Submissions For The Young Scottish Filmmakers Prize Are Now Open!
Submit your short film to the Young Scottish Filmmakers Prize (YSFP) for the chance to have your film screened at Glasgow Short Film Festival and join a cohort of emerging talent from across the country.
The winner of each category will receive a place on the prestigious Glasgow Film Festival New Talent Mentorship Scheme!
Click here to submit your film and complete the application form by 5pm, 13 November 2026.
The Young Scottish Filmmakers Prize is presented by Glasgow Film in partnership with Glasgow Short Film Festival. It is funded by Screen Scotland. The competition was designed in consultation with GMAC Film and is now in its seventh year. It celebrates filmmakers from across Scotland aged 18-25.
Categories of Competition
There are 2 categories of competition:
1. Films that have been produced without formal support (i.e. they have not received any formal funding and have been produced independently without any formal assistance such as guidance from a university or filmmaking programme).
2. Films that have been produced with formal support (i.e. they have received formal funding and/or formal mentoring/guidance from a university course or from a filmmaking programme).
Shortlisted finalists are selected by a jury of industry professionals, with the two overall winners then chosen by a young jury of previous YSFP finalists, in consultation with the Glasgow Film Festival Industry team. All shortlisted finalists will receive an Industry Focus pass for Glasgow Film Festival 2027 (worth £150) and will have their film screened at Glasgow Short Film Festival 2027.
This year, Glasgow Film is delighted to announce an exciting new chapter for the YSFP: as part of Glasgow Film’s commitment to supporting new filmmaking talent in Scotland, the winners of each competition category will now receive a place on the Glasgow Film Festival New Talent Mentorship Scheme.
The New Talent Mentorship Scheme is for emerging professionals working in film, high-end television, or animation. This scheme is funded by the William Grant Foundation. The mentorship provides practical support for filmmaking professionals over a period of six months. Mentees are assigned mentors with expertise in their chosen field of screenwriting, directing or producing, who they will meet with once a month on an agreed date. Details of the 2026/27 Mentees can be found here.
Please note: it is part of the Eligibility Criteria for the standard application to the New Talent Mentorship that Applicants are not in full or part-time education. For those entering via the Scheme via the YSFP pathway (i.e. the two winners of the YSFP competition) this is not a requirement, hence Applicants will still be eligible if they are in full or part-time education. However, they will be expected to clearly articulate how they would envisage balancing their studies with the time requirements of the Scheme (including hour-long monthly meetings with mentors).
If you have any questions specifically about the New Talent Mentorship Scheme, please contact industry@glasgowfilm.org
Terms and Conditions
· Applicants must be 18 or older to submit a film to the Young Scottish Filmmakers Prize competition.
· Applicants must be no older than 25 at the time of completing the film.
· The short film submitted must be between 2-20 minutes in duration.
· The short film must have been completed no earlier than 6 October 2024 and cannot have been submitted to this specific prize in the past.
· You cannot previously have won the Young Scottish Filmmakers Prize or been a participant in the New Talent Mentorship Scheme
· To be considered, the Applicant must currently reside in Scotland.
· The Applicant named on the application should be the film’s Director, Producer or Writer.
· The Applicant will be the main contact that the YSFP team will communicate with.
· In the instance of the film being shortlisted for the prize, the Applicant will be the recipient of a GFF Industry pass
· In the instance of the film winning the prize, the Applicant will be the recipient of a place of the GFF New Talent Mentorship Scheme
· The Applicant is expected to be the representative for the film at all YSFP events/screenings.
· It is expected that the Applicant will communicate in advance with the YSFP team regarding any additional crew attendance at YSFP events, for example, if another senior crew member would like to participate in Q&As etc.
· Film Submissions will be judged in 2 categories:
· Category 1 - Films that have been produced independently and on a self-led basis, i.e. the production has not received any formal assistance such as guidance from a university or filmmaking programme and has not received any formal funding.
· Category 2 - For films that have been produced with formal support, mentoring/guidance (e.g. from a University course or from a filmmaking programme) or have received formal funding
· To be considered, films must be appropriate for age 15 audiences. Please see the age ratings guidance.
· Glasgow Film Theatre and Glasgow Short Film Festival reserve the right to place age ratings on the shortlisted films for public screening purposes.
· The winners of the prize from each category will be offered placements on the GFF New Talent Mentorship Scheme subject to the following requirements:
· 11.1 Applicants must have answered the question found in the YSFP Application form articulating what they hope to gain from participation in the Scheme.
· 11.2 Participation in the Scheme is further contingent on commitment to adhering to the specific expectations and Terms and Conditions of the New Talent Mentorship Scheme.
· 11.3 Entry to the New Talent Mentorship Scheme via the YSFP pathway does not exclude applicants in full or part-time education.
· Winning filmmakers will be expected to contribute to Glasgow Film evaluation processes as part of the Young Scottish Filmmakers Prize project.
· This competition is being administered by Glasgow Film, in partnership with Glasgow Short Film Festival. By submitting an application, you are therefore consenting to the information you provide in your application being shared between Glasgow Film and Glasgow Short Film Festival
· Glasgow Film is the trading name of Glasgow Film Theatre. The registered office of Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) is 12 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RB. Glasgow Film Theatre is a company limited by guarantee and is registered as a charity (No.SC005932) with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
· Glasgow Short Film Festival (GSFF) is registered as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (No.SC049556) with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. The registered office of Glasgow Short Film Festival is at 60 Tradeston Street, Glasgow, G5 8BH.
