Hello and welcome to the official site of the 2026 Lee County Student Film & Television Awards! The Lee County Student Film & Television Awards is open at no cost to all students in all Lee County Public Schools and Charters sponsored by the Lee County School Board. Please take the time to read through all of our rules before submitting your entry. When ready to submit an entry, scroll down to find the submission links (they are below the rules - please submit in the correct age group and category). If you have any questions concerning the rules or submission process, you can email Adam Wright at AdamAW@leeschools.net.
JUDGING CRITERIA*:
- Audio: Use of clear, balanced, appropriate audio throughout.
- Technical Video: Use of appropriate camera movements (or lack thereof), correct exposure, focus, white balance and framing. The camera is stable and the camera work is not a distraction from the experience of viewing the video.
- Editing: Shows correct, undisruptive, professional editing without jump cuts and blank frames.
- Creativity/Originality: Expresses the video’s call-to-action or purpose in a new or interesting way.
- Overall Impact: The overall effectiveness of the video; whether or not its purpose and/or story is clear and the viewer has a pleasant “take away” experience.
*For the 'On-Camera Talent' category, talent is also judged on their delivery and appearance/professionalism.
ENTRY RULES:
- Entries must be submitted no later than midnight Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
- There is a limit of 3 entries per category per school and are submitted by the teacher. No entry may be submitted in multiple categories.
- Exception: only 1 entry per school for the News Show category.
- Entries must not exceed 5 minutes in length.
- Videos should be submitted as .mp4 files and may not exceed 1GB in size.
- All 6th-12th grade entries must be entirely student-produced, with the approval of their teacher. To maintain the integrity of the competition, teachers cannot assist students in the creation of an entry in any way, other than by uploading the finished, student-produced video to us, which they are required to do.
- K-5 grade level participants can have some technical assistance, but students should storyboard and direct on their own. Teachers and parents, we ask that you encourage your student(s) and monitor their progress along the way. Guide them when and where you can, but let the final video reflect their individual efforts and design. Sponsoring teachers, please include in your submission notes what aspects of the production you assisted with and what aspects of the production the students did on their own. If the video was entirely student produced with no help from a teacher in anyway, please include that in the submission notes.
- Students are not allowed to submit videos themselves. Sponsoring teachers must screen and complete the Online Entry Form (below) and must include the sponsor’s email address.
- Only material produced during the current school year (2025-2026) may be submitted.
- Copyright permission must be credited in writing for use of artwork, non original music and authoring programs. Copyrighted materials must also be credited at the end of each video.
(See below for important Copyright information). - The School District of Lee County Communications Department reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any entry, for any reason, without notice.
IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION INCLUDING COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
- By submitting entries to this competition you confirm that each work submitted is the original work of the student and/or have permission from the owners of any copyrighted material used. It is the responsibility of each submitting school to provide proper permission documentation, if copyright is in question.
- By submitting entries to this competition you grant the usage rights required by The School District of Lee County for marketing and promotional purposes for this contest and future contests or any other use the District deems appropriate.
- By submitting entries to this competition you have consent from the parent/guardian to grant the usage rights required by The School District of Lee County Public Schools necessary to display and use personally identifiable information including but not limited to name, grade, school, & teacher's name but generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy, for judging, displaying, & promoting of this contest and future contests or any other use the District deems appropriate.
Tell a story using characters created on film, video, or computer. Can include 2D or 3D animation using clay, objects or models.
A video that uses any form of instruction or teaching in order for the viewer to learn a new skill or craft. This can be done as a step-by-step system or some other creative way. The purpose of the video must clearly be to instruct the viewer to learn a new thing, not to sway the viewers opinion on a subject and not to simply inform.
A video set to original or non-original music (although you may receive bonus points for original music). Remember, a good music video tells a story. Please see the bottom of the rules section for the policy on copyright.
An original news program that is produced by a team and broadcast at school. This may include green-screen or live sets. Pick your best episode! If your news show exceeds 5 minutes in length, cut from the beginning or end of the show to fit the required time. Do not cut from the middle.
PSA stands for Public Service Announcement. A PSA should be exactly 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds in length with the clear goal of swaying the viewer’s opinion on a certain topic, usually deterring a negative behavior or encouraging a positive one. PSAs should have a clear “call-to-action.” Some topics popular to our school district include: Say No to Bullying, Bus Stop Safety, etc. But your PSA can be about anything!
A Promo video is a video promoting a particular product, service, team, event, etc. The purpose of a promo video is to provide the most information in the shortest amount of time, and to maintain the viewer's interest. They are designed to stir excitement and enthusiasm. Examples include infomercials, movie trailers, hype videos etc.
A short film tells a complete story in a creative way using emotion as the primary delivery tool. Your short film can be serious or humorous, or both! It can be fiction or non-fiction.
Characters created on film, video, or computer. Can include 2D or 3D animation using digital animation or physical animation ('stop motion' with clay objects, for example).
Tells a story using humor as the primary theme or delivery method. Should incorporate comedic elements such as misunderstandings, sight gags or satire. Subject matter should be appropriate for school.
A video that tells a story of real events and people. Documentaries should be fact-based, giving information and an unbiased record of actual events, places or people.
A video that uses any form of instruction or teaching in order for the viewer to learn a new skill or craft. This can be done as a step-by-step system or some other creative way. The purpose of the video must clearly be to instruct the viewer to learn a new thing, not to sway the viewers opinion on a subject and not to simply inform.
A video set to original or non-original music. Remember, a good music video tells a story. Please see the bottom of the rules section for the policy on copyright.
An original news show produced by a team and broadcast at school. This may include green-screen or live sets. Pick your best episode! If your news show exceeds 5 minutes in length, cut from the beginning or end of the show to fit the required time. Do not cut from the middle.
A video promoting a particular product, service, team, event, etc. The purpose of a promo video is to provide the most information in the shortest amount of time, and to maintain the viewer's interest. They are designed to stir excitement and enthusiasm. Examples include infomercials, movie trailers, hype videos etc.
PSA stands for Public Service Announcement. A PSA should be exactly 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds in length with the clear goal of swaying the viewer’s opinion on a certain topic, usually deterring a negative behavior or encouraging a positive one. PSAs should have a clear “call-to-action.” Be sure to review the requirements for the category 'PSA: The Norm Project' to see if your video is a better fit for that category.
The Norm Project is a Lee County School District prevention initiative that seeks to correct misperceptions about teen alcohol, tobacco and other drug uses. The category's objective is for students to develop Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that send the message that they are in the majority when they choose not to drink, use tobacco or other drugs.
Your video MUST include one of the following messages (either directly or implied):
The majority of Lee County students choose not to use alcohol.
The majority of Lee County students choose not to vape.
The majority of Lee County students choose not to use marijuana.
The majority of Lee County students choose not to use drugs.
The majority of Lee County students choose not to use tobacco.
Tells a complete story in a creative way using emotion as the primary delivery tool with dramatic or humorous elements (or both!).
Tell a story using characters created on film, video, or computer. Can include 2D or 3D animation using clay, objects or models (stop motion, for example).
Tells a story using humor as the primary theme or delivery method. Should incorporate comedic elements such as misunderstandings, sight gags or satire. Subject matter should be appropriate for school.
A video that tells a story of real events and people. Documentaries should be fact-based, giving information and an unbiased record of actual events, places or people.
A video that uses any form of instruction or teaching in order for the viewer to learn a new skill or craft. This can be done as a step-by-step system or some other creative way. The purpose of the video must clearly be to instruct the viewer to learn a new thing, not to sway the viewers opinion on a subject and not to simply inform.
A video set to original or non-original music. Remember, a good music video tells a story. Please see the bottom of the rules section for the policy on copyright.
Any original singular news story produced by an individual, though a reporter with a videographer is acceptable. A package consists of sound bites from interviews and b-roll footage accompanied by a reporter voice-over. It may also include a stand-up from the reporter. A news package should be informative, but also tell a story.
An original news show produced by a team and broadcast at school. This may include green-screen or live sets. Pick your best episode! If your news show exceeds 5 minutes in length, cut from the beginning or end of the show to fit the required time. Do not cut from the middle.
A talent demo reel highlighting the best work of a single student reporter. This should begin with a montage of stand-ups from a variety of locations and snippets from several different news packages. You may also include on-set anchor work and interviews, as long as the reporter is in the frame. This should mimic a demo reel that you would submit for a job as a television journalist.
A video promoting a particular product, service, team, event, etc. The purpose of a promo video is to provide the most information in the shortest amount of time, and to maintain the viewer's interest. They are designed to stir excitement and enthusiasm. Examples include infomercials, movie trailers, hype videos etc.
PSA stands for Public Service Announcement. A PSA should be exactly 30, 45 or 60 seconds in length with the clear goal of swaying the viewer’s opinion on a certain topic, usually deterring a negative behavior or encouraging a positive one. PSAs should have a clear “call-to-action.” Be sure to review the requirements for the category 'PSA: The Norm Project' to see if your video is a better fit for that category.
The Norm Project is a Lee County School District prevention initiative that seeks to correct misperceptions about teen alcohol, tobacco and other drug uses. The category's objective is for students to develop Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that send the message that they are in the majority when they choose not to drink, use tobacco or other drugs.
Your video MUST include one of the following themes (either directly or implied):
The majority of Lee County students choose not to use alcohol.
The majority of Lee County students choose not to vape.
The majority of Lee County students choose not to use marijuana.
The majority of Lee County students choose not to use drugs.
The majority of Lee County students choose not to use tobacco.
Tells a complete story in a creative way using emotion as the primary delivery tool with dramatic or humorous elements (or both!).
A regularly scheduled or special presentation of a sporting event, game/season highlights, or sports news and information. Can be done in the style of ESPN SportsCenter or can be a package or original news story about a sporting event, athlete or team.