The 2025 finalists for the Student Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, have been announced, proffering seven slots in the global Animation category. This year shows a slight upset, as the nominees are split relatively evenly between schools in France (which has tended to dominate the list in recent years), Germany and the U.S., with the odd number of noms filled out by an entry from the Czech Republic.
In partnership with Rolex, the 52nd annual Student Academy Awards will be held in New York during the New York Film Festival at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Monday, October 6, 2025.
The Animation finalists are…
Elizaveta Makarenko, Beautify
Ringling College of Art & Design (United States)
Beautify follows a young woman’s surreal journey to self-acceptance as she confronts society’s beauty standards and embraces her true identity.
Sofiia Chuikovska, Loïck du Plessis D’Argentré & Maud Le Bras, The Shyness of Trees
Gobelins (France)
Hélène, 40 years old, comes to visit her aging mother in the French countryside. But her mother isn’t being her usual self. She seems to have formed a strange bond with the plants, insects, and the old oak tree at the end of her garden…
Jules Marcel, Juliette Bigo & Anaïs Ledoux, The Song of the Sheep
Rubika (France)
At dawn, in the Alps, Frank wakes up drunk. There’s only one cure for the headache: a drink. But misfortune strikes ! His cellar has been emptied overnight. Who could this mysterious thief be? Hervé, the talking sheep, may have the answer…
Tobias Eckerlin, A Sparrow’s Song
Film Academy Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
Inspired by a true story, an elderly widow in the midst of World War II struggles to overcome grief and rediscover joy in her life. Day by day, she serves as an air raid warden in the crowded shelters, witnessing the suffering of children and others. One morning, she finds a dying sparrow and hopes to save its fragile life. As the sparrow gradually heals, a bond grows between them, and the bird begins to respond to her piano playing — a shared language that builds a bridge. During bombing raids, she carries the sparrow to the shelters, where she plays the piano, and the sparrow sings its song to comfort the children and offer hope to those around her. Through this newfound purpose and unexpected alliance, her life begins to change.
Lucas Ansel, The 12 Inch Pianist
Rhode Island School of Design (United States)
A bar joke goes awry, unraveling into a surreal tale that explores the acceptance of self, others and queer identity.
Oscar Jacobson, The Undying Pain of Existence
Film Academy Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
A nude model is posing with statuesque stillness for an elite drawing class — until an unfortunate mosquito bite challenges his self-control. Driven to madness by the itch, he’s caught between the ruthless demand for perfection and his most unhinged, animalistic impulses.
Philippe Kastner, Wolfie
Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague (Czech Republic)
Wolfie tells the story of a perfectionist illustrator who paints vivid animal images. One day, she animates the little Wolfie with an ink blot instead of nose. Wolfie then brings a little disorder into her life, but his ink flaw eventually proves to be a blessing.
The Student Academy Awards is an international student film competition. Each year, college and university film students from all over the world compete for awards and cash grants, with films being judged in Animation, Documentary, Live Action Narrative and Alternative/Experimental. Past winners (who include Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckies and Spike Lee) have gone on to receive 69 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 15 awards.
