The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named 16 winners of the 53rd Student Academy Awards on August 5, 2026, selected from 2,972 entries submitted at 894 colleges and universities worldwide. For the first time in the competition's history, the ceremony moves out of Los Angeles. This year, the presentation takes place at TIFF Lightbox at Reitman Square in Toronto on September 14, 2026, in partnership with Rolex.
Winners span four categories. In Narrative: Stanzin Jigmet's The Dragon Letter (ESCAC, Spain), Leon Korzyński's Kamathipura Express (Warsaw Film School, Poland), and Antoine Boulanger's The Pichenotte (Concordia University, Canada). Documentary honors went to Arjun Fischer's Artificial Love (USC), Jason Elliott's I Want to Live (National Film and Television School, UK), and Lara Dihmis' The Last People of Petra (NYU). Animation recognized COWS by Jonathan Lally, Elio Molinaro, and Nicolás Acevedo Ferraté (ESMA, France); Gauze by Noran Fikri Alezabi, Xinyue Ma, and Yulin Yue (Gobelins, France); and The Panic Inside by Matthias Strasser (Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Germany). Alternative/Experimental honored Lei He's Drifting (Duke University), Viktorie Štěpánová's Volklore (FAMU, Czech Republic), and Nina Broers' Where Is My Sex Drive? (St. Joost School of Art & Design, Netherlands).
Six institutions received their first Student Academy Award in 2026: Concordia University, Duke University, ESMA, ESCAC, St. Joost School of Art & Design, and Warsaw Film School.
Gold, silver, and bronze placements will be announced at the September ceremony. All 16 films are eligible to compete for the 99th Oscars in the short film categories. Past Student Academy Award winners have earned 70 Oscar nominations and won or shared 15 Academy Awards. Alumni include Pete Docter, Spike Lee, and Robert Zemeckis.
