SHOW WHAT THE GREAT LAKES MEAN TO YOU THROUGH A STUDENT SHORT!
January 23, 2027
Each year, the Student Shorts Film Competition is an exciting part of Thunder Bay International Film Festival!
Middle and High School students (6th-12th grade) are eligible to enter individually or as a team, and there is NO entry fee for the competition.
Film “shorts” submissions will open September 15th with a submission deadline of December 15th. The film should focus on Great Lakes related content.
2026 Finalists
Freeing the Falls, Kathy Yang, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, West Windsor, New Jersey
A Folktale, Layla Teal, Harbor Springs High School, Harbor Springs, Michigan
The Great Lakes Through My Perspective, Camren DeVries, West Ottawa High School, Holland, Michigan
Previous Student Shorts Winners
2025 WINNER
As Our Tides Turn, Abigail Giroux, Maxwell English, Jasper Scott, Emma Kvart, and Remington Schneider, Interlochen Arts Academy
2024 WINNER
Illusion, Aliviah Chisholm, Harbor Springs High School
2022 WINNER
2038, William Shultz and Nick Lusardi, Alpena High School
2021 WINNER
Mermaids Specifically, Nick Lusardi, Alpena High School
2020 WINNER
His Boots Are Empty, Nick Lusardi, Alpena High School
2019 WINNER
Exploration is Essential, Akia Rutherford, Rogers City High School
2018 WINNER
Holly and Jack In: Sanctuaries Are, Jack MacDonald, Alpena High School
2017 WINNER
#BiodiversityIs Unity, DyShauna Rutherford, Rogers City High School
2016 WINNER
Aquanauts, Jake Chapman, William “Sam” Nichols, and Kelly Cool, Stockbridge High School
