The DGA Student Spotlight Awards for Underrepresented Directors Entry Forms are now open!
For more than three decades, the DGA Student Spotlight Awards for Underrepresented Directors have highlighted the work of hundreds of student filmmakers who are underrepresented in the industry.
Students enrolled in (or graduated within the last year from) post-secondary institutions during 2026/2027 with film coursework are invited to submit their short films for consideration in the following categories: Narrative and Documentary. Submissions must be work done under the supervision of a post-secondary faculty member from the institution of record. Eligible films are those in which students hold every major crew position.
The submission period will start November 4, 2026, and close February 17, 2027.
Winners will receive a $2,500 grand prize and their work will be screened at the DGA Theaters in Los Angeles and New York. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony taking place in June 2027.
Past winners have gone on to enjoy successful directing careers, including:
- Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts; Creed II; Grown-ish; Rapture)
- Jon M. Chu (In the Heights; Home Before Dark; Crazy Rich Asians; Now You See Me 2)
- Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Black Panther; Creed; Fruitvale Station)
- Channing Godfrey Peoples (Roar; Generation; Miss Juneteenth)
- Rashaad Ernesto Green (The Chi; Looking for Alaska; Premature; Luke Cage)
- Nicole Kassell (The Baby; Watchmen; Castlerock; Westworld)
- Patricia Riggen (Law & Order: SVU; Little America; Dopesick; Surveillance)
- Sylvain White (The Terminal List; The Umbrella Academy; The Rookie; Fargo)
Click here for more information about the 32nd Annual DGA Student Spotlight Awards for Underrepresented Directors, including submission guidelines and eligibility criteria, as well as past winners.
