Student Scholarship Competition

2025 STUDENT FILM COMPETITON

Over the past three years as a cornerstone event, the Central Coast Film Society has granted scholarships to deserving High School Students who demonstrated excellence in Film Arts, Creative Writing/Screenwriting, and Photography. You can view past winners here. It has been an honor and a joy to witness these students embark on creative journeys, using tools at their disposal to craft stories with images and words.

In 2025, the CCFS aims to expand this program by offering over $2000 in awards to students who showcase excellence in a variety of filmmaking aspects. The categories to be recognized are as follows:

Excellence in Filmmaking ($400)
Achievement in Cinematography ($250)
Achievement in Directing ($250)
Achievement in Screenwriting ($250)
Achievement in Editing ($250)
Achievement in Sound ($250)
Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking ($250)
Technical Achievement ($250)
Central Coast Spirit Award ($250)
- Film that best showcases the Central Coast

KEY DATES

3/1/25: SUBMISSIONS OPEN

4/25/25: SUBMISSION DEADLINE

5/18/25: FILM SCREENING EVENT/ SCHOLARSHIP AWARD PRESENTATIONS
- Event details TBA

ELIGIBILITY/REQUIREMENTS

All applicants MUST be currently enrolled in a Central Coast High School
All submissions must be NO LONGER than 10-minutes in length, and must not include explicit content unsuitable for audiences under 13.
- Films from the following categories are accepted:
  - Narrative Live-Action Short Film (scripted)
  - Narrative Animated Short Film (scripted)
  - Documentary Short Film
  - Animated Documentary Short Film
  - Music Video
  - Experimental
  - Demo Reel
- Films or videos from the following categories are NOT accepted:
  - VLOGs
  - TikToks/Social Media Reels
  - Slideshows
  - Streaming Clips
  - Films over 10 minutes
- Copyrighted music may be used if the song’s original artist and composer are credited
All films must be submitted on FilmFreeway, and the following materials must be emailed to [email protected]
- Full Name
- School Name
- Date of submission
- Title and description of your submission including inspiration behind the work, any interesting facts/challenges about the project, and what you hope the film expresses about your filmmaking passions (no more than 5-7 lines)
- Student ID

By submitting your work to us, you are giving CCFS the non-exclusive right to publish your work in any format, including print, electronic, and online media. However, all individual contributors to CCFS retain the right to submit their work for non-exclusive publication elsewhere, and you have our permission to do so.

Plagiarism: CCFS has a no-tolerance policy for plagiarism. Any applicant whose winning work is determined to be plagiarized in whole or in part will forfeit any awards.

SUBMIT YOUR FILM NOW!

FILMFREEWAY

AWARD AND JUDGING GUIDELINES

All films are judged by a panel of professional filmmakers and educators from the Central Coast. All judging takes place before the screening event. Any and all feedback from judges can be requested by all entrants.
Please click here for a comprehensive document outlining competition information.

CONTACT

EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS: For any immediate questions please contact us via email:
[email protected]