The BAFTA Student Awards

Are you a student ready to make your mark on the world of film, games and TV? Then why not enter our annual BAFTA Student Awards.

A celebration of the next generation of talented and innovative storytellers from around the globe, the student awards are a chance to showcase your work to the industry.

We are now accepting submissions in the animation, documentary, live action, games, and immersive categories for the 2026 BAFTA Student Awards.

Last year, we received a record-breaking 1,034 film, game, and immersive submissions, with the number growing every year. To ensure we can accommodate the increasing number of submissions, we have introduced an application fee. Visit our FAQ section to learn more about the new application fees and deadlines.

All submissions must be completed by Wednesday 1 April, 2026 (11:59 pm GMT | 3:59 pm PT | 6:59 pm ET).

If you are a professor or faculty member associated with a Film or Game program from an accredited university, join our mailing list for up-to-date information on the submissions process.

Read the official 2026 BAFTA Student Awards Rulebook to learn about eligibility and the submissions process.

How do the awards work?

We ask universities to submit their best work for our members to review. Over the course of three rounds of review and voting, BAFTA members select the best titles across the categories of animation, documentary, live action, games, and immersive content.

A Special Jury comprised of entertainment industry luminaries also recognizes a finalist film with the Special Jury Prize.  The recipient of this award is chosen during a private deliberation prior to the Student Awards ceremony.

Uncovering the latest global talent

The student awards are all about finding and celebrating new talent.

These awards are a crucial component to BAFTA’s global mission to celebrate excellence and inspire the future of film, games, and TV.

Previously limited to universities in the US, in 2017, the event expanded to include universities from around the world. And in 2021, awards for games and immersive content were added in addition to the regular slate of awards for film in recognition of the growing industry.

Why enter?

If you are a looking to kick start your career in the creative industries this is a great place to start.

Entering is a chance to get connected with the wealth of expertise represented by the BAFTA membership, and have your work showcased to the industry. You’ll also get the chance to enjoy a program of events throughout the life of the competition that are designed to strengthen your connection with BAFTA and to support the transition into the industry.

If you get chosen as a Student Awards finalist, you will also be invited to Los Angeles to participate in a number of events and programs designed to expose and introduce you to industry professionals. Through our year-round partnership with Delta and Virgin Atlantic, we provide two round trip tickets to Los Angeles for each project that becomes a finalist in our animation, documentary, live action, games, and immersive categories.

And it’s not done there! Even after the winners have been announced and awards have been handed out, all students who were finalists will have access to BAFTA’s digital programming, and opportunities to attend our screenings in Los Angeles and New York.

Get Inspired

Meet our current and past Student Award winners

BAFTA Student Awards FAQS

Each year, BAFTA invites over 800 schools from around the world to submit their best student projects.

As a way to manage the number of submissions received, we set a limit on the amount of films, games, and immersive projects that a university can submit. This is why we only accept submissions from authorized representatives of eligible institutions, and not directly from students.

To accommodate the volume of submissions and to streamline the review process, we have also introduced an application fee of $35 dollars (USD) per project submitted. We understand that the introduction of an application fee may be a barrier for some universities. To ensure that each university is given a fair chance, we have created a formal Fee Waiver process. Please read through the requirements and request guidelines for this waiver as detailed in the official 2026 BAFTA Student Awards Rulebook if needed.

University professors and faculty can submit student films, games, and immersive projects by visiting entry.bafta.org.

If you are a student looking to submit a project independently from their university, please refer to the 2026 Rulebook for more information.
BAFTA members participate in the selection process to choose the 30 best short films in the categories of animation, documentary, and live action and the 10 best student projects in games and immersive. The longlist is announced online, and all the student creatives involved are immediately invited to attend a week of virtual programming.
After a jury-led review of the longlist, the finalists are chosen and announced. The finalists are made up of three animation films, three documentary films, three live action films, three games, and three immersive experiences. Two representatives from each finalist project are flown to Los Angeles for the ceremony.

Leading up to the ceremony, we invite the finalists, BAFTA members, the industry, and the film school community of Los Angeles to attend a week of programming, networking mixers, and the awards ceremony. Six awards are presented:
- Animation
- Documentary
- Live Action
- Games
- Immersive
- Special Jury Prize
  Note: The recipient of this award is chosen during a private deliberation prior to the Student Awards ceremony.
Over the years, the BAFTA Student Film Awards have provided an opportunity for our members and the public to catch exceptional talent on the rise. Examples include:
- Ryan Coogler, Black Panther and Sinners, was a finalist with his short film Fig
- Poles Apart was a shortlist participant in 2017; seven months later, it won a BAFTA for Best British Animated Short
- Symphonia, the 2021 winner of the BAFTA Student Awards for Games, had its full game release in 2024 on Steam, Xbox, PS5, and the Nintendo Switch.
- 2024 Student Award finalist documentary Milk went on to be nominated for Best British Short Film at the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards.