Fotos: Credit/Provider Kennedy Pollard/Getty/The Academy Copyright©A.M.P.A.S. Uploaded 15 Sep 2026
Stanzin Jigmet, Nicolás Acevedo Ferraté, Elio Molinaro, Jonathan Lally, Lei He, Arjun Fischer, Lara Dihmis, Jason Elliott, Academy CEO Bill Kramer, Leon Korzyński, Noran Fikri Alezabi, Yulin Yue, Matthias Strasser, Viktorie Štěpánová, Nina Broers and Antoine Boulanger attend 2026 Student Academy Awards on September 14, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tonight honored its student winners from colleges and universities around the world at the 53rd Student Academy Awards® ceremony. Gold, Silver and Bronze placements were announced and trophies presented during a ceremony held at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) inside TIFF Lightbox at Reitman Square, in partnership with Rolex. This year, the Student Academy Awards competition received 2,972 entries from 894 colleges and universities worldwide. With remarks by 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, the night’s category presenters included Actors Branch member Gemma Chan, Oscar® nominee and Documentary Branch member Liz Garbus and Actors Branch member Gael García Bernal.
ALL WINNING FILMS NOW ELIGIBLE FOR 99TH OSCARS®
Jonathan Lally, Nicolás Acevedo Ferraté and Elio Molinaro speak onstage during the 2026 Student Academy Awards on September 14, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.
https://www.esma-artistique.com/en/news/cows-in-the-top-15-at-the-student-academy-awards/
The 2026 Student Academy Award placements are:
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 Animation Segment starts at Minute 18:00 and ends around Minute 38:00]
Welcome to the 53rd Student Academy Awards®, in partnership with Rolex at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) inside TIFF Lightbox at Reitman Square, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
This year, the Student Academy Awards competition received 2,972 entries from 894 colleges and universities worldwide. The 2026 winners join the ranks of such past Student Academy Award® winners as Patricia Cardoso, Pete Docter, Spike Lee, Patricia Riggen and Robert Zemeckis.
First-time honors go to students from Concordia University, Duke University, École Supérieure de Métiers Artistiques (ESMA), Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC), St. Joost School of Art and Design and Warsaw Film School.
Gold, silver and bronze placements in the four award categories will be announced at the ceremony. In addition, winners will have a robust weekend of education programing, networking opportunities and exclusive access to Academy members to support their career advancement.
Matthias Strasser and Gemma Chan appear onstage during the 2026 Student Academy Awards on September 14, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.
https://animationsinstitut.de/de/thepanicinside
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 Student Academy Award 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 film industry to showcase their work.
Academy members from all 19 branches are invited to opt in to view and vote for the Student Academy Awards. Voting is done by secret online ballot and tabulated by the independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Following the ceremony, winners are paired with Academy members and receive robust educational programming, networking opportunities, and exclusive access to Academy members to support their career advancement through the Academy Gold Mentorship Program and Alumni Network.
Yulin Yue and Noran Fikri Alezabi speak onstage during the 2026 Student Academy Awards on September 14, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario.
https://www.gobelins-school.com/gallery/gauze
ABOUT THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s premier film organization and is home to a global membership of more than 11,000 of the most accomplished film industry artists and leaders. The Academy connects global audiences – its members, the film industry, and film fans – through their shared passion for making and watching films. The Academy does this by recognizing and celebrating the arts and sciences of moviemaking through renowned awards for cinematic achievement, including the Oscars®, the Governors Awards, and the Scientific and Technical Awards. The Academy’s affiliated charitable organization, the Academy Foundation, serves a public benefit through its robust educational, preservation and cultural activities. This includes the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the world’s largest global film museum, the Academy Collection, the largest film-related collection in the world, and talent development programs for emerging artists. Year-round, the Academy creates opportunities for all communities to engage with the film world. Across all initiatives, the Academy connects global audiences – its members, the film industry, and film fans – through their shared passion for making and watching films.
