Student Academy Award Winners Have Big Impact

What do hit television shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, The Office, Southpark and The Simpsons have in common? How are animated movies such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Bee Movie, Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. connected with Hollywood hits like Forest Gump, Batman and Robin, and Back to the Future?

These entertaining and award-winning shows and movies have more in common than their ability to captivate audiences and bring in record-breaking revenue. Each and every one was worked on by past Student Academy Award winners.

What is the Student Academy Awards?

The Student Academy Awards is a national competition conducted by the Academy and the Academy Foundation that honors outstanding student filmmakers. Each year more than 500 students from across the United States compete for award and cash prizes, and a student filmmaker from outside of the United States is honored as well. Gold, silver and bronze medals with accompanying $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 prizes are awarded for films in four categories:

• Animation
• Documentary
• Narrative
• Alternative

Finalists participate in a week of industry-related events and social activities before attending the presentation ceremony at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. In addition, a compilation presentation of the gold medal winning films is circulated free of charge every year to educational and non-profit organizations across the nation. This past year marked the 36th anniversary of this unique event, and the winners showcased exceptional talent as usual.

Famous Student Academy Award Winners

Student Academy Award winners of the past have gone on to make a significant impact in the television and movie industries of today. Many have been or currently are active in the production, directing, editing, character animation and sound effects of some of today’s hottest TV shows and movies, as well as several classic Hollywood films.

A few Student Academy Award winners who have gone on to find success in the television and movie industries are:

• Spike Lee
• Bob Saget
• Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forest Gump)
• Ken Kwapis (The Office, Malcolm in the Middle, He’s Just Not That Into You, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
• Peter Doctor and John Lasseter (Toy Story, Monsters, Inc.)
• Mark Kirkland (The Simpsons)
• Christian Taylor (6 Feet Under, Lost)
• Kathy Zielinski (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Bee Movie)
• Aaron D. Weisblatt (Batman & Robin, National Lampoon’s Van Wilder)
• Adam Davidson (6 Feet Under, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy)

These individuals worked on various aspects of these television shows and movies, and each played an important role in the success that was, and is, achieved.

Many Student Academy Award winners have also gone on to be nominated at the Oscars, the biggest movie event of the year. Acceptance into the Student Academy Awards is an important stepping stone in the career of a student filmmaker, and it is an honor aspiring filmmakers should certainly strive to achieve.

Hollywood is always looking for up-and-coming talent, and the Student Academy Awards has earned its reputation as an excellent place to find it.

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