Winning films become eligible for the 99th Oscars, with Gold, Silver and Bronze placements revealed across four categories
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the winners of the 2026 Student Academy Awards, with the Gold, Silver and Bronze placements presented during a ceremony at TIFF Lightbox at Reitman Square in Toronto.
The 53rd Student Academy Awards ceremony was held in partnership with longtime Academy partner Rolex and took place during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). This year’s competition attracted 2,972 entries from 894 colleges and universities around the world.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer, Academy Directors Branch Governor and Academy Museum Trustee Jason Reitman, and Academy Foundation Board President and Casting Directors Branch Governor Kim Taylor-Coleman addressed guests during the ceremony.
Presenters included Actors Branch member Gemma Chan, Oscar nominee and Documentary Branch member Liz Garbus, and Actors Branch member Gael García Bernal.
The 2026 ceremony is available to watch on the Academy’s YouTube channel with American Sign Language (ASL). High-resolution photographs from the event are also being made available by the Academy.
2026 Student Academy Awards Placements
Alternative/Experimental
Gold: Lei He, Drifting, Duke University, United States
Silver: Viktorie Štěpánová, Volklore, Filmová a Televizní Fakulta Akademie Múzických Umění v Praze (FAMU), Czech Republic
Bronze: Nina Broers, Where Is My Sex Drive?, St. Joost School of Art & Design, Netherlands
Animation
Gold: Jonathan Lally, Elio Molinaro & Nicolás Acevedo Ferraté, COWS, École Supérieure de Métiers Artistiques (ESMA), France
Silver: Matthias Strasser, The Panic Inside, Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Bronze: Noran Fikri Alezabi, Xinyue Ma & Yulin Yue, Gauze, Gobelins, France
Documentary
Gold: Lara Dihmis, The Last People of Petra, New York University, United States
Silver: Jason Elliott, I Want to Live, National Film and Television School, United Kingdom
Bronze: Arjun Fischer, Artificial Love, University of Southern California, United States
Narrative
Gold: Stanzin Jigmet, The Dragon Letter, Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC), Spain
Silver: Antoine Boulanger, The Pichenotte, Concordia University, Canada
Bronze: Leon Korzyński, Kamathipura Express, Warsaw Film School, Poland
The 2026 awards also mark first-time honours for students from Concordia University, Duke University, ESMA, ESCAC, St. Joost School of Art and Design and Warsaw Film School.
Academy members from all 19 branches are invited to opt in to watch and vote on the Student Academy Awards. Voting takes place through a secret online ballot, with results tabulated by independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Following the ceremony, the winning students are paired with Academy members and receive educational programming, networking opportunities and access to Academy members through the Academy Gold Mentorship Program and Alumni Network.
Winners Eligible for the 99th Oscars
All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for the 99th Oscars in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Film categories.
The 2026 winners join a group of former Student Academy Award recipients that includes Patricia Cardoso, Pete Docter, Spike Lee, Patricia Riggen and Robert Zemeckis. Previous Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 70 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 15 Academy Awards.
Rolex is supporting the Student Academy Awards through its partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, reflecting its ongoing commitment to excellence, achievement and the transfer of cinematic knowledge to the next generation.
Established in 1972, the Student Academy Awards provide emerging filmmakers from around the world with an opportunity to showcase their work and gain opportunities within the film industry.