Student Academy Awards Ceremony Held in New York City
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored student filmmakers from around the world tonight at the 52nd Student Academy Awards® ceremony. Presented in partnership with Rolex, the event took place at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City, where gold, silver, and bronze medals were announced and presented to this year’s winners.
The 2025 competition received 3,127 entries from 988 colleges and universities worldwide, reflecting the growing global reach of the Student Academy Awards. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Howell Taylor addressed the audience, joined by presenters including actor and Academy Governors Branch member Lou Diamond Phillips, and filmmakers Craig Brewer, Jon M. Chu, and Alex Woo.
The 2025 Student Academy Awards ceremony is available to watch online.
2025 Student Academy Award Winners
Alternative/Experimental
Gold: Cindy Zhang, “The Song of Drifters,” University of Southern California
Silver: Vega Moltke-Leth, “Without Perfection,” University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Bronze: Mati Granicka, “Flower_Gun,” London College of Communication, United Kingdom
Animation
Gold: Tobias Eckerlin, “A Sparrow’s Song,” Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Silver: Lukas Ansel, “The 12-Inch Pianist,” Rhode Island School of Design
Bronze: Sofia Czuykovska, Loïc Du Plessis d’Argentré, and Maud Le Bras, “The Shame of Trees,” Gobelins, France
Documentary
Gold: Tatiana McCabe, “Tides of Life,” University of the West of England Bristol, United Kingdom
Silver: Rebeka Bizubová, “Confession,” Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava, Slovakia
Bronze: Zhen Deng, “I Remember,” New York University
Narrative
Gold: Jan Saczek, “Dad’s Not Home,” Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School, Poland
Silver: Meir Levinson-Blount, “The Butcher’s Mark,” Tel Aviv University, Israel
Bronze: Jefan, “Kubrick, Like I Love You,” Columbia University
This year marked first-time wins for institutions including the University of Copenhagen, Gobelins, the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School, the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, the London College of Communication, and the University of the West of England Bristol.
All winning films are eligible for consideration in the 98th Academy Awards® in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, or Documentary Short Film categories.
