Stanzin Jigmet, an Indian filmmaker from Ladakh, has won the Gold award in the Narrative category at the 53rd Student Academy Awards for his film The Dragon Letter. Jigmet, who studied film directing at Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC) in Barcelona, Spain, was among the student filmmakers honoured at a ceremony held on September 14 on the sidelines of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
The 2026 Student Academy Awards received 2,972 entries from students representing 894 colleges and universities worldwide. Jigmet’s The Dragon Letter won the Narrative category, while Antoine Boulanger’s received Silver and Leon Korzyński’s Kamathipura Express received Bronze.
Jigmet, who is from the remote village of Mulbekh in Ladakh, had announced the win on Instagram in August. “The Dragon Letter @thedragonletter has won a Student Academy Award 2026. From the remote village of Mulbekh in Ladakh, in the Indian Himalayas, to the Academy — this journey still feels unreal,” he wrote.
He dedicated the award to his family, friends, cast and crew, as well as ESCAC, Ladakh-based production house Pixel Challenger Films and others who supported the film and his personal story. “Where we come from does not limit how far our stories can travel,” he wrote.
Actor Gemma Chan, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus and actor Gael García Bernal served as presenters at the event. The ceremony also featured remarks from Academy CEO Bill Kramer, Directors Branch Governor and Academy Museum Trustee Jason Reitman, and Academy Foundation Board President Kim Taylor-Coleman.
All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for the 99th Academy Awards in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Film categories.
Established in 1972, the Student Academy Awards provide a platform for emerging filmmakers worldwide. Past winners of the competition include Pete Docter, Spike Lee, Patricia Cardoso, Patricia Riggen and Robert Zemeckis.