Anne V. Coates Student Editing Competition Award

Overview

The Anne V. Coates Student Editing Competition Award is an annual competition run by American Cinema Editors (ACE) that tests student editors on a real-world task. Entrants download raw dailies and script notes from a television production, then submit a finished cut of a scene. The competition is named after Anne V. Coates, ACE, who won an Academy Award for editing Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and received an Honorary Oscar at the 2016 Governors Awards. She earned four additional Oscar nominations for Becket, The Elephant Man, In the Line of Fire, and Out of Sight.

This is not a portfolio review or a best-of-reel contest. Every entrant cuts the same material, which means judges evaluate editorial decisions directly: how the student built the scene, handled pacing, managed dialogue overlaps, and shaped performance. The top three finalists are invited to attend the ACE Eddie Awards ceremony, where the winner is announced onstage. The 76th ACE Eddie Awards take place February 27, 2026, at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles.

What It Covers

• No cash prize. The winner receives publicity in the Hollywood trade papers (Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter).
• All three finalists receive a plaque and are featured in CinemaEditor Magazine, ACE's quarterly publication.
• Complimentary admission to the ACE Eddie Awards ceremony for the three finalists. ACE does not pay transportation or hotel expenses for out-of-town students.
• Industry visibility among working editors, post-production supervisors, and potential employers who attend the Eddie Awards or read the trade coverage.

Entry Fee and Timeline

The application entry fee is $125, paid through the ACE website. After payment, entrants are redirected to a page to download the video dailies and script notes with editing instructions.

The 2025-2026 competition cycle runs as follows:

The dailies supplied are for this student competition only. ACE explicitly prohibits duplicating, copying, or using the footage for classroom study, projects, or any other purpose outside the competition.

Eligibility

• Open to students of film or editing at any accredited school or university.
• Both undergraduate and graduate students may enter.
• Applicants must provide the name of their school or university and the name of a professor or instructor on the ACE application.
• Students may enter the competition once per year.
• No prior membership in ACE or any other organization is required.

How to Apply

1. Visit the ACE Student Editing Competition page during the open submission window.
2. Complete the online application form, including your school name and instructor name.
3. Pay the $125 entry fee.
4. Download the video dailies and script notes from the redirect page.
5. Edit the assigned scene according to the provided instructions.
6. Submit your finished cut before the deadline.

No critiques or rankings are provided for non-finalists. Only the top three finalists are contacted.

Who Should Apply

Film and editing students who want to demonstrate their editorial skills on standardized material. Because every entrant cuts the same footage, the competition rewards pure editing ability rather than access to resources, production value, or directorial talent. Students focused on a career in post-production, particularly in television editing, benefit most from this competition. The $125 entry fee and the lack of a cash prize mean this is a credential-building opportunity, not a funding source.

Competition History and Recent Winners

The 2025 winner of the Anne V. Coates Award for Student Editing was Luis Barragan from California State University, Fullerton. The other two finalists were Evan Nowack from Chapman University and Keaton Schallhorn from the University of Oklahoma. All three were honored at the 75th ACE Eddie Awards.

The competition was renamed in honor of Anne V. Coates following her death in 2018. Coates had a 60-year editing career spanning from Lawrence of Arabia to Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), and she was a vocal advocate for mentorship and education in the editorial craft.

What Judges Evaluate

Because all entrants work from the same dailies, judges can compare editorial decisions directly. The evaluation focuses on:

• Rhythm and pacing: Does the cut find the right tempo for the scene's emotional beats?
• Performance selection: Which takes and line readings did the editor choose, and why?
• Structure: How does the editor build the scene from its opening to its closing moment?
• Dialogue handling: How are overlaps, J-cuts, and L-cuts used to shape conversation?
• Transitions: Are cuts motivated by action, emotion, or narrative logic?
• Technical execution: Does the cut meet broadcast standards for sync, levels, and continuity?

Past Recipients

The Anne V. Coates Student Editing Competition has produced a consistent record of winners who move into professional editing work. Named recent winners:

• 2025: Luis Barragan, California State University, Fullerton. Finalists: Evan Nowack (Chapman University) and Keaton Schallhorn (University of Oklahoma).
• 2022: Guanqing Lin, American Film Institute.
• 2020: Chase Johnson, California State University, Fullerton (presented by Cary Elwes at the 70th ACE Eddie Awards).
• 2019: Marco Gonzalez, Boston University.

Cal State Fullerton has placed multiple winners (Luis Barragan in 2025, Chase Johnson in 2020), reflecting a sustained editing program pipeline. The full winner list is published on the ACE Eddie Winners page.

The award is named for Anne V. Coates, ACE, who won the Academy Award for editing Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and earned four additional Oscar nominations across a 60-year career. The competition was renamed in her honor following her death in 2018.

What Made Winning Applications Stand Out

Because every entrant cuts the same dailies, the competition isolates editorial judgment. What separates the three finalists from the rest of the field (the evaluation criteria are detailed above in "What Judges Evaluate"):

• A clear point of view on the scene. Every entrant has the same footage, so the distinguishing factor is what the editor chose to emphasize. Finalists' cuts build the scene around a specific emotional or narrative throughline, rather than cutting competently but generically.
• Performance-first cutting. The jury weighs performance selection heavily. Finalists choose takes and line readings that reveal character, and they shape pacing around the performances rather than imposing a tempo from outside.
• Confident use of J-cuts and L-cuts. Dialogue handling is a differentiator. Finalists use overlaps and split edits to shape conversation and transition between beats, not just to hide cuts.
• Technical cleanliness. The cut must meet broadcast standards for sync, levels, and continuity. A cut with strong creative choices but sloppy technical execution will not advance over a clean, well-judged cut.

Renewal Requirements

The Anne V. Coates Student Editing Competition is a one-time, non-renewable award. There is no renewal process. Students may enter the competition once per year, so a student who does not win in one year can enter again in a subsequent year with a new competition cut (the dailies change each cycle), but the award itself does not renew or continue. There is no cash prize, no follow-on grant, and no multi-year commitment. The durable value is the ACE Eddie Awards ceremony attendance, the plaque, the CinemaEditor Magazine feature, and the trade-paper publicity, which function as a credential for post-production employment.

See Also

For understanding editorial workflows, see Post-Production Essentials. To plan your post-production timeline, use the Post-Production Timeline Calculator. For related opportunities, see the ASC Student Heritage Award for cinematography students.