Heartland Film High School Film Competition

# Heartland Film High School Film Competition Heartland Film, the Indianapolis nonprofit behind the Heartland International Film Festival, runs a High School Film Competition inside Indy Shorts International Film Festival - an Academy Award-qualifying short film festival held each July. Since 2010 the competition has encouraged tomorrow's filmmakers to push their art to the next level, with finalist films screened theatrically in Indianapolis and eligible for named cash awards. ## What You'll Do - Submit a short film you completed while age 14-19, before entering your first year of university - Compete in the High School Film Competition category (Indiana students are also eligible for the Indiana Spotlight High School award) - Attend Indy Shorts screenings, where the festival presents more than $35,000 in cash prizes across categories - Vie for the $2,500 Summer White Lynch Memorial Award and the $1,500 Indiana Spotlight Award ## Who Should Apply Student filmmakers ages 14-19 anywhere in the US working in narrative, documentary, or animation. Films must be completed before your first year of university. Submissions for Indy Shorts 2027 open in September 2026 through FilmFreeway, with discounted submission fees for students; deadlines fall in the winter and spring before the July festival. ## Outcomes Finalists earn a theatrical screening credit at a BAFTA-, GOYA-, and Academy Award-qualifying festival - one of the strongest lines a high school filmmaker can put on a film school application - plus cash awards for the top films. Winning student work screens alongside professional shorts competing for Oscar qualification.