2026 Theme: Leaving Legacies – Your Voice. Your Planet. Your Legacy.

This year’s theme invites students into a journey of reflection, imagination, and discovery. It asks young filmmakers to consider not only the future they hope to shape but the legacies that came before them—those who poured their energy into protecting the natural world. These legacies might belong to historic conservationists, artists who illuminated the beauty of our planet, teachers or parents who nurtured curiosity, or even an animal whose story symbolizes resilience and hope. Through film, students are encouraged to honor these inspirations, to find their own voice in the chorus of those who cared before them, and to create a vision that reminds us all that the Earth we inherit is shaped by the choices we make today.

Your voice matters. Your planet needs you. Your legacy begins now.

DETAILS

  • All Martin and St. Lucie Counties public, private, or home-schooled K-12 students may enter.

  • Entries must be 1-3 minutes in length.
  • Entries must incorporate the Youth Driven Cinema theme.
  • Suggested topics, sample films, and other helpful information can be found below.
  • Copyrighted music is NOT permitted.
  • Entries must be uploaded as .mov, .mp4, or .wmv file formats not to exceed 1GB in file size.
  • All entries must have an adult e-sign the Terms and Conditions on the submission form.
  • Entries must be uploaded by April 1, 2026.
  • You must use a Gmail account to upload your video.
  • Note: Submissions that go above and beyond topics such as recycling, clean-ups, etc. will receive preference.

CATEGORIES

  • ​Teams may be composed of 1-4 students for a traditional entry. There are three grade-level categories: Elementary, Middle, and High School. ​
  • ​There is also a special “School of Fish” category for films with more than four students. A video entered into the School of Fish category can only be entered for that division. A student can participate in the School of Fish category while also creating a second video to be entered into the traditional grade-level divisions.
  • All team members must be in the same grade level category (Elementary, Middle, and High School) unless entry is into the “School of Fish” division.

 

To submit your video for Youth Driven Cinema, please click a link below.

For questions about the program or your film submission, please email Rebecca Mott at rmott@inwater.org.