Aspen Shortsfest Youth Jury
Catalog organization: Aspen Film
Compiled by: ExtracurricularHub Editorial Team — editorial policy
Last updated
What Is Aspen Shortsfest Youth Jury?
The student opportunity connected to Aspen Shortsfest is the Youth Jury, not a youth film-submission competition. Youth jurors watch selected festival shorts, learn and practice film criticism, discuss the work together, deliberate on a winner, and present a written rationale with the Youth Jury Award. Aspen Film says jurors complete approximately 20 volunteer-service hours. The $1,250 award goes to the winning film and filmmaker; it is not cash compensation, a scholarship, or a prize paid to each student juror.
The Youth Jury sits within Aspen Film's Voices in Film Youth Forum, a group of free education programs around the Oscar-qualifying festival. The 2026 forum began with a by-invitation event at Basalt High School on April 6, and the festival ran in Aspen April 7-11. The official program lists five 2026 youth jurors. Recent dedicated pages describe invited local high-school-age students, but the current general page does not publish a formal grade range, residency boundary, application form, or selection rubric.
Aspen Shortsfest Youth Jury Key Facts: Cost, Deadline, and Eligibility
| Cost | Free |
|---|---|
| Format | In person |
| Eligibility | Grades 9–12 |
| Application deadline | Dates not announced |
| Listing last updated | August 30, 2026 |
Program details shown here reflect the current catalog record.
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