All American High School Film Festival

Key facts

Eligible grades

The film's director or directors must have been in high school or younger while producing the project. Middle school students are eligible. Recently graduated seniors may create and submit films AFTER graduation and before the July final deadline, and a film made by a senior who is now in college is still eligible.

The rule attaches to when the film was made, not to your status when you submit. That flexibility for graduating seniors is easy to miss.

Source, checked 2026-09-02

Eligible ages

Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.

Eligibility is defined by school level at the time of production, not by a stated age range.

Individual or team

Individual or team · Films may have multiple directors, all of whom must be indicated on the submission form. For the NYC Film Invitational, all teams must have an adult team leader or mentor responsible for communication with AAHSFF and for chaperoning the team during production.

Where it runs

In person · International

Entry cost

A per-film submission fee, with early deadlines cheaperTiered and rising through the season. A third-party guide reports $35 early bird, $50 regular and $75 late, with a 20% discount for schools submitting five or more entries, and the festival has previously offered a free submission tier early in the window. Not confirmed on the festival's own pages. Separately, the NYC Film Invitational charges $250 per team of five or fewer and $500 for six or more, with optional critiques at $200.

Registration deadline

Set locally, not published as a single national date Dates shift year to year. The most recent published window ran 1 November 2025 to 3 July 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Tiered fee deadlines are reported as a free deadline around 1 March, regular around 29 April, with later tiers after. Confirm the current cycle on hsfilmfest.com before planning; entries after the deadline are void.

Competition dates

The festival is held each October in New York City, with Official Selections screened at AMC Empire 25 in Times Square and winners announced at the Teen Indie Awards. The 2026 Film Invitational ran team registration 13 April to 25 September, filming in New York from 14 October, submission by 16 October 2026 at 4:00 p.m. EST, and the Teen Indie Awards on 18 October 2026.

Difficulty

CompetitiveSerious preparation over a season. Advancing past the first round separates prepared students from unprepared ones.

Prizes

Over $600,000 in prizes and scholarships handed out at the Teen Indie Awards, with a reported top award of a $10,000 Teen Indie Filmmaker Scholarship.Category awards, scholarship opportunities from partner film schools, and an Official Selection credit. Selected films screen at the festival in New York.