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.
The 2025 awardees join an esteemed group of past Student Academy Award recipients such as Patricia Cardoso, Pete Docter, Spike Lee, Patricia Riggen, and Robert Zemeckis. Past winners have collectively earned 69 Oscar nominations and 15 wins.
Established in 1972, the Student Academy Awards were created to recognize and showcase emerging global talent in filmmaking and to provide a platform for students to share their creative work with the industry.
About the Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s leading film organization, with a global membership of more than 11,000 distinguished artists and industry leaders. The Academy connects audiences worldwide — its members, the film industry, and movie lovers — through a shared passion for the art of filmmaking. It recognizes excellence through its world-renowned honors, including the Oscars®, Governors Awards, and Scientific and Technical Awards.
The Academy’s philanthropic arm, the Academy Foundation, supports public benefit through educational, preservation, and cultural programs, including the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures — the world’s largest museum dedicated to cinema — and the Academy Collection, the world’s most extensive film-related archive.
About Rolex and Cinema
Rolex celebrates human achievement as a journey marked by milestones, passion, and defining moments. For more than half a century, the brand has partnered with some of the world’s most talented artists and leading cultural institutions to promote excellence and preserve artistic heritage — linking the past, present, and future through its Perpetual Arts Initiative.
Spanning disciplines from architecture and cinema to dance, music, literature, theatre, and visual arts, Rolex’s commitment to culture remains steadfast. The company maintains a longstanding relationship with the film industry — its watches have appeared in numerous Oscar®-winning masterpieces.
Since 2017, Rolex has proudly supported the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the Official Sponsor of the Oscars®, hosting the event’s Greenroom and supporting the Governors Awards, which celebrate lifetime achievements and humanitarian contributions to cinema. Rolex is also the Official Partner and Exclusive Timepiece of Film at Lincoln Center.
Through its ambassadors — including James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Zendaya, and Jia Zhangke — Rolex continues to champion creative excellence. As a founding supporter of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, a partner of The Film Foundation, and a supporter of the National Film and Television School, Rolex helps preserve film history for future generations.