Participating in the Student Academy Awards competition is an opportunity for film students to have their work judged by people outside their own university setting and perhaps by members of the academy, Leslie Unger, publicity coordinator of the academy, said. Those students who are selected as winners have the prestige of recognition by the academy. In each of the four categories, we may award gold, silver and bronze medals and each of the winners receive prize money, Unger said. In addition to these awards, the Honorary Foreign Student Award will be presented. The academy sends out press releases to a wide array of media announcing the winners, and invites media coverage of the awards presentation ceremony in June, Unger said.
Films first compete at a regional level.
Winning films at the regional level will then compete at a national finalist level. The finalist's films will be screened at the academy headquarters in Beverly Hills and will be voted upon by academy membership. A number of Student Academy Award winners have gone on to successful careers in filmmaking, including Spike Lee, Robert Zemeckis, John Lasseter and Trey Parker, Unger said. Our goal for the competition is to encourage excellence in filmmaking by university students, and our awards are one of the most direct means for a student to demonstrate his or her filmmaking skills to industry professionals. Applications are due on April 2, 2001.