California Student Media Festival

11/26/2024

Get inspired with this elementary winning video from last year:

The Mean Busters are concerned that people are being too mean to each other. They go to their Buster's Lab to find answers. How can they get people to sto...

11/19/2024

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology released its highly anticipated guidance to help K-12 leaders integrate artificial intelligence into their school districts. Students can leverage AI as they create original media projects to enter into the Festival. The toolkit and complementary resources are available at

OET is working to develop policies and supports focused on the effective, safe, and fair use of AI-enabled educational technology.

08/27/2024

Greetings, friends! For decades, I've been an impassioned volunteer for the California Student Media Festival. 🎥🎓 We're currently seeking dedicated individuals to support and join the board of directors for the upcoming 59th annual celebration of student creativity. 🎉 If you're interested in making a difference and being part of this amazing initiative, applications are now open through Sept. 16! 🚀 Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeh1nW70v6IkmUhXo7nGwi9bZq5KGDonZaWZ_JCiKFUA1EL-w/viewform 🌟

04/21/2024

Judging has begun! If you signed up to judge, check your email (and maybe spam folder) for instructions and the link to score from Lesley Farmer! The subject line is ‘Festival Judging Begins!’ Due date is May 1.

Thanks again, judges!

04/05/2024

We've extended the DUE DATE for entries - you've now got until April 15! Entry link: bit.ly/enter58 . Event will be on June 1 at Hollywood High School - 10am Elementary Celebration, 1pm Secondary Celebration. And we'll stream it live for those who can't make the trek. More info: www.mediafestival.org

The California Student Media Festival seeks to transform preK-12 student learning, recognizing creativity and student agency through the cultivation and celebration of original work.

01/16/2024

The California Student Media Festival is now accepting entries!

The nation’s oldest student media festival leads the way with awards for Artificial Intelligence, 3D Modeling, Augmented and Virtual Reality and other Emerging Technologies

The California Student Media Festival, which seeks to transform pre-K-12 student learning and recognize creativity and student agency through the cultivation and celebration of original work, today announced it is accepting entries for its 2024 Festival.

The Festival exists to celebrate the amazing projects produced by California’s students and teachers, rewarding and acknowledging their successful classroom work at an awards event in spring every year. Now in its 58th year, the California Student Media Festival is our nation’s oldest student media festival. Over the past twenty-five years, the Festival has awarded more than $170,000 in prizes to California schools and has expanded to include the work of more than 6,000 student contestants from schools across the state. Educators and students interested in entering their work into the festival are encouraged to learn more here. There is no cost to enter the festival.

“The California Student Media Festival is incredibly excited to call for entries for the 2024 festival,” said Festival director Hall Davidson. “A quick look at the winners page shows innovative ways California’s teachers and students use media –not only in video but with a wide variety of mediums to showcase the richness and diversity of our great state.”

Again the Festival leads the way with an award for the best student use of generative artificial intelligence in school, including ChatGPT, DALL-E, and others. Festival organizers believe AI is a tool that students must master, as they mastered calculators and cameras, and are looking forward to seeing how this innovative technology is used by entrants.

The California Student Media Festival is open to all pre-K-12 schools in California and by
invitation to schools nationally and internationally. In addition, the California Media Festival is seeking judges from across the country and around the globe. For more information on volunteering to judge entries or to learn more about the Festival, visit www.mediafestival.org.

Always Free to participate! The 59th Annual Festival will accept entries Jan. 20 through April 1. Join us in person on May 17 at Hollywood High School!

FREE to ENTER, FREE to ATTEND!

www.mediafestival.org