Dear Friends,

Spring is around the corner, and MY HERO is offering contests to help your creativity bloom. Below you will find ways to participate and key deadlines.

Working on a short film? Submissions are open for the 2026 MY HERO International Film Festival. Categories include Narrative, Documentary, Animation, Experimental, and Music Video, with divisions from elementary school through professional.

With support from our sponsors, MY HERO offers a host of Special Awards, including cash prizes, for themes such as Activism, Peace, Women Transforming Media, Poetry, Family Relationships, and Youth Reporting.

Submit your work today!.

Sincerely,



The MY HERO Team

Robert Shetterly Portrait Contest

Deadline: March 1, 2026

Student artists of all ages are invited to submit hero portraits. Entries will be judged by artist Robert Shetterly and the MY HERO Gallery staff.

Learn more

Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award

Deadline: June 1, 2026.

Sponsored by the MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundation’s One World One Ocean Campaign. This award honors a filmmaker whose work features heroes restoring and protecting oceans, with up to $2,000 in cash prizes.

Learn more

Mattie J.T. Stepanek Poetry Contest

Deadline: June 1, 2026



Open to poets, artists, filmmakers, and spoken word artists with a “heart song” about heroes working for peace, human rights, and the environment.

View contest requirements.

View all MY HERO Contests

Shine a light on heroes around the world!

Short Films, Big Heroes. Shine a light on heroes around the world.

Submissions are being accepted for the 2026 MY HERO International Film Festival. The festival is open to filmmakers of all ages and abilities.

Learn more and submit your short film


Click here to watch past festival winners

The MY HERO Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook, written by media teacher Jonah Steinhart with a foreword by Global Educator Esther Wojcicki, is being used in classrooms in the United States and abroad. Educators use the workbook to guide students through reporting, storytelling, and short-film production. The workbook was made possible with support from the Scripps Family Impact Fund.

Request a free digital download, email myhero@myheroproject.org.

Watch the 30-minute companion video

Reel Heroes: Student Films and Filmmakers

Rachel Priebe 
Assistant Film Festival Director

Feb 11: Northwest Regional Equity Conference (NWREC), Clark College, Vancouver, Washington (in person and virtual). Rachel Priebe will present “Reclaiming Our Narratives: Hero Stories as Tools for Equity and Justice.”

This session focuses on using MY HERO’s library and classroom-ready resources, including the MY HERO Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook, to support student storytelling and equity-focused media literacy.

NWREC Agenda

Feb 24 to 25: California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) Conference, Long Beach Convention Center. Stop by the MY HERO booth for program information, curriculum resources, and the Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook.

CCSA Conference website

We need your support for The MY HERO Project so we can continue to provide free educational resources to millions of teachers, students, and families around the world.

Help support MY HERO's global learning community.