Student Academy Awards

The awards were originally named the Student Film Awards and were first presented in 1973. The current name was adopted effective in 1991. Since 1975, the awards have been given annually. The event has been held in October since 2017 and usually takes place at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California.

The awards offer prizes in four categories: alternative (experimental film), animation, documentary, and narrative. Gold, silver, and bronze awards may be given in each category, with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000, respectively, as of 2005. Since 1981, a separate award has been given annually to a student filmmaker from outside the United States – however in the 49th annual SAA (2022), the academy has merged its domestic and international categories to provide everyone with an equal footing. This reduced the 7 categories (4 domestic & 3 international) into 4 = narrative, animation, alternative/ experimental and documentary.

Several award winners have gone on to significant achievement as filmmakers, including Robert Zemeckis, Bob Saget, Spike Lee, Trey Parker, Pete Docter and John Lasseter. Some of the award-winning student films have themselves been nominated for and/or won the Academy Award in the short film categories, including Chicks in White Satin, The Janitor, Karl Hess: Toward Liberty, The Lunch Date, 9, Quiero ser (I want to be...), Gang Cops, The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club, The Red Jacket, On the Line (Auf der Strecke), God of Love, The Confession, 4.1 Miles and Dcera (Daughter).

To extend the impact and honor beyond the competition, a compilation presentation of the gold medal award-winning films is circulated each year free of charge to educational and non-profit organizations nationwide.

Copies (and some elements) for over 90% of films honored with Student Academy Awards, along with recordings of many of the awards ceremonies, are held by the Academy Film Archive.

1970s

1st Annual Student Film Awards – December 20, 1973

• Animation: Anti-matter, Lewis Hall, Carlos Guiterrez-Mena – University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
• Documentary: You See, I've Had a Life, Ben Levin, Mort Jordan – Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• Dramatic: Manhattan Melody, Reuben Trane, Ken Wiederhorn – Columbia University (New York City)
• Special Jury (Dramatic): Norman Nurdelpick's Suspension: A Tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, Bob Dahlin – Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois)

2nd Annual Student Film Awards – July 1, 1975

• Animation: Euphoria, Vincent Collins – San Francisco Art Institute (San Francisco)
• Documentary: Men's Lives, Josh Hanig, Will Roberts – Antioch College (Yellow Springs, Ohio)
• Dramatic: Swag, Bruce Postman – New York University School of the Arts (New York City)
• Experimental: Architecture of the Petroleum Age, Scott Thomas – Rice University (Houston, Texas)
• Special Jury (Dramatic): A Field of Honor, Robert Zemeckis – University of Southern California (Los Angeles)

3rd Annual Student Film Awards – June 23, 1976

• Animation: Fame, Mark Kirkland, Richard Jefferies – California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, California)
• Documentary: What the Notes Say Karen Grossman, Richard O'Neill – Adelphi University (Garden City, New York)
• Dramatic: The Preparatory, Terence Cahalan – University of Southern California (Los Angeles)
• Experimental: After Lumiere, Joan Laine – University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
• Special Jury (Documentary): The American Love Affair, Lee M. Rhoads, Jr. – University of Southern California (Los Angeles)

4th Annual Student Film Awards – May 22, 1977

• Animation: The Muse, Paul W. Demeyer – California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, California)
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: The Last of the Little Breweries, Frank H. Binney – University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas)
  • Merit: Guitar Craft, Rob Williams – Western States Film Institute and Metropolitan State College of Denver (both in Denver, Colorado)
• Dramatic: Sixteen Down, Carol L. Dysinger – New York University (New York City)
• Experimental: TRANSCENdance, Philip W. Pura – Boston University (Boston, Massachusetts)

5th Annual Student Film Awards – May 21, 1978

• Animation: Mother Goose, David Bishop – University of Southern California (Los Angeles)
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: The Sixth Week, John Simeon Block – New York University (New York City)
  • Merit: Like Any Child, Only More So, Catherine Allan, Maile Ornellas – University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, California)
  • Merit: Through Adam's Eyes, Robert Saget – Temple University, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• Dramatic: Button, Button, Burton Lee Harry – University of Bridgeport (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
• Experimental: Triptych, Matthew Patrick – Hampshire College (Amherst, Massachusetts)

6th Annual Student Film Awards – June 3, 1979

• Animation:
  • Achievement: Lady and the Lamp John Lasseter – California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, California)
  • Merit: The Walrus and the Carpenter, Tomas Gasek, Malcolm G. Spaull – Rochester Institute of Technology (Henrietta, New York)
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: Since '45, Michael David Korolenko – Boston University (Boston, Massachusetts)
  • Merit: Cotton Candy and Elephant Stuff, Jan Krawitz, Thomas Ott – Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • Merit: Everybody Needs a Forever Home, Mike Simpson – University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas)
• Dramatic: The Writers, Harriotte H. Aaron – New York University (New York City)

1980s

7th Annual Student Film Awards – June 8, 1980

• Animation: Nitemare, John Lasseter – California Institute of the Arts
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: Karl Hess: Toward Liberty, Roland Hallé, Peter W. Ladue – Boston University
  • Merit: Crossroads/South Africa: The Struggle Continues, Jonathan Wacks – University of California, Los Angeles
• Dramatic:
  • Achievement: Candy Store, Claude Kerven – New York University
  • Honorary: Happy Birthday, Randall Fried – University of Southern California
  • Merit: Murder in a Mist, Lisa Gottlieb – Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
• Experimental: Sections, Sean Phillips – University of Southern California

8th Annual Student Film Awards – June 7, 1981

• Animation: A Bird's Eye View, Deborah Jo Short – San Francisco State University
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: I Remember Barbra, Kevin Burns – Boston University
  • Merit: Jazz, Albert Magnoli – University of Southern California
• Dramatic:
  • Achievement: A Man Around the House, Caroline Emmons – New York University
  • Merit: Willie, Coleen Higgins, Ghasem Ebrahimian – State University of New York at Purchase
• Experimental: Commuter, Michael M. Patterson – California Institute of the Arts
• Foreign Student Film: Maedeli la brèche, Jaco Van Dormael – Institut National Superieur, Belgium

9th Annual Student Film Awards – June 6, 1982

• Animation:
  • Achievement: Guess Who's for Dinner, Kathy Zielinski – California Institute of the Arts
  • Merit: The Taming, Bill Jarcho – Emerson College
• Documentary: Face Value, Michael Kriegsman, Dan Montopoli – New York University
• Dramatic: For Heaven's Sake, Ken Kwapis – University of Southern California
• Foreign Student Film: Zone Surveillee (Monitored Zone), Olivier Langlois – Institut National Superieur, Belgium

10th Annual Student Film Awards – June 5, 1983

• Animation: No One for Chess, Richard Rosser – Washington and Lee University
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: The Four Corners: A National Sacrifice Area?, Christopher McLeod, Glenn Switkes – University of California, Berkeley
  • Merit: El Matador, Arturo Ruiz Esparza – University of Texas at Austin
  • Merit: Where Did You Get That Woman, Loretta Smith – Columbia College (Chicago, Illinois)
• Dramatic:
  • Achievement: American Taboo, Steve Lustgarten – Portland State University
  • Merit: Children of the Corn, John Robert Woodward, Johnny Stevens – University of Texas at Austin
  • Merit: Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, Spike Lee – New York University
• Experimental: Somnolent Blue, Monica Kendall – School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• Foreign Student Film: Over My Dead Body, Ingrid Oustrup Jensen – National Film School of Denmark

11th Annual Student Film Awards – June 10, 1984

• Animation:
  • Achievement: The White Gazelle, Anthony Laudati – State University of New York at Purchase
  • Merit: Mr. Gloom, William G. Kopp – California Institute of the Arts
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: Rodin's Balzac, Marilyn Waterman – Stanford University
  • Merit: The Wizard of the Strings, Alan Edelstein, Peter Friedman – New York University
• Dramatic:
  • Achievement: Minors, Alan Kingsberg – New York University
  • Merit: The Lottery Rose, Gregory Popp, Frank Military – Northwestern University
• Experimental: Tuscola Moon, Dan Reed – University of Illinois at Chicago
• Foreign Student Film: Mother's Wedding, Jenny Wilkes – National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England

12th Annual Student Film Awards – June 16, 1985

• Animation: Observational Hazard, William G. Kopp – California Institute of the Arts
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: Burley: Growing Tobacco in America, Robert Henson, Doron Schlair – New York University
  • Merit: On the Rocks, Kathryn Johnston, Iain C. Stobie – University of Colorado at Boulder
  • Merit: Witness to Revolution: The Story of Anna Louise Strong, Lucy Ostrander – Stanford University
• Dramatic: Heroes, Camille Thomasson – University of Southern California
• Foreign Student Film: The Leahys: Music Most of All, Peter Weyman – York University, Toronto, Canada

13th Annual Student Film Awards – June 8, 1986

• Animation:
  • Achievement: Housecats, Peg McClure Moudy – De Anza College, Cupertino, California
  • Merit: Mangia!, Sheila Sofian – Rhode Island School of Design
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: Songs of Wool: Vena Tipton's Hooked Rugs, Cathey Edwards – California Institute of the Arts
  • Merit: The Flapper Story, Lauren Lazin – Stanford University
  • Merit: Sam, Aaron D. Weisblatt – New York University
• Dramatic:
  • Achievement: Jenny, John Travers – University of Bridgeport, Connecticut
  • Merit: Chicken Thing, Todd Holland – University of California, Los Angeles
• Experimental: The Three Cornered Hat, Angel Gracia – Miami Dade Community College
• Foreign Student Film: Come, I Have a Story To Tell You, Frederic Roullier-Gall – Institut National Superieur des Arts du Spectacle et Techniques de Diffusion, Belgium

14th Annual Student Film Awards – June 7, 1987

• Animation: Husband of Rat's Daughter, Karen McCoy Fremuth – Rhode Island School of Design
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: Silver into Gold, Lynn Mueller – Stanford University
  • Honorary: Living with AIDS, Tina DiFeliciantonio – Stanford University
  • Merit: In the Wee Wee Hours, Izak Ben-Meir – University of Southern California
• Dramatic:
  • Achievement: Bird in a Cage, Antonio Zarro – CBN University
  • Merit: Prelude, James Spione – State University of New York at Purchase
• Experimental: Zebu, William Mitchell – Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles
• Foreign Student Film: See You at Wembley, Frankie Walsh, Mark Herman – National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield, England

15th Annual Student Film Awards – June 12, 1988

• Animation:
  • Achievement: Cat & Rat, James Richardson – Columbia College (Chicago, Illinois)
  • Merit: Artistic Vision, Richard Quade – University of California, Los Angeles
  • Merit: Cat's Cradle, Temah Nelson – Rhode Island School of Design
  • Merit: Why, Suzanne Dimant – California Institute of the Arts
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: Gang Cops, Thomas B. Fleming, Daniel Marks – University of Southern California
  • Merit: Norma Jean, John H Behnke – Southern Illinois University
• Dramatic:
  • Achievement: Part VII, Thomas Wallin, Steve Wang – New York University
• Experimental:
  • Achievement: The Anti-Video, Gary Rosenthal – Ithaca College
• Foreign Student Film: Schmetterlinge (Butterflies), Wolfgang Becker – Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin, Berlin, West Germany

16th Annual Student Film Awards – June 11, 1989

• Animation:
  • Achievement: Sand Dance, Richard Quade – University of California, Los Angeles
  • Merit: All in Your Mind, Richard C. Zimmerman – Southern Illinois University
  • Merit: The Chore, Joe Murray – De Anza College
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: Leila, Shawn Maurer – Loyola Marymount University
  • Merit: Just Like It Was, Dave Burkhardt – Bob Jones University
  • Merit: No Hunger in My Home, Nancy Brink – Stanford University
• Dramatic:
  • Achievement: The Yuppie, John H. Behnke, James M. Peterson – Southern Illinois University
  • Merit: Summer Rain, Howard Slavitt – University of Southern California
• Experimental:
  • Achievement: The Lost Treasure of Captain Cornelius "Deadeye" Tuckett, John Michael Di Jiacomo – New York University
  • Merit: The Computer Analyst, Gary Rosenthal – Ithaca College
• Foreign Student Film: Ropáci (Oilgobblers), Jan Sverák – Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Prague, Czechoslovakia

1990s

17th Annual Student Film Awards – June 10, 1990

• Animation:
  • Achievement: Watunna, Stacey Steers – University of Colorado at Boulder
  • Merit: The Yodel Contest, Andrew Artz – University of California, Los Angeles
• Documentary:
  • Achievement: Clowning Around, Kelly Clement, Ellen Osborne – San Francisco State University
  • Merit: Alf Landon: My Talk with Papa, Richard Kassebaum – University of Southern California
  • Merit: Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia, Ellen Bruno – Stanford University
• Dramatic:
  • Achievement: The Lunch Date, Adam Davidson – Columbia University, New York City
  • Merit: The Blue Men, Denise McKenna, Mark Squier – American Film Institute, Los Angeles
  • Merit: Go to Hell, Suzanne V. Johnson – Tisch School of the Arts, New York University
• Foreign Student Film: Alaska, Mike van Diem – Netherlands Film and Television Academy (Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: Adam Davidson

18th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 9, 1991

• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Ode to G.I. Joe, Gregory P. Grant  – Brooks Institute
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Twinsburge, OH: Some Kind of Weird Twin Thing, Sue Marcoux – Stanford University
• Dramatic:
  • Gold Medal: The Dog Ate It, Steve Pearl – Loyola Marymount University
  • Silver Medal: Turtle Races, Jim Lincoln, Lisa Swain – Regent University
  • Bronze Medal: Andy's Got a Girlfriend!, Dan Moran, Joel Kuchan – Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
• Foreign Film Award: Once Upon a Time, Zsuzsa Böszörményi – Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest, Budapest
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: Steve Pearl

19th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 14, 1992

• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Next Door, Peter H. Docter – California Institute of the Arts
  • Silver Medal: Five Female Persuasions, Peter Hixson – American University
  • Bronze Medal: Fur and Feathers, Celia Kendrick – Rhode Island School of Design
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Beyond Imagining: Margaret Anderson and the Little Review, Wendy Weinberg – Temple University
  • Silver Medal: Dolphins: Minds in the Water, Christopher C. Carson – Loyola Marymount University
  • Bronze Medal: In and Out of Time, Elizabeth Finlayson – Stanford University
• Dramatic:
  • Gold Medal: The Lady in Waiting, Christian M. Taylor – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Eagle Against the Sun, John Akahoshi, Steve Foonberg – University of Southern California
  • Bronze Medal: Gold Mountain, Rachel Saltz, Kryssa Schemmerling – Columbia University
• Experimental Award:
  • Gold Medal: In the Aquarium, Robert Beebe – University of California, Los Angeles
• Foreign Film Award: This Boy's Story, John Roberts, Michele Camarda – National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield, England
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: Christian M. Taylor

20th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 13, 1993

• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Above Average, Jamie Maxfield – Rhode Island School of Design
  • Silver Medal: American History, Chris Graves, Trey Parker – University of Colorado at Boulder
  • Bronze Medal: The Wind, Drew King – California Institute of the Arts
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Living Forward, Looking Back, Stephanie L. Hill – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Chicks in White Satin, Elaine Holliman – University of Southern California
• Dramatic:
  • Gold Medal: A Children's Story, Graham Justice – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Silent Rain, Martin Curland – University of Southern California
• Experimental Award:
  • Gold Medal: The Strange Case of Balthazar Hyppolite, Ethan Spigland – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Seven Lucky Charms, Lisa Mann – California Institute of the Arts
• Foreign Film Award: The Last New Year, Javier Bourges – Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, Mexico City, Mexico
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: Graham Justice

21st Annual Student Academy Awards – June 12, 1994

• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: The Janitor, Vanessa Stella Schwartz – California Institute of the Arts
  • Silver Medal: Foodchain, Brian P. Dowrick – University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Genbaku Shi: Killed by the Atomic Bomb, Casey G. Williams – University of Utah
  • Silver Medal: Portrait of Boy with Dog, Robin Hessman, James Longley – Brown University, Wesleyan University
  • Bronze Medal: Street Songs: Pittsburgh Street Singer Bill Dorsey, Craig McTurk – California Institute of the Arts
• Dramatic:
  • Gold Medal: Red, Gary Nadeau – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Outside, Matt Danciger – Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California
  • Bronze Medal: The Make, Stephen James – Columbia University
• Foreign Film Award: Abgeschminkt (Making Up!), Katja von Garnier – University of Television and Film Munich, Munich, Germany
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: Matt Danciger

22nd Annual Student Academy Awards – June 11, 1995

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Picasso Would Have Made a Glorious Waiter, Jonathan Schell – New York University
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Card Trick, Robert Herrick Russ – University of California, San Diego
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Their Own Vietnam, Nancy D. Kates – Stanford University
  • Silver Medal: Playing the Part, Mitch McCabe – Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Dramatic:
  • Gold Medal: La Ciudad (The City), David Riker – New York University
• Foreign Film Award: Scarborough Ahoy!, Tania Diez – National Film and Television School, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: David Riker

23rd Annual Student Academy Awards – June 9, 1996

• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Patronized, Zachary Lehman – Dartmouth College
  • Silver Medal: Return of the Sun Devil, Steven Ayromlooi – Rhode Island School of Design
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Independent Little Cuss, Jeff Patterson – Loyola Marymount University
  • Silver Medal: Just for the Ride, Amanda Micheli – Harvard University
  • Bronze Medal: Spirits Rising, Ramona S. Diaz – Stanford University
• Dramatic
  • Gold Medal: The Water Carrier, Patricia Cardoso – University of California, Los Angeles
  • Silver Medal: Short Change, Jon Andrews – Yale University
  • Bronze Medal: Around the Time, Phil Bertelsen – New York University
• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Eclipse, Jason Ruscio – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Memories of Matthews Place, Daniel Bova – New York University
• Foreign Film Award: Grænsen (Never), Reza Parsa – National Film School of Denmark
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: Patricia Cardoso

24th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 8, 1997

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Erosion, Robert Gelber – New York University
  • Silver Medal: My Divorce, Andrea Clark – New York University
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Unborn Baby Blues, Mark Dale Levine – University of California, Los Angeles
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Walk This Way, Chris Sheridan – Scottsdale Community College
  • Silver Medal: Miriam Is Not Amused, Kim Roberts – Stanford University
  • Bronze Medal: The Mirror Lied, Jennifer Haskin-O'Reggio – University of Southern California
• Dramatic:
  • Gold Medal: Christmas in New York, Mark Millhone – Columbia University
  • Silver Medal: Waiting in the Wings, Charles R. Uy – School of Visual Arts, New York City
  • Bronze Medal: Mr. October, Chris Angel – University of Southern California
• Foreign Film Award: An Ordinary Mission, Raymond Boy – Academy of Media Arts, Cologne, Germany
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: Charles R. Uy

25th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 14, 1998

• Alternative
  • Gold Medal: Sombra, Robin Larsen – University of California, Los Angeles
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Jataka, Peter Choe, Neal Nellans – Ringling School of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida
  • Silver Medal: Switchback, Kyle Clark – University of Southern California
  • Bronze Medal: Put On a Happy Face, Suzanne Lee Twining – University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Fighting Grandpa, Greg Pak – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Occidental Encounters, Yuriko Gamo Romer – Stanford University
  • Bronze Medal: Wayne Freedman's Notebook, Aaron Lubarsky – Stanford University
• Dramatic:
  • Gold Medal: Bleach, Bill Platt – New York University
  • Silver Medal: My Body, Joel Moffett, Matthias Visser – American Film Institute
  • Bronze Medal: Intermezzo, Dana H. Glazer – New York University
• Foreign Film Award: Rochade, Thorsten Schmidt – Film Academy Baden-Württemberg (Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: Bill Platt

26th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 13, 1999

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Tree Shade, Lisa Collins – Columbia University, New York City
  • Silver Medal: The Piece, Jordan Waid – The New School, New York City
  • Bronze Medal: Atomic Tobasco, James Cox – New York University
  • Bronze Medal: Gregory, Marston Younger – Allan Hancock College
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: A Letter from the Western Front, Daniel M. Kanemoto – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Between the Lines, Jamie Maxfield – California Institute of the Arts
  • Bronze Medal: Shadow of a Drought, Daniel Kutner, Brian Emerson – University of California, Santa Barbara
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Man and Dog, Randolph Benson – North Carolina School of the Arts
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: John, Marni Banack, J. B. Sugar – American Film Institute
  • Silver Medal: True Confessions of a Sushi Addict, Kimberly Harwood – New York University
  • Bronze Medal: Slow Dancin' Down the Aisles of the Quickcheck, Thomas Wade Jackson – Florida State University
• Foreign Film Award: Kleingeld (Small Change), Marc-Andreas Bochert – Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg, Germany
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: Marni Banack
• American Society of Cinematographers Student Award: David A. Armstrong

2000s

27th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 11, 2000

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Helicopter, Ari Gold – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Dear Sir: Letters to a Union Soldier, Michael Mullan, Jessica Lakis – University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Al Tudi Tuhak (Long, Long Ago), Tod Polson – California Institute of the Arts
  • Silver Medal (tie): The Bad Plant, Amy Winfrey – University of California, Los Angeles
  • Silver Medal (tie): Luz, Jose Javier Martinez – University of California, Los Angeles
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Iron Ladies, Kennedy Wheatley – University of Southern California
  • Silver Medal: Slender Existence, Laura C. Murray – Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
  • Bronze Medal: Between Two Fires, Douglas Noel Smith – Regent University, Virginia, Virginia
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: One Day Crossing, Joan L. Stein – Columbia University
  • Silver Medal: Homeland, Doug Scott – New York University
  • Bronze Medal: 6 Miles of 8 Feet, Ben Tomlin – New York University
• Foreign: Quiero ser, Florian Gallenberger – University of Television and Film Munich, Germany
• Directors Guild of America Student Award: Joan L. Stein

28th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 10, 2001

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Warmth, Michael Schaerer – School of Visual Arts, New York City
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Boobie Girl, Brooke Keesling – California Institute of the Arts
  • Silver Medal: The Yellow Umbrella, Victor Robert, Rodney Hom – Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California
  • Bronze Medal: That Special Monkey, Sean McBride – University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: XXXY, Porter Gale, Laleh Soomekh – Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
  • Silver Medal: Green, Laura Dunn – University of Texas at Austin
  • Bronze Medal: Undesirables, Marianna Yarovskaya – University of Southern California, Los Angeles
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: Zen and the Art of Landscaping, David Kartch – Columbia University
  • Silver Medal: The Confession, Carl Pfirman – University of California, Los Angeles
  • Bronze Medal: Lector, Greg Marcks – Florida State University, Tallahassee
• Foreign Film Award: The Eye on the Nape (El ojo en la nuca), Rodrigo Pla – Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (Mexico City, Mexico)

29th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 9, 2002

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: For Our Man, Kazuo Ohno – Columbia University
  • Silver Medal: Island to Island, Soopum Sohn – New York University
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Passing Moments, Don Phillips, Jr. – Ringling School of Art and Design
  • Silver Medal: The Velvet Tigress, Jen Sachs – California Institute of the Arts, Valencia
  • Bronze Medal: Shadowplay, Dan Blank – New York University
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Moving House, Pin Pin Tan – Northwestern University
  • Silver Medal: Family Values, Eva Saks – New York University
  • Bronze Medal: Revolutions Per Minute, Thomas Burns – Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: The Wormhole, Jessica Sharzer – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Barrier Device, Grace Lee – University of California, Los Angeles
  • Bronze Medal: Sophie Helen, Haeyoung Lee – University of Texas at Austin
• Foreign Film Award: Feeding Desire, Martin Strange-Hansen – National Film School of Denmark, Denmark

30th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 8, 2003

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: The Projects Lumiere, Waleed Moursi – California Institute of the Arts
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Perpetual Motion, Kimberly Miner – Rochester Institute of Technology
  • Silver Medal: Bert, Moonsung Lee – Academy of Art College, San Francisco.
  • Bronze Medal: A Work in Progress, Wes Ball – Florida State University, Tallahassee
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Left Behind, Christof Putzel – Connecticut College
  • Silver Medal: Indiana Aria, Elizabeth Pollock – University of California, Berkeley
  • Bronze Medal: Those Who Trespass, Renee Fischer – Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: La Milpa (The Cornfield), Patricia Riggen – Columbia University
  • Silver Medal: Jesus Henry Christ, Dennis Lee – Columbia University, New York City
  • Bronze Medal: Fine., Michael Downing, Philip Svoboda – American Film Institute, California
• Foreign Film Award: The Red Jacket, Florian Baxmeyer – University of Hamburg, Germany

31st Annual Student Academy Awards – June 13, 2004

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: The Storyboard of My Life, Robert F. Castillo – School of Visual Arts
  • Silver Medal: Focus, Bill Ridlehoover, Nilanjan Neil Lahiri – Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Rex Steele: Nazi Smasher, Alexander Woo – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Rock the World, Sukwon Shin – School of Visual Arts, New York City
  • Bronze Medal: Lemmings, Craig Van Dyke – BYU Center for Animation, Utah
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Cheerleader, Kimberlee Bassford – University of California, Berkeley
  • Silver Medal: When the Storm Came, Shilpi Gupta – University of California, Berkeley
  • Bronze Medal: Cuba: Illogical Temple, David Pittock, Lindsey Kealy – University of Nebraska–Lincoln
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: A-Alike, Randall Dottin – Columbia University
  • Silver Medal: Zeke, Dana Buning – Florida State University, Tallahassee
  • Bronze Medal: The Plunge, Todd Schulman – Florida State University, Tallahassee
• Foreign Film Award: Between Us, Laurits Much-Peterson – National Film School of Denmark, Denmark

32nd Annual Student Academy Awards – June 12, 2005

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Knock Knock, Jaron Henrie-McCrea – Ball State University
  • Silver Medal: Your Dark Hair Ihsan, Tala Hadid – Columbia University
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: 9, Shane Acker – University of California
  • Silver Medal: Frog, Christopher Conforti – School of Visual Arts, New York City
  • Bronze Medal: Things That Go Bump in the Night, Joshua G. Beveridge – Ringling School of Art and Design, Florida
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: The Life of Kevin Carter, Dan Krauss – University of California
  • Silver Medal: Unhitched, Erin Hudso, Ben Wu – Stanford University
  • Bronze Medal: Listen, Kimby Caplan – Southern Methodist University, Texas
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: Wednesday Afternoon, Alonso Mayo  – American Film Institute
  • Silver Medal: Victoria Para Chino, Cary Fukunaga – New York University
  • Bronze Medal: Charm, Melissa Rossi – Florida State University, Tallahassee
• Foreign Film Award: The Runaway, Ulrike Grote – University of Hamburg, Germany

33rd Annual Student Academy Awards – June 10, 2006

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Perspective, Travis Hatfield, Samuel Day – Ball State University
  • Silver Medal: 6 A.M., Carmen Vidal Balanzat – City College of New York
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: The Possum, Chris Choy – California Institute of the Arts
  • Silver Medal: The Dancing Thief, Meng Vue – Ringling School of Art and Design
  • Bronze Medal: Turtles, Thomas Leavitt – BYU Center for Animation
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Reporter Zero, Carrie Lozano – University of California, Berkeley
  • Silver Medal: The Women's Kingdom, Xiaoli Zhou – University of California, Berkeley
  • Bronze Medal: Three Beauties, Mak Hossain – Purdue University
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: Christmas Wish List, Sean Overbeeke – University of North Carolina
  • Silver Medal: El Viaje (One Day Trip), Cady Abarca-Benavides – Columbia University
  • Bronze Medal: Pop Foul, Moon Molson, Jennifer Handorf – Columbia University
• Foreign Film Award: Elalini, Tristan Holmes – South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, South Africa

34th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 9, 2007

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Fission, Kun-I Chang – School of Visual Arts
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal (tie): Arts Desire, Sarah Wickliffe – New York University
  • Gold Medal (tie): Mirage, Youngwoong Jang – School of Visual Arts
  • Silver Medal: A Leg Up, Bevin Carnes – Ringling College of Art and Design
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Cross Your Eyes Keep Them Wide, Ben Wu – Stanford University
  • Silver Medal: Ladies of the Land, Megan Thompson – New York University
  • Bronze Medal: Lumo, Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, Nelson Walker III – Columbia University
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: Rundown, Patrick Alexander – Florida State University
  • Silver Medal: High Maintenance, Phillip Van – New York University
  • Bronze Medal: Screening, Anthony Green – New York University
• Foreign Film Award: Nevermore, Toke Constantin Hebbeln – Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Germany

35th Annual Student Academy Awards – June 7, 2008

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Viola: The Traveling Rooms of a Little Giant, Shih-Ting Hung – University of Southern California
  • Silver Medal: Circles of Confusion, Phoebe Tooke – San Francisco State University
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Zoologic, Nicole Mitchell – California Institute of the Arts
  • Silver Medal: Simulacra, Tatchapon Lertwirojkul – School of Visual Arts, New York City
  • Bronze Medal: The Visionary, Evan Mayfield – Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: As We Forgive, Laura Waters Hinson – American University, Washington, D.C.
  • Silver Medal: Unattached, J.J. Adler – Columbia University
  • Bronze Medal: If a Body Meet a Body, Brian Golden Davis – University of Southern California
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: A Day's Work, Rajeev Dassani – University of Southern California
  • Silver Medal: The State of Sunshine, Z. Eric Yang – Florida State University
  • Bronze Medal: Pitstop, Melanie McGraw – University of Southern California
• Foreign Film Award: On the Line (Auf der Strecke), Reto Caffi – Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Germany

36th Annual Student Film Awards – June 13, 2009

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Alice's Attic, Robyn Yannoukos – University of California Los Angeles
  • Silver Medal: Matter, In a Quiescent State, Prepares Itself to Be Transformed, Kwibum Chung – School of Visual Arts, New York City
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Pajama Gladiator, Glenn Harmon – BYU Center for Animation
  • Silver Medal: Sebastian’s Voodoo, Joaquin Baldwin – University of California, Los Angeles
  • Bronze Medal: Kites, Jed Henry – BYU Center for Animation
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: The Last Mermaids, Liz Chae – Columbia University
  • Silver Medal: The Wait, Cassandra Lizaire, Kelly Asmuth – Columbia University, New York City
  • Bronze Medal: A Place to Land, Lauren DeAngelis – American University, Washington, D.C.
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: Kavi, Gregg Helvey – University of Southern California
  • Silver Medal: The Bronx Balletomane, Jeremy Joffee – City College of New York
  • Bronze Medal: Bohemibot, Brendan Bellomo – New York University
• Foreign Film Award: Elkland, Per Hanefjord – Swedish Institute of Dramatic Art, Sweden

2010s

37th Annual Student Film Awards – June 12, 2010

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Surface: Film from Below, Varathit Uthaisri – Parsons The New School for Design
  • Silver Medal: Multiply, Emily Henricks – University of Southern California
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Departure of Love, Jennifer Bors – Ringling College of Art and Design
  • Silver Medal: Dried Up, Isaiah Powers, Stuart Bury and Jeremy Casper – Kansas City Art Institute
  • Bronze Medal: Lifeline, Andres Salaff – California Institute of the Arts
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Yizkor (Remembrance), Ruth Fertig – University of Texas at Austin
  • Silver Medal: Rediscovering Pape, Maria Royo – City College of New York
  • Bronze Medal: Dreams Awake (Suena Despierto), Kevin Gordon and Rebekah Meredith – Stanford University
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: God of Love, Luke Matheny – New York University
  • Silver Medal: Down in Number 5, Kim Spurlock – New York University
  • Bronze Medal: The Lunch Box, Lubomir Kocka – Savannah College of Art and Design
• Foreign Film Award: The Confession, Tanel Toom – National Film and Television School, United Kingdom

38th Annual Student Film Awards – June 11, 2011

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: The Vermeers, Tal S. Shamir  – The New School
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Dragonboy, Bernardo Warman and Shaofu Zhang  – Academy of Art University
  • Silver Medal: Correspondence, Zach Hyer  – Pratt Institute
  • Bronze Medal: Defective Detective, Avner Geller and Stevie Lewis  – Ringling College of Art and Design
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Vera Klement: Blunt Edge, Wonjung Bae  – Columbia College
  • Silver Medal: Imaginary Circumstances, Anthony Weeks  – Stanford University
  • Bronze Medal: Sin Pais (Without Country), Theo Rigby  – Stanford University
• Foreign Film Award:
  • Gold Medal: Tuba Atlantic, Halvar Witzø  – Norwegian Film School, Norway
  • Silver Medal: Bekas, Karzan Kader  – Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts, Sweden
  • Bronze Medal: Raju, Max Zähle  – Hamburg Media School, Germany
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: Thief, Julian Higgins  – American Film Institute
  • Silver Medal: High Maintenance, Shawn Wines  – Columbia University
  • Bronze Medal: Fatakra, Soham Mehta  – University of Texas at Austin

39th Annual Student Film Awards – June 9, 2012

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: The Reality Clock, Amanda Tasse  – University of Southern California
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Eyrie, David Wolter  – California Institute of the Arts
  • Silver Medal:The Jockstrap Raiders, Mark Nelson  – University of California, Los Angeles
  • Bronze Medal:My Little Friend, Eric Prah  – Ringling College of Art and Design
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Dying Green, Ellen Tripler  – American University
  • Silver Medal: Hiro: A Story of Japanese Internment, Keiko Wright  – New York University
  • Bronze Medal: Lost Country, Heather Burky  – Art Institute of Jacksonville
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: Under, Mark Raso  – Columbia University
  • Silver Medal: Narcocorrido, Ryan Prows  – American Film Institute
  • Bronze Medal: Nani, Justin Tipping  – American Film Institute
• Foreign Film Award:
  • Gold Medal: For Elsie, David Winstone  – University of Westminster, United Kingdom
  • Silver Medal: Of Dogs and Horses, Thomas Stuber  – Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, Germany
  • Bronze Medal: The Swing of the Coffin Maker, Elmar Imanov  – Internationale Filmschule Köln, Cologne, Germany

40th Annual Student Film Awards – June 8, 2013

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Bottled Up, Raffy Cortina  – Occidental College
  • Silver Medal: Zug, Perry Janes  – University of Michigan
  • Bronze Medal: The Compositor, John Mattiuzzi  – School of Visual Arts
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Dias de los muertos, Lindsey St. Pierre and Ashley Graham  – Ringling College of Art and Design
  • Silver Medal:Will, Eusong Lee  – California Institute of the Arts
  • Bronze Medal: Peck Pocketed, Kevin Herron  – Ringling College of Art and Design
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: A Second Chance, David Aristizabal  – University of Southern California
  • Silver Medal: Every Tuesday: A Portrait of the New Yorker Cartoonists, Rachel Loube  – School of Visual Arts
  • Bronze Medal: Win or Lose, Daniel Koehler  – Elon University
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: Ol' Daddy, Brian Schwarz  – University of Texas at Austin
  • Silver Medal: Josephine and the Roach, Jonathan Langager  – University of Southern California
  • Bronze Medal: Un mundo para Raúl, Mauro Mueller  – Columbia University
• Foreign Film Award:
  • Gold Medal: Miss Todd, Kristina Yee  – National Film and Television School, United Kingdom
  • Silver Medal: Parvaneh, Talkhon Hamzavi  – Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, Fachrichtung Film, Zürich, Switzerland
  • Bronze Medal: Crossroads (Tweesprong), Wouter Bouvijn  – RITS School of Arts, Erasmus University College, Belgium

41st Annual Student Film Awards – June 6, 2014

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Person, Drew Brown  – The Art Institute of Jacksonville
  • Silver Medal: Oscillate, Daniel Sierra  – School of Visual Arts
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Owned, Daniel Clark and Wesley Tippetts  – BYU Center for Animation
  • Silver Medal:Higher Sky, Teng Cheng  – University of Southern California
  • Bronze Medal: Yamashita, Hayley Foster  – Loyola Marymount University
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: The Apothecary, Helen Hood Scheer  – Stanford University
  • Silver Medal: White Earth, J. Christian Jensen  – Stanford University
  • Bronze Medal: One Child, Zijian Mu  – New York University
• Foreign Film Award:
  • Gold Medal: Nocebo, Lennart Ruff  – University of Television and Film Munich, Germany
  • Silver Medal: Paris on the Water, Hadas Ayalon  – Tel Aviv University, Israel
  • Bronze Medal: Border Patrol, Peter Baumann  – Northern Film School, United Kingdom
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: Above the Sea, Keola Racela  – Columbia University
  • Silver Medal: Door God, Yulin Liu  – New York University
  • Bronze Medal: Interstate, Camille Stochitch  – American Film Institute

42nd Annual Student Film Awards – September 17, 2015

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

• Alternative:
  • Gold Medal: Chiaroscuro, Daniel Drummond  – Chapman University
  • Silver Medal: Zoe, ChiHyun Lee  – School of Visual Arts
• Animation:
  • Gold Medal: Soar, Alyce Tzue  – Academy of Art University
  • Silver Medal:An Object at Rest, Seth Boyden  – California Institute of the Arts
  • Bronze Medal: Taking the Plunge, Nicholas Manfredi and Elizabeth Ku-Herrero  – School of Visual Arts
• Documentary:
  • Gold Medal: Looking at the Stars, Alexandre Peralta  – University of Southern California
  • Silver Medal: I Married My Family’s Killer, Emily Kassie  – Brown University
  • Bronze Medal: Boxeadora, Meg Smaker  – Stanford University
• Foreign Film Award:
  • Gold Medal: Fidelity, Ilker Çatak  – Hamburg Media School, Germany
  • Silver Medal: The Last Will, Dustin Loose  – Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
  • Bronze Medal: Everything Will Be Okay, Patrick Vollrath  – Filmakademie Wien, Austria
• Narrative:
  • Gold Medal: Day One, Henry Hughes, edited by Anisha Acharya – American Film Institute
  • Silver Medal: This Way Up, Jeremy Cloe  – American Film Institute
  • Bronze Medal: Stealth, Bennett Lasseter  – American Film Institute

43rd Annual Student Film Awards – September 22, 2016

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

44th Annual Student Film Awards – October 12, 2017

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

45th Annual Student Film Awards – October 11, 2018

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

46th Annual Student Film Awards – October 17, 2019

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

2020s

47th Annual Student Film Awards – October 21, 2020

Site: Virtual event

48th Annual Student Film Awards – October 21, 2021

Site: Virtual event

49th Annual Student Film Awards – October 20, 2022

Site: David Geffen Theater

50th Annual Student Film Awards – October 24, 2023

Site: Samuel Goldwyn Theater

• List of film awards