53rd Student Academy Awards To Be Held At Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that the presentation ceremony for the 53rd Student Academy Awards® (SAA) will be held at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) inside TIFF Lightbox on Monday, September 14, 2026, in partnership with Rolex. 

In collaboration with TIFF, Student Academy Award winners will have access to attend the festival and market, and they will experience education panels and networking opportunities. In addition, winners will have exclusive access to Academy members to support their career advancement. 

“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 Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor. “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.” 

“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.”

The annual competition is open to full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students who have completed an intermediate-level or final graduation film as part of their coursework. Students are asked to submit their films online using FilmFreeway, a widely used festival and competition platform. Each year, college and university film students from all over the world compete for awards and cash grants, with films being judged in the following categories: Alternative/Experimental, Animation, Documentary and Live Action Narrative. Complete rules and a link to the online submission platform are available at www.oscars.org/saa.  
    
The winners of the 53rd Student Academy Awards competition will be announced in August. All Student Academy Award-winning films will be eligible to compete for the 99th Oscars® in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Film category. Past winners have gone on to receive 70 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared 15 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 fostering excellence, achievement and the transfer of cinematic knowledge to the next generation.

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.