We are delighted to announce the launch of A Few Minutes for the Planet, a new competition for student filmmakers from NAHEMI member institutions, in association with UK Green Film Network and with the support of BAFTA albert Education Partnership and the Green Film School Alliance (GFSA).

We are inviting submissions of short films up to 2 minutes 30 secs (maximum) in length, addressing the pressing issues of our environment and climate or ecological crises, and produced using eco-friendly production protocols. Students must work with either the open-access PEACHy framework (Production Environmental Actions Checklist for Young filmmakers) supported by the GFSA, through which they will be able to obtain an EMA Green Seal OR, the BAFTA albert Education Partnership protocol for those who are members.

Production teams must register their interest in the competition by 23rd October 2026, and the submission deadline for completed films is 29th January 2027. Once the competition is complete, a gala event will be held at The Garden Cinema in London in April 2027, where students will be given the opportunity to introduce their films, network with professionals and students involved in the competition, and awards will be presented by NAHEMI, the Green Film School Alliance and the UK Green Film Network.

Awards & Prizes

There are four awards on offer:

● The UK Green Film Network Award for Best Environmental Messaging.

● The NAHEMI Award for Best Green Production Methods.

● The GFSA Award for Excellence in Fiction, rewarded with a scholarship for Sundance’s feature writing class Screenwriting: Core Elements.

● The GFSA Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction, rewarded with a scholarship for Sundance’s documentary development class, Documentary Filmmaking: Core Elements.

The winning films, along with a selection of the best of the rest will make up a special package to be screened as supporting features in UK Green Film Network cinemas, to help spread the climate action message.

All films submitted will be included in a green gala screening at The Garden Cinema in London, where the awards will be presented. Filmmakers and production crews will be invited to present their films and innovative approach to storytelling and green production methods to an audience of filmmakers, tutors, educators and green campaigners.

Rules & Terms


For inspiration we offer some suggested areas of focus, but films are not limited to these headings.

● Transport: what are the alternative options to our current modes of transport, which are dependent on fossil fuels? Can we change the technologies and offer cheap and better public travel options?

● Urban nature & Tree Planting: urban nature is vital for clean air, cooling, and biodiversity. Green spaces improve mental health, and community well-being, and more trees, parks and gardens can reduce pollution and heat. Where are these green spaces in our cities, how can we make them flourish? What benefits will a programme of tree planting bring?

● Pollution: how can we reduce air, water, and land pollution? Our current systems rely on single-use plastics, fossil fuels, intensive farming, and so on. What better alternative methods can we employ to enable a functioning greener society?

● Greenwashing: some companies use marketing tactics that mislead the public about their environmental impact. How do we recognise these? How can we inform the public and stop this from happening?

● Climate Justice: How can we find solutions to the climate crisis that not only reduce emissions or protect the natural world, but that do so in a way which creates a fairer, more just and equal world in the process?

● Imagine positive green futures: be bold and inventive and have some fun, show us how we can do better and build a future for us and the planet, no matter how big or small the initiatives are.

Student films can address any area which is considered important in combating climate change. Films might examine how society is dealing with green issues, or suggest new ways of acting in an environmentally friendly way to make a better world, or even present innovative ways of making a film which has low environmental impact and as low carbon as possible.

Films must be up to 2 minutes 30 seconds in length including titles, and address any environmental issues such as, but not limited to, those outlined above. We want imaginative and creative productions in any genre. This could be comedy, animation, documentary, live-action, drama, or essay film. It can be serious, funny, or absurd. Films can use graphics, special effects, or archival material, but all must all have copyright clearance and evidence available on request.

Technical specifications:

● File format: mp4 or MOV.

● Resolution: 1080p or higher for delivery.

● Frame rate: 24 or 30fps.