Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prizes in Film and Video

Established in 1963

Description. The Eisner Prizes in Film and Video contest is open to both graduates and undergraduates in any department. For complete information read the Eisner Film and Video Prize Rules.

Prize Amounts. Awards of at least $2,000 are granted at the judges' discretion. Federal financial aid regulations require that all awards received by a student cannot exceed their financial need as determined by a congressional formula. It is possible, therefore, that the cash award for a prize could reduce some component of a needy student’s package of financial aid awards. In these cases, the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office attempts first to reduce loan or work aid; fellowships, grants, or scholarships are only reduced as a last resort.

Deadline. Films and tapes must be hand-delivered by the maker to the Undergraduate Scholarships, Prizes, and Honors Office, 210-A Sproul Hall, no later than February 15, 2013 at 4 p.m. The maker's name must not appear on the entry or on the film credits. After winners are announced, all films and tapes must be picked up by mid-May.

History of the Prize. In l963, Samuel Marks established an endowment of $250,000 for the advancement of the arts on the Berkeley campus, in memory of his stepdaughter, Roselyn Schneider Eisner, an artist and sculptor. The Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the Arts recommended the money be used to establish prizes in each of the Creative Arts.

Eisner Film and Video Prize Rules

All entries submitted to the Eisner Prize Jury need to be transferred to a DVD and submitted in a DVD case. Please note that if your DVD does not play on the preview equipment, it will not be considered. Your submission must play on a standard DVD player.
You may submit 1 to 3 films or tapes, but are encouraged to submit only your best work. At least one submission must have been made during the period of your enrollment as a student on the Berkeley campus. A previous winner of this contest may not enter the following year. Judges will not view more than 30 minutes of film or video.
To be eligible, you need to be enrolled full-time in a degree-granting program for at least one regular semester of the academic year (not including Summer Sessions). Filing for a degree does not constitute enrollment for that academic year. Visiting students are not eligible to apply for prizes.
Film or video submissions must be labeled with the last four digits of the entrant's student ID (SID) number, the film's title, running time and the original format of the entry (16mm, VHS, or mini-DV, etc.). Also, a brief (one paragraph, typewritten) film description should accompany the submission. The maker's name must not appear on the entry or on the film credits.
Please download and complete the UC Berkeley Prizes and Honors Office Form and submit it in person along with your entry to 210-A Sproul Hall. You will need to show a Cal photo ID card when you submit your entry.
The Prizes Office, 210-A Sproul Hall, will hold film and video entries for pickup until mid-May.

Previous Winners

2011-12: 26 entries; Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Rebecca Ramage ($2,000 each); Honorable Mentions: Nathaniel Klein, Kyan Krumdieck, Nancy Ledesma, Myles Moscato, Kari Orvik, Aayushman Indra Pandey, and Max Tarcher

2010-11: 29 entries; Jonathan T. Wang and Katelyn Stiles ($2,000 each); Honorable Mentions: Auden Bui, Quinn Fujii, Filbert Hansel, Zi Huang, Nathaniel Klein, Nagisa Kodama, Nancy Ledesma, Delan Tai and Chris E. Vargas

2009-10: 32 entries; Curtis Tamm and aZin seraj ($2,000 each); Honorable Mentions: Nagisa Kodama, Pierre Camarena, Asali Echols, Chris E. Vargas, Merav Tzur, Galen Jackson, Ella Andersson, Taro Masushio.

2008-09: 34 entries; Navid Sinaki and Robert Rippberger ($2,000 each); Honorable Mentions: Connie Chung, Lydia Katherine Greer, Farley Gwazda, Gabriel Leigh, Kate Maeder, Claudia Salamanca, Wenhua Shi, Molly Snyder-Fink, Curtis James Tamm and Dan Williams

2007-08: 32 entries; Brian George and Jason Blalock ($2,000 each); Honorable Mentions: Matt Losada, Noelle Cole and Anna Zaniewski, Sonja Bertucci, Joe Garrity and Miranda Peters-Lazaro, Stefan Al, Dan Williams, Jay Patumanoan

2006-07: Sophie Cooper and Wenhua Shu ($2,000 each)

2005-06: Eric F. Martin and Ian Cheng ($2,000 each)

2004-05: Richard Parkin and Camilo Salazar ($2,000)

2003-04: Esther N.S. Galbraith and Michelle Dizon ($2,000 each)

2002-03: Davd Green, Ian Kibbey and Jeff Lowe

2001-02: Desiree Arlette Holman and Gabriel Yoshi Peters-Lazaro ($2,000 each)

2000-01: Daniel Carrera and Brett Simon ($2,000 each)

1999-00: 24 entries; Corey Creasey and Laurie Thomas ($1,400 each)

1998-99: 33 entries; Jason Byers and Eric Lin ($1,400 each)

1997-98: 25 entries; Steven Macdonald and Jessica Erin Vargas ($1,400 each)