Art and Design and Warsaw Film School.
Gold, silver and bronze placements in the four award categories will be announced at the ceremony. In addition, winners will have a robust weekend of education programing, networking opportunities and exclusive access to Academy members to support their career advancement.
Rolex is supporting the Student Academy Awards through its partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, reflecting its ongoing commitment to fostering excellence, achievement and the transfer of cinematic knowledge to the next generation.
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the film industry to showcase their work.
All Student Academy Award-winning films will become eligible to compete for the 99th Oscars in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Film category. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to earn 70 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 15 awards.
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
