The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted 16 students as winners of the 53rd Student Academy Awards competition. This year, the Student Academy Awards competition received 2,972 entries from 894 colleges and universities worldwide. All Student Academy Award-winning films will be eligible to compete for the 99th Oscars in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Film category. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 70 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 15 awards. The 2026 winners join the ranks of such past Student Academy Award winners as Patricia Cardoso, Pete Docter, Spike Lee, Patricia Riggen and Robert Zemeckis.