Yale Student Film Festival

Best of Festival; YSFF Lux Award, for the film that best reflects the festival’s mission; Best Narrative; Best Documentary; Best Animation; Best Experimental; Best High School; Best Directing; Best Cinematography; Best Editing; Best Screenplay; and People’s Choice Award. High school entries compete alongside college entries for awards in addition to the dedicated high school award. Previous editions include prizes from Blackmagic, Rokinon and The Prodigy Camp; these are historical examples, not confirmed 2027 prize packages.

2027 submission cycle. Entries are for current undergraduate students or recent undergraduate graduates, apart from the high school category. MFA candidates and professional filmmakers are ineligible. Recent undergraduate graduates must complete the film within six months of graduation and submit within one year of graduating. Previous filmmaking experience or film classes are not required. Upload a student ID or proof of enrolment to the film’s submission page; entries without verification are disqualified. Films must be completed after August 2025. Submit an online screener. The festival recommends a password-protected Vimeo or YouTube screener. Non-English-language films require English subtitles. There is no premiere requirement: films previously screened at other festivals or on Yale’s campus remain eligible. There is no limit on the number of entries, but each film may enter only one category; the chosen category determines award eligibility. Category limits include credits and are strictly less than the stated runtime: Narrative, fiction using narrative structure, under 25 minutes; Documentary, nonfiction with narrative structure, under 20 minutes; Experimental, fiction or nonfiction outside fixed categories, under 10 minutes; Animation, any genre or animation technique including stop motion, under 10 minutes; High School Students, under 15 minutes. The high school category specifies current enrolment at a high school in the United States and an age of 19 or younger. The general regulations instead require directors under 19 who complete their film while enrolled in high school; applicants aged 19 should clarify this inconsistency with the festival. For all five categories the earlybird fee is US$5, or US$2.50 for FilmFreeway Gold members; the final fee is US$10, or US$5 for Gold members. Undergraduate and high school students can obtain fee waivers through their schools or request one from the festival. The submission window opens 1 August 2026; the earlybird deadline is 1 December 2026, final deadline 1 February 2027 and notification date 22 February 2027. Entrants must secure all necessary rights and releases, including music, sound effects, product placement and actor/model releases. Films without the required rights cannot screen. The terms disclaim liability for YSFF and its assignees and designees if an accepted film infringes copyright. The festival may decline to screen work it considers excessively offensive, obscene or vulgar. Entrants receive judges’ feedback cards and eligibility for category prizes. Selected filmmakers should supply stills, biographies, trailers and other publicity materials through the FilmFreeway press kit. Acceptance permits YSFF to use the film in festival promotion and to use the filmmaker’s likeness in event photographs and video. General, category and waiver questions: theyalestudentfilmfestival@gmail.com; copyright questions: theyalestudentfilmfest@gmail.com.