Over the past four years as a cornerstone event, the Central Coast Film Society has granted scholarships to deserving High School Students who demonstrated excellence in Film Arts, Creative Writing/Screenwriting, and Photography. You can view past winners here. It has been an honor and a joy to witness these students embark on creative journeys, using tools at their disposal to craft stories with images and words.

In 2026, the CCFS aims to expand this program by offering over $2000 in awards to students who showcase excellence in a variety of filmmaking aspects. The categories to be recognized are as follows:

All students who submit their films will receive constructive feedback from the Judge's Panel. Finalists selected for the Student Showcase will have their works reviewed by a panel of judges from the industry and academia to earn Awards for Excellence and Student Scholarships.

*Additional scholarships may be available, pending sponsors and individual donations

Awards & Prizes

Excellence in Filmmaking ($400)
Achievement in Cinematography ($250)
Achievement in Directing ($250)
Achievement in Screenwriting ($250)
Achievement in Editing ($250)
Achievement in Sound ($250)
Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking ($250)
Technical Achievement ($250)
Central Coast Spirit Award ($250)
- Film that best showcases the Central Coast

Rules & Terms

1. All applicants MUST be currently enrolled in a Central Coast High School
2. All submissions must be NO LONGER than 10-minutes in length, and must not include explicit content unsuitable for audiences under the age of 13.
3. Films from the following categories are accepted:
-Narrative Live-Action Short Film (scripted)
-Narrative Animated Short Film (scripted)
-Documentary Short Film
-Animated Documentary Short Film
-Music Video
-Experimental
-Demo Reel
4. Films or videos from the following categories are NOT accepted:
-VLOGs
-TikToks/Social Media Reels
-Slideshows
-Streaming Clips
-Films over 10 minutes
5. Copyrighted music may be used if the song’s original artist and composer are credited
6. NEW FOR 2026: AI GENERATED CONTENT WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR AN AWARD
CCFS appreciates and champions artistic integrity, particularly in the creativity possible in hand-crafted student filmmaking. AI generated videos, films, or clips will not be considered for an award. AI-enhanced effects, sound design, or visual elements will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and CCFS reserves the right to disqualify a film based on its use of AI generated content. For more information, feel free to contact us!
7. All films must be submitted on FilmFreeway, and the following materials must be emailed to info@centralcoastfilmsociety.org
-Full Name
-School Name
-Date of submission
-Title and description of your submission including inspiration behind the work, any
interesting facts/challenges about the project, and what you hope the film expresses
about your filmmaking passions (no more than 5-7 lines)
-Student ID

By submitting your work to us, you are giving CCFS the non-exclusive right to publish your work in any format, including print, electronic, and online media. However, all individual contributors to CCFS retain the right to submit their work for non-exclusive publication elsewhere, and you have our permission to do so.

Plagiarism: CCFS has a no-tolerance policy for plagiarism. Any applicant whose winning work is determined to be plagiarized in whole or in part will forfeit any awards.
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  • KING kaleb092

    This was a good film festival Lot of good film would go there again

    May 2025
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  • Samuel Immanuel Cornejo

    Very well organized little festival I really enjoyed the experience, the staff was very kind and i met some very nice people. Will definitely submit again and i encourage others to as well.

    May 2024
    Helpful
  • Alexander Jones

    Hones tly quite incre dible.

    April 2022
    Helpful