| Student Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Excellence in student cinematic achievements | 
| Country | United States | 
| Presented by | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | 
| First award | December 20, 1973 (as Student Film Awards) | 
| Website | oscars | 
The Student Academy Awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It is an annual awards program 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 are given in each category. 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 merged its domestic and international categories. 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] An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It and Dcera (Daughter) . [7]
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]
In 2024, the 51st Student Academy Awards were held in London, and the following year the 52nd ceremony was held in New York City in the Ziegfeld Ballroom. [9]
Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
| Year | Award | Winners | Nominees | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | ||||
| Alternative | 
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 | [18] [19] | |
| Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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| Foreign Narrative | 
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| Foreign Animation | 
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| Foreign Documentary | 
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Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
| Year | Category | Award | Winners | Nominees | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | |||||
| Domestic Film Schools | Alternative | 
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 | [20] [21] | |
| Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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| International Film Schools | Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
| Year | Category | Award | Winners | Nominees | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | |||||
| Domestic Film Schools | Alternative | 
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 | [22] [23] | |
| Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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| International Film Schools | Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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 | 
Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
| Year | Category | Award | Winners | Nominees | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | |||||
| Domestic Film Schools | Alternative | 
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 | [24]  [14] | |
| Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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| International Film Schools | Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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Site: Virtual event
| Year | Category | Award | Winners | Nominees | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | |||||
| Domestic Film Schools | Alternative | 
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 | [25] | |
| Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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| International Film Schools | Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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Site: Virtual event
| Year | Category | Award | Winners | Nominees | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | |||||
| Domestic and International Film Schools | Alternative/ Experimental | 
 | 
 | [27] | |
| Domestic Film Schools | Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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| International Film Schools | Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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Site: David Geffen Theater
| Year | Category | Award | Winners | Nominees | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | |||||
| Domestic and International Film Schools | Alternative/ Experimental | 
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 | [29] | |
| Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater
| Year | Category | Award | Winners | Nominees | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | |||||
| Domestic and International Film Schools | Alternative/ Experimental | 
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 | [31] | |
| Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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Site: Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London
| Year | Category | Award | Winners | Nominees | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | |||||
| Domestic and International Film Schools | Alternative/ Experimental | 
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 | [33] | |
| Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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Site: Ziegfeld Ballroom, New York
| Year | Category | Award | Winners | Nominees | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | |||||
| Domestic and International Film Schools | Alternative/ Experimental | 
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 | [35] | |
| Animation | 
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| Documentary | 
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| Narrative | 
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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.