Fifteen students recently received a milestone in their young careers. They have been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as winners of the 51st Student Academy Awards competition. This year, the Student Academy Awards competition received 2,683 entries from 738 colleges and universities worldwide. The 2024 winners join the ranks of such past Student Academy Award winners as Directors Patricia Cardoso (Real Women Have Curves, Queen Sugar, All Rise TV series), Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc., Up, Inside Out, Soul), Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, She’s Gotta Have It, Malcolm X), Patricia Riggen (The 33, Under the Same Moon, Family Portrait), and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Contact, Back to the Future).
The winners are as follows:
Alternative/Experimental
- Akshit Kumar, “bonVoyage pour monVoyage,” National Institute of Design, India
- Birdy Wei-Ting Hung, “A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers,” San Francisco State University
- Dori Walker, “In Living Memory,” Brown University
Animation
- Florian Maurice, Maxime Foltzer & Estelle Bonnardel, “Au Revoir Mon Monde,” MoPA 3D Animation School, France
- Kei Kanamori, “Origami,” Digital Hollywood University, Japan
- Spencer Baird, “Student Accomplice,” Brigham Young University
Documentary
- Rishabh Raj Jain, “A Dream Called Khushi (Happiness),” New York University
- Hannah Rafkin, “Keeper,” School of Visual Arts
- Aaron Johnson, “The 17%,” Chapman University
Narrative
- Pavel Sýkora & Viktor Horák, “The Compatriot,” Filmová Akademie Miroslava Ondříčka v Písku, Czech Republic
- Jens Kevin Georg, “Crust,” Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, Germany
- Robin Wang, “Neither Donkey nor Horse,” University of Southern California
First-time honors go to National Institute of Design, Digital Hollywood University, and Filmová Akademie Miroslava Ondříčka v Písku.
Gold, silver, and bronze placements in the four award categories will be announced at the ceremony on Monday, October 14.
In partnership with the BFI London Film Festival, Student Academy Award winners will have access to panels and networking opportunities. In addition, winners will have exclusive access to Academy members to support their career advancement.
All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for 2024 Oscars in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, or Documentary Short Film category. Past winners have gone on to receive 67 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 15 awards.
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work.
The presentation ceremony for Academy’s annual international student film competition will be held in London this year in partnership with Rolex. Traditionally held at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills since its inception, the 51st Student Academy Awards will take place at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London. The ceremony is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required and are available online here.
