Into Film Awards spotlight: Teacher and Into Film Club of the Year

• Please Note: Submission for the 2022 Into Film Awards is now closed. We'll be revealing our fantastic nominees in the coming weeks.

The 31 March deadline to enter the 2022 Into Film Awards may be approaching, but that still leaves plenty of time for you to get involved. Whether you've already started an application, are still considering the possibility of entering, or are just hearing of the Awards for the first time, we encourage any teacher or young person from the across the UK to give it a go and show us what you can do.

As well as celebrating young filmmakers, the Into Film Awards also celebrates educators and film clubs in our Teacher of the Year and Into Film Club of the Year categories. And since these categories only ask you to shout about the brilliant work you've already done, they're the easiest ones to enter! 

Below, you'll find more information about these categories, including some inspirational quotes from past winners. You've doubtless worked hard this year, so enter now and give your Into Film Club, yourself, or a colleague some well-deserved recognition at this year's Into Film Awards. And if you're more interested in the filmmaking aspect, check out our recent deep dive into those categories, with a focus on storytelling.

Jump to...

• Teacher of the Year
• Into Film Club of the Year

Teacher of the Year

Teacher of the Year allows you to submit on behalf of yourself, or a fellow teacher that you think is exceptional and worthy of being honoured for their use of film in educational settings. Here's the main criteria that judges will consider when assessing this category:

• The nominated educator has used film to excite pupils and engage them in learning.
• The nominated educator has used filmmaking as a tool for enhancing the learning experience of young people.
• The approach taken has made a positive impact, perhaps delivering innovative thinking or real change, providing constant support and/or improving results.
• If you are able to include an example of your work which demonstrates the inspirational activities undertaken, this will be helpful to the judges.

If you're submitting an entry for yourself, please remember to submit any use of lesson plans, or a list of Into Film resources used, and how they provided guidance, as this will help to evidence your submission.

With this criteria in mind, delve into our previous winners from over the years to see what stands out most to us and what to prioritise in your application:

Meanwhile, the below teachers have led the charge in bringing learning through film into their specific school settings but vary considerably in their approach. Suzanne Cohen is more filmmaking based and has been running projects in the summer for many years, whereas Timm Dadds focuses on film as part of curriculum teaching and has helped develop a number of key Into Film resources.

Finally, this superb account from 2019 winner Rhys Roberts shows what goes into a successful application while also giving a sense of the Into Film Awards ceremony experience and how a nomination/win can affect a teacher's career.

For even more inspiration on wording and shaping your application, we have a number of short teacher case studies that can help to give you a further sense of what resonates when it comes to using film in the classroom.

Into Film Club of the Year

Into Film Club of the Year honours the best and most impactful Into Film Clubs from across the UK. Use the entry criteria below as the basis for your Into Film Club of the Year nomination:

• The club successfully integrates watching, making and understanding of film.
• The club makes interesting film viewing choices to aid learning through film.
• The club has regular and consistent membership.
• The club has regular film reviewers.
• The club makes a difference to the lives of members (including young people with disabilities, behavioural issues, poor attendance or engagement with learning).
• The club is delivered successfully in an otherwise challenging setting.

Please try to include as many details as you can to evidence how successful your Into Film Club has been as you progress with your entry. Remember, you can upload supporting documents as well!

While the category has been consolidated for this year's Into Film Awards, we used to award a Primary and Secondary award for Into Film Clubs. Check out some of the previous winners below.

There's no set criteria for success but looking at the above winners, all engage in multiple parts of the Into Film's offer - from filmmaking, to review writing, to the Into Film Festival - as well as making activities as pupil-led as possible. John Paul Academy even has older students mentoring younger ones in a two club system. These successful clubs also emphasise the tangible benefits and successes that their Into Film Club has brought about, whether that be improving young people's confidence, enhancing creative ideas among peers, improving literacy or creating or a safe and tailored space for SEND students to express themselves.

While an all-round approach is great, it's also important to note that schools like Larbert High School and Horton Primary School pulled ahead of the pack through a particularly unique aspect of their club, with the former creating their own pupil-produced podcast and the latter heavily focusing on the valuable topic of mindfulness through film.

For even more examples of exceptional clubs, check out some of the entries in our Into Film Club of the Month series.