Open Call for Stories with STEAM Short Film Competition Now Open!

We are excited to announce the Stories with STEAM Short Film Competition!

Whether you are a seasoned or budding filmmaker, a student with a passion for something STEAM-related, an educator who would like to try a creative way to teach a topic, and/or someone who has never tried to make a film before but would like to give it a whirl – consider making a film for this competition! There are three categories open to anyone in the Appalachian Region:

• Middle School/High School Students
• Undergrad/Graduate (Higher Education) Students
• General Public in WV.

Cash prizes as well as the opportunity to meet with Emmy nominated filmmaker Katie Dellamaggiore (nominated for her film Brooklyn Castle) for a coaching session will be awarded to the winning films as part of the “Stories with STEAM” (SWS) Appalachian Circuit featuring Dellamaggiore’s new film Small Town Universe screening event. The event will be held on March 12th, 2025 at Marshall University’s Joan C Edwards Performing Arts Center in Huntington, WV.

Submitted films should creatively engage STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and/or the Arts (e.g. performance, dance, theater, music, painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.) related themes, ideas, characters, and stories. Films may be animation, fictional narratives, documentary, experimental or other. Films must be 5 minutes maximum (including title and credits) and suitable for all ages (rated G). Submissions are free!

Important dates include:
• November 22, 2024 – Competition Announced
• February 7, 2025 – Film Submission Deadline!
• February 25, 2025 – Selected Films Announced
• March 12, 2025 – Awards Ceremony

Please see the attached SWS Short Film Competition Poster created by Zorayah Jackson for more details, and visit the SWS Short Film Competition website created by Prof Tijah Bumgarner for eligibility, competition rules, and a way to submit your film – accessible via the QR code on the poster or at the website linked here.

The competition is sponsored in part by WV All STAR and organized by Professor Tijah Bumgarner and the Marshall University Filmmaking Program, conducted in collaboration with our partners at Rescued Media, The Foundry, West Virginia International Film Festival, and the West Virginia Film Office.

For any questions about the film submissions, please email tijah.bumgarner@marshall.edu. Any questions about the “Stories with STEAM – The Appalachian Circuit featuring Small Town Universe” event, please email deanaw.wvallstar@gmail.com. Please share this opportunity with anyone you think might be interested!

We hope to be watching your film soon!

(Release 11/22/24)