BAFTA Student Awards Finalists Unveiled
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- BAFTA announced 15 finalists for the 2026 Student Awards, selected from more than 600 submissions from universities worldwide across film, games, and immersive categories.
- Winners will be announced Friday, July 17, 2026, at the Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation in Los Angeles.
- The 2026 finalists span seven countries, with first-time representation from the University of Edinburgh, Beijing Film Academy, Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya, and Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle et des Techniques de Diffusion.
- Women account for 21 of the 31 listed student finalists, a notable majority in this year's competition.
- Experience Week (July 13–16) will fly finalists to Los Angeles for studio visits, workshops, and the inaugural BAFTA Games Summit on July 15, hosted at sponsor e.l.f.'s LA office and livestreamed on the elfyou Twitch channel at 3 p.m. PT.
- e.l.f. is providing a $15,000 grant to support an emerging female or non-binary game developer as part of its headline sponsorship, with CMO Patrick O'Keefe framing it as building 'a pathway through accessibility.'
- The Special Jury — Joel Kim Booster, Heather Callow, Laura Karpman, Smriti Mundhra, and Nico Santos — will select the recipient of the Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli Special Jury Prize.
Why it matters: With women making up 21 of 31 finalists and e.l.f. attaching a $15,000 grant specifically for female or non-binary game developers, BAFTA is tying its student showcase directly to pipeline-building in film and games — the same underrepresented categories the sponsor's CMO named outright.
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