Oklahoma Teen Film Festival Opens Early Bird Submissions
Dec. 16, 2025
The Oklahoma Teen Film Festival is now accepting early bird submissions for the 2026 festival, set for March 28, 2026, on the University of Central Oklahoma campus.
Open exclusively to Oklahoma high school students, the festival provides a level playing field for emerging filmmakers to share their stories and compete with peers from across the state.
Hosted by UCO’s Department of Mass Communication in collaboration with deadCenter Film, the festival returns for its second year with expanded opportunities for students to submit films across a wider range of categories.
Students may submit work in six categories: Animation/Stop Motion, Documentary/Broadcast, Comedy/Romantic Comedy, Micro Film (films less than three minutes), Horror/Thriller/Crime and Drama. The festival will also present an Indigenous Filmmaker Award, sponsored by Cherokee Film.
The early-bird submission deadline is Jan. 18, 2026.
Cash prizes will be awarded to first- and second-place winners in each category, and the grand prize winner will receive two passes to the deadCenter Film Festival next June, a value of more than $400.
Beyond film screenings, attendees can participate in workshops, panel discussions and a red-carpet awards ceremony. The 2026 festival will also feature an opening address from deadCenter’s Teen Board.
To learn more or submit a film, visit filmfreeway.com/OklahomaTeenFilmFestival.
For more information, contact Megan Cox, Ph.D., assistant professor of mass communication at UCO, at mcox18@uco.edu.
Cutline: The Oklahoma Teen Film Festival is now accepting early bird submissions for the 2026 festival. Open exclusively to Oklahoma high school students, the festival provides a level playing field for emerging filmmakers to share their stories and compete with peers from across the state. Pictured, student filmmakers shoot on the UCO campus.
