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Festival Guide

Top 10 Film Festivals for Teen & Youth Filmmakers

SOCAPA’s picks for the best US film festivals for high school, teen and youth filmmakers, with locations, festival dates and typical submission deadlines.

Our picks for the ten best teen and youth film festivals in the USA to get your films seen and get you noticed. Each one programs short films made by high school students and young filmmakers, and several give awards, cash prizes or industry screenings to the winners.

Deadlines move every year, so treat the months below as a guide and confirm on each festival’s site before you plan. Most use tiered deadlines: submit early and you pay less (sometimes nothing).

Top 10 Film Festivals for Teen & Youth Filmmakers

SOCAPA’s Picks

Ten festivals worth submitting to.

New York City

All American High School Film Festival

The largest festival in the country for high school filmmakers, with a weekend of screenings, workshops and awards in Times Square. Early entries are free.

Festival
October
Deadlines
March (free) to early July
Who
High school students
Visit Festival

Seattle, WA

NFFTY

The National Film Festival for Talented Youth is the biggest festival for young filmmakers in the world, with in-person screenings plus a virtual festival.

Festival
Late March
Deadlines
August to December
Who
Ages 24 and under
Visit Festival

Boulder, CO

Boulder International Film Festival

BIFF’s Teen Short Film Competition is open to students around the world. Films must be six minutes or less.

Festival
April
Deadlines
Winter (check the teen page)
Who
Ages 12 to 18
Visit Festival

Watertown, MA

Boston International Kids Film Festival

Run by Filmmakers Collaborative, with Student Film awards for filmmakers who were in middle or high school when they made the film.

Festival
November
Deadlines
Summer
Who
Middle and high school students
Visit Festival

Los Angeles, CA

Burbank International Film Festival

You must attend school in LA County to be eligible, but if you do, it’s totally worth it. The best student film wins the Los Angeles County Student Filmmaker Award. Films must be 20 minutes or less.

Festival
September
Deadlines
Final deadline in early May
Who
LA County middle and high school students
Visit Festival

Seattle, WA

Seattle International Film Festival

FutureWave Shorts brings youth films from around the world to one of the largest film festivals in the US. The best film wins the Wavemaker Award for Excellence in Youth Filmmaking.

Festival
May
Deadlines
October to January
Who
Ages 18 and under
Visit Festival

Indianapolis, IN

Heartland Indy Shorts

The High School Film Competition is part of Indy Shorts, an Oscar-qualifying short film festival that awards more than $35,000 in cash prizes.

Festival
Late July
Deadlines
Opens in the fall, closes in early April
Who
Ages 14 to 19 (made before college)
Visit Festival

Nashville, TN

Nashville Film Festival

The longest-running film festival in the South, with competition categories for student filmmakers and Tennessee creators.

Festival
Fall
Deadlines
March to June
Who
Student filmmakers
Visit Festival

Newport Beach, CA

Newport Beach Film Festival

The Youth Film Showcase puts films by young filmmakers on the big screen at a major Southern California festival. Films must be 10 minutes or less, and the entry fee is low.

Festival
October
Deadlines
February to July
Who
Ages 18 and under
Visit Festival

Austin, TX

SXSW EDU Texas High School Shorts

Short films (under five minutes) by Texas high school students screen as part of SXSW EDU in Austin. You must be enrolled in a Texas high school.

Festival
March
Deadlines
November to mid-December
Who
Texas high school students
Visit Festival

How To Give Your Film Its Best Shot

Submit early. Early deadlines are cheaper (All American High School Film Festival’s is free), and programmers watch the first films with fresh eyes.

Keep it short. Many youth programs cap films at five to ten minutes, and a tight five-minute film is easier to program than a 20-minute one.

Read the eligibility rules before you pay. Some festivals require you to live or go to school in a certain place, and most care about your age when you made the film, not when you submit it.

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