Film & Visual Media Studies Awards

The Department of English's Film & Visual Media Studies Awards is an annual competition open to any currently registered undergraduate student at CMU and began in 2024. The awards are monetary in nature.

Currently enrolled undergraduate students in any major or minor may submit their original screenplays and/or short films for award consideration.

Eligibility:

Any currently registered undergraduate students may submit their work, regardless of their major(s) and/or minor(s).

Categories & Submission Formats:

• Screenplays

Entries should be submitted in screenplay format.  Screenplays may be for a complete short film (up to 15 pages) or the first 25 pages of a feature length film. Pages should be numbered.  You should submit two title pages. The first title page should have your name and the title of your screenplay. The second title page should have your title and the logline, but not your name. Your name should not appear anywhere in on the screenplay. Pages should be numbered. 

• Short Films

Entries should be submitted in mp4 format. Films should run between 5 and 10 minutes and should be submitted WITHOUT cast or production credits (they should have a title).  Your name should not appear anywhere. All genres are eligible (narrative, documentary, animation, etc.).

Deadline:

The deadline for the Spring 2026 Film & Media Awards will be posted in early March 2026. Please check back at that time.

Questions?

Contact Professors Jeff Hinkelman (jh51@andrew.cmu.edu) or Sharon Dilworth (sd20@andrew.cmu.edu).