The Santa Clarita Valley Media Collaborative is seeking student broadcasts and films from junior high and high school students in the Santa Clarita Valley for the inaugural NextGen MediaMakers Festival competition. The SCV Media Collaborative and NextGen MediaMakers Festival are a service of SCVTV, a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

“We know there are so many talented young media makers in the Santa Clarita Valley,” said SCVTV Executive Director Jessica Boyer. “We want to give these creators a showcase for their work.”

The NextGen MediaMakers Festival competition will offer SCV students five categories of film submissions and broadcast programs. An awards ceremony and community event will be held May 18 at the Canyon Country Community Center. Awards will be presented for first, second and third place.

There are two categories of films open to all junior high and high school students: Silent Film and Short Film.

There are three categories of completion open to students participating in school media classes: Feature Story, Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and Broadcast Show. Only schools can submit in the Broadcast category. Public and private junior high and high school entries must be submitted only by the program instructor.

The deadline for all film and broadcast competition submissions is Friday, April 12 at 8 p.m.

The competition is free to enter for school programs. A fee of $20 will be applied to individual entrants in the silent film and short film categories.

The 2024 NextGen MediaMakers Festival Committee includes media and education professionals as well as local nonprofit leaders.

Sponsors of the NextGen MediaMakers Festival include the city of Santa Clarita, Student Television Network, Black Magic (DaVinci Resolve), Backstage, Filmcraft, Final Draft, G Media Insurance, NFMLA/New Filmmakers L.A., and Quixote.

Additional sponsorships, including student award sponsors, are still being sought. More information can be found here.

The mission of the NextGen MediaMakers Festival is to provide a competitive outlet for students while creating a community around local professionals, businesses and other organizations who are involved in the Santa Clarita Valley media industry. The NextGen MediaMakers Festival aims to establish a support system and network for media professionals, businesses, and other organizations; and provide resources, events, classes and workshops to create a shared knowledge database.

For more information about the festival and to access festival entry forms visit nextgenmediafest.org, contact info@nextgenmediafest.org or call (661) 251-8820.