The eighth annual British Society of Cinematographers Short Film Competition is now open for entries.
As part of efforts to make the competition more accessible, the BSC has expanded the number of categories from two to three, splitting the student competition.
Entries will now be available for “Cinematography In A Short Film (BSC Club)”, “Cinematography In A Short Film (Undergraduate Student)”, and “Cinematography In A Short Film (Postgraduate Student)”.
The length of short films eligible has also increased–previously, the maximum length of entries was 20 minutes, whereas this year that has expanded to a 25-minute running time to allow more films to be submitted.
Entrants will also no longer be required to submit a “cut-down” version of their films–simply being asked to submit the short film–nor will they have to set up a Vimeo account to submit–simply send a download link for the film to BSC.
As with previous years, the Student competition is completely free to enter with a limit of one entry per cinematographer.
Winners will be announced on the evening of 12 November. They will then be invited to attend the 70th Annual British Society of Cinematographers Awards on 7 February 2026, where they will be presented with their awards.
A full timetable is available below.
Timetable
- Sunday 31 August – ENTRIES OPEN
- Sunday 28 September – ENTRIES CLOSE
- Monday 20 October – NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED
- Wednesday 12 November – SHORT FILM EVENING
The number of partners in this competition has now expanded; this year, the BSC will be welcoming Arri Rental and The Look.
This will allow for winners’ prizes to not only include a camera rental package but also access to grading facilities for their next short film.
Full eligibility criteria is available below, and you can submit your film on the BSC website now.
Criteria
- Cinematography In A Short Film (Undergraduate Student)
- All current Undergraduate Students (BA or similar) and recent graduates (up to 12 months after graduating) from a UK institution are eligible to apply and do not need to be BSC Club Members.
- The submission should be a film produced as part of the Undergraduate Course Curriculum of your institution.
- Student submissions are only eligible from films produced while studying a UK institution.
- Entries are limited to one per Cinematographer, and the Cinematographer must be the entrant.
- Films should have been completed within the last 12 months.
- Cinematography In A Short Film (Postgraduate Student)
- All current Postgraduate Students (MA, MFA or similar) and recent graduates (up to 12 months after graduating) from a UK institution are eligible to apply and do not need to be BSC Club Members.
- The submission should be a film produced as part of the Postgraduate Course Curriculum of your institution.
- Student submissions are only eligible from films produced while studying a UK institution.
- Entries are limited to one per Cinematographer, and the Cinematographer must be the entrant.
- Films should have been completed within the last 12 months.
- Cinematography In A Short Film (BSC Club)
- Only films photographed by BSC Club Members are eligible to be entered for this award.
- Previous BSC Club winners are eligible to submit again.
- You may join the BSC Club up until 27th September 2025 to enter this category.
- Entries are limited to one per Cinematographer, and the Cinematographer must be the entrant.
- Films should have been completed within the last 12 months.
Requirements
All entrants will be required to provide the following:
- A copy of your Film (This should be a HD file with a Maximum bitrate of 2200kbps, H.264, mp4. Audio: 128kbps, AAC, 2 channel stereo. Please ensure to present your film in the final aspect ratio). Please note: Maximum file size is 8GB.
- A still from the film (10mb or smaller, JPG or PNG, DPI 72 or 300)
- A headshot of yourself (10mb of smaller, JPG or PNG, DPI 72 or 300)
