The Student Academy Awards are headed to Toronto.
The Academy announced on Wednesday that its annual awards ceremony, meant to recognize the best in filmmaking from undergraduate and graduate students, will be held for the first time at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). TIFF will host the 53rd Student Academy Awards at the TIFF Lightbox on Sept. 14 in partnership with Rolex.
“As the Academy becomes increasingly global, we are delighted to bring this year’s Student Academy Awards to TIFF. These filmmakers are the future of our industry, and we are thrilled to platform their work at this important international festival,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor in a joint statement. “We sincerely thank TIFF for their support and our long-standing Student Academy Awards partner, Rolex, which shares our deep commitment to fostering emerging filmmakers.”
The winners of the 2026 Student Academy Awards (a group that will be announced in August) will be invited to attend both TIFF itself and the festival market in addition to the awards. They will also be given access to informative panels and networking opportunities, including exclusive access to Academy members.
“We’re honored to welcome the Academy and the Student Academy Awards to our 51st edition of the Festival,” said Anita Lee, TIFF’s Chief Programming Officer. “Championing the next generation of global storytellers is central to our mission, including through initiatives like TIFF Next Wave, and we’re proud to celebrate this year’s student filmmakers as they engage with industry leaders and audiences from around the world here in Toronto.”
This marks the first time Canada will host the long-running international student filmmaker awards ceremony. Previously, the Student Academy Awards were held 48 times in Los Angeles, twice virtually (during the pandemic), once in London and once in New York as of last year.
Filmmakers may submit their work to the Student Academy Awards via FilmFreeway in the categories of Alternative/Experimental, Animation, Documentary and Live Action Narrative. All winners at the ceremony will be eligible for the 99th Academy Awards in 2027 in one of the three short film categories (Animated, Documentary, Live Action).
Rules and a submission link for the 2026 Student Academy Awards are available via the Oscars’ website.
