Edinburgh & Lothians Schools Film Competition

Edinburgh and Lothians Schools Film Competition is back and open for submissions for 2026!  

Now in its 15th year, the competition is led by Screen Education Edinburgh in partnership with Edinburgh Filmhouse and celebrates the creativity, talent and hard work of pupils and teachers across Edinburgh and the Lothians, giving young filmmakers the chance to see their work showcased on the big screen. 

Funded by Screen Scotland and City of Edinburgh Council, It’s free to enter for all City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, West Lothian and Midlothian nursery, primary, secondary and special schools, and if shortlisted, you and your pupils can watch their work as part of a special screening event and awards ceremony at Edinburgh Filmhouse on the following dates: 

• Nursery, Primary and Special Schools’ Strand - Tuesday 16th June, 10.30am to 12.30pm  

• Secondary Schools Strand - Wednesday 17th June,10.30am to 12.30pm  

All films selected will be screened and could be nominated for an award across 8 exciting categories decided by our youth jury of young people studying at Edinburgh and Lothians schools, who work with SEE to learn about short film watching, understanding and curation. 

Film submissions are accepted from all nurseries, primary, special, and secondary schools in Edinburgh and Lothians and must have been made in the last 2 years from pupils still currently studying at school. 

We welcome film submissions of any type, up to 7 minutes in length, that demonstrate creativity and place pupils at the centre of the filmmaking process. 

Please refer to our information sheet for full details on entry requirements here. 

How to Submit

Submissions for Edinburgh & Lothians Schools Film Competition are now closed.

A release form for each child must be completed by a parent or guardian. This provides permission for the child to appear in the film and, if selected, for the film to be included in the screening. The release form can be found here.

If you have an adult actor in your film submission, please get them to complete the release form here.

For more information, please contact [email protected]