Overview
The National Board of Review (NBR) is one of the oldest film organizations in the United States, founded in 1909. The NBR viewed 265 films in 2025 and screens over 60 student-made short films each year. In addition to its annual awards recognizing the year's best professional films, the NBR operates a Student Grant Program that awards cash grants to student filmmakers at participating schools.
The program was initiated in 2000 and has grown from an initial pool of $50,000 to approximately $75,000 distributed annually. Grant winners are published on the NBR website with the filmmaker's name, school, film title, and award category. The NBR also supports community outreach organizations including the Ghetto Film School, Reel Works Teen Filmmaking, and the Educational Video Center.
The 2025 NBR professional awards named One Battle After Another as Best Film, with Paul Thomas Anderson winning Best Director. The 2024 awards named Wicked as Best Film. The student grant program runs on a separate timeline and selection process from the professional awards.
History
The NBR was founded in 1909 as a censorship review board and evolved into one of the most respected film criticism organizations in the United States. The Student Grant Program was initiated in 2000 to support emerging filmmakers at participating schools.
Key milestones include the 2000 launch of the Student Grant Program with an initial $50,000 pool, the expansion of participating schools beyond New York to include Northwestern, Ringling, Wesleyan, and Ithaca, and the growth of the annual distribution to approximately $75,000. The 2025 awards gala took place on January 13, 2026, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City, hosted by Willie Geist. NBR President Annie Schulhof leads the organization.
Award Value
- Cash grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 per student film. The amount varies by school and by the jury's assessment of the work
- NBR screening group membership: each grant winner receives a one-year membership in the NBR screening group, giving them access to professional film screenings
- Public recognition: winners are listed on the NBR website with their film title, school, and award category
- Additional awards: some winners also receive the Norman T. Strauss Award or the Marion Carter Green Award, which carry additional recognition
Each participating school receives a pool of grant money ranging from approximately $3,000 to $11,500 to distribute among its student winners. The number of recipients per school varies, and the total number of recipients has grown to approximately 20 to 30 students annually in recent years. No stipend or cost-of-living component exists.
Eligibility
The NBR Student Grant is not an open-submission program. Grants are awarded to students at participating schools. The list of participating schools has expanded since the program's inception in 2000 and currently includes:
- Brooklyn College
- City College
- Columbia University
- Ghetto Film School
- Hunter College
- Ithaca College
- New York University
- Northwestern University
- Pratt Institute
- Ringling College of Art and Design
- School of Visual Arts
- Stony Brook University
- SUNY Purchase
- The New School
- Wesleyan University
Films must have been produced as part of an academic program at one of these institutions. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. The program is concentrated in the New York tri-state area, with a few participating schools outside the region.
Selection is faculty-nominated, not open-application. The NBR works through faculty and administration at participating institutions to identify and submit student films for consideration. Students at schools not on the participating list cannot apply directly.
Past Recipients
2026 Cycle
The 2026 cycle included 16 winners from multiple schools:
- Dzan Harba (SUNY Purchase), Zarobljeno Srce Moje (My Enslaved Heart), narrative, Norman T. Strauss Award
- Dylan Wolf Gantz, Liquor Store, Marion Carter Green Award
- Jamie Simiele (SUNY Purchase), Goosewood, narrative
- Holland LaGarde (Pratt Institute), Homunculus, narrative
- Tonghuan Zhao, Last Day in the North
- Jose Bello Sanchez (NYU), Mad Tide
- Michael Warren, Mercy Rule
- Yi Cheng Lin, Moss
- Leon Ristov, Nikola, Nikola
- Nicolas Palacio, One Early Morning, the Alligator Swallowed Me
- Julio Lourido (Brooklyn College), Sucio, narrative
- Harold Kahane (NYU), The Alternative Resolution, narrative
- Alvin Seenauth, The Knock That Never Leaves
- Mariana Giacobbe, To Bury a River
- Karen Xu, Utopia
- Sidi Wang (NYU), Winter Ceremony
- Imaji Ramadhan (Pratt Institute), Wrap Me in Plastic
2025 Cycle
The 2025 cycle included 18 winners from schools including Brooklyn College, NYU, Hunter College, Columbia University, Pratt Institute, SUNY Purchase, and Stony Brook University. Notable winners included:
- Vincent Peter Mocco (NYU), Piedi Nudi, Norman T. Strauss Award
- Josh Pyun, What a Flop, Marion Carter Green Award
- Roberto Uriarte (Brooklyn College), Mari, drama/fantasy/comedy
- Julia Galeta, Before Dawn
- Margarita Mina (Stony Brook University), Baby Fat, narrative
What Made Their Application Stand Out
The NBR does not publish detailed selection criteria, but the jury evaluates student films on the same principles that guide its professional awards: cinematic craft, narrative ambition, and emotional impact. Because selection is faculty-nominated, the first filter is the school's internal review process.
Harold Kahane (2026 winner, NYU) demonstrates the profile of a competitive candidate: his film The Alternative Resolution explores class tension and existential satire through dark comedy. He is a Telluride Film Festival Student Symposium Fellow, received NYU Tisch's Jagat Murari Directing Award, and was selected for CAA's Moebius Short Film Showcase. His film associate produced a feature selected for Tribeca's Work-In-Progress 2026 section.
Jamie Simiele (2026 winner, SUNY Purchase) brought a queer perspective rooted in working-class rural America. His film Goosewood had past work presented at NFFTY and the Reeling Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival. The NBR jury responds to films with a distinct personal point of view and festival-ready craft.
Julio Lourido (2026 winner, Brooklyn College) brought a cross-disciplinary background as an Ecuadorian actor, playwright, and filmmaker who received the Latinx Playwriting Award at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. His film Sucio began its festival run in 2026.
Renewal Requirements
The NBR Student Grant is a one-time, non-renewable award. There is no renewal process, no GPA requirement to maintain, and no multi-year commitment. The grant is disbursed as a single payment.
Students who receive a grant for one film cannot receive another grant for the same film. However, students who produce new films in subsequent academic years may be nominated again by their school's faculty, provided they remain enrolled at a participating institution.
The one-year NBR screening group membership that accompanies the grant is non-renewable. After the membership expires, former grant winners can attend NBR screenings by purchasing individual tickets or memberships.
Application Process
The application process is school-mediated rather than open-submission. Students at participating schools should contact their film department faculty or administration to find out how their school selects films for NBR submission.
The NBR does not publish a single application deadline. Instead, each participating school manages its own internal submission timeline, typically in the spring. The school then forwards selected films to the NBR for review.
Award Categories
| Award | Description |
|---|---|
| NBR Student Grant | The standard grant awarded to student films demonstrating exceptional promise |
| Norman T. Strauss Award | Additional award for select winners, recognizing specific achievement |
| Marion Carter Green Award | Additional award for select winners |
| Senior Post Award | Award related to post-production work |
| Light Iron Award | Award related to post-production work |
Students at non-participating schools cannot apply. Filmmakers who have already graduated are not eligible. The program is specifically for current students at the participating institutions.
What Filmmakers Should Know
The NBR Student Grant is a recognition award, not a production funding source. The $500 to $5,000 grant provides modest financial support, but the real value lies in the NBR screening group membership and the public recognition from an organization that also awards the year's top professional films.
Because the program is faculty-nominated, the path to an NBR grant runs through your school's film department. Students should focus on producing strong work within their program and ensuring their faculty knows about the NBR opportunity. If your school is not on the participating list, you cannot apply.
The program is concentrated in New York. The majority of participating schools are in the New York tri-state area. Students at schools outside this region should check whether their institution is on the current participating list before assuming eligibility. The grant amount varies by school and by film, so recipients should not expect a fixed award.
Watch
See Also
For festival and awards strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To plan your student film production budget, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator. For understanding how awards help with distribution, see Film Awards That Help With Distribution.
