The PORSCHE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADVERTISING FILM AWARD, in short PORSCHE AWARD, was launched in 2004. Since then, the  Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg as the host and the Dr. Ing. H.c.F. Porsche AG as the main sponsor have been organizing this successful international student advertising film competition.

Every year it gives young directors of advertising films throughout the world and their teams the opportunity to submit their creative and always innovative commercial spots. The PORSCHE AWARD is the only international advertising film award which was exclusively designed for students and apprentices. Its GOAL is to offer the young talents a stage on which they have the chance to present their works and themselves to experienced trade experts, thereby paving the way for the committed young teams to professional and successful filmmaking. 

The maximum length of the advertising spots submitted for the competition is 90 seconds. A novelty since 2011 is the possibility to make SUBMISSIONS in a second category, comprising all other advertising formats such as campaigns, branded entertainment, trailers, etc. The maximum length in this category is 5 minutes.

It has become a tradition that each year the  Posche AG as the eponym and MAIN SPONSOR of the competition and also as a globally active manufacturer of sports cars donates the three main prizes, which commemorate – through the PRIZE MONEY to the amount of 3.911,- euros, 2.911,- euros, and 1.911,- euros – the premium car company´s all-time classic, the Porsche 911. In addition, the winners will each receive a trophy in the shape of a slingshot, which represents the will of the young filmmakers to establish themselves in the highly competitive market.

From 2011 awards, in the new, second category mentioned above, the best work will be honoured by the “New Ways Award” with 2.356,- Euro.

The PORSCHE AWARD also offers the students the opportunity for a cultural exchange, since the directors of the ten best advertising films (i.e. the SHORTLIST) will be invited to take part in a two-day programme in Ludwigsburg, where a number of interesting activities are awaiting them, such as a visit of the Porsche factory and the Porsche museum or a guided tour of the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg. The highlight of their stay ist the attendance of the award ceremony, which is held every year in November and where the much sought-after throphies and prize money will be awarded by the 4 or 5 members of the nonpartisan jury.

Over the past years, young talented filmmakers from the United States of America, Australia, Singapore, Russia, the Netherlands, India, England, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Sweden, and many other parts of the world were guests of the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg. If you want to learn the names of the SHORTLIST CANDIDATES of the past years, please follow the link Shortlist 2004-2010.

The members of the JURY always have an international background as well and are renowned trade experts (Jury 2004-2010), e.g. Dieter Kosslick, director of the International Film Festival Berlin, Lyndy Stout, editor of the London-based professional trade magazine “shots,” several notable representatives of the advertising industry from London or Paris, the director Detlev Buck and the well-known German actor Ralph Herforth.

Over the past years, the competition has continually expanded and made its mark. For this reason, an increasing AUDIENCE including members of agencies, advertising film production companies, film and media companies and other industrial firms have decided to join the award ceremony. 

A heightened national and international PRESS COVERAGE also indicates the growing appeal of the PORSCHE AWARD. Alongside German publications such as the advertising trade magazines “Horizont” and “werben & verkaufen,” „Blickpunkt Film,“ „Filmecho/Filmwoche“ and „epd Film“ (film and media trade magazines), or „Spiegel Online“ and „Focus Online“ (nationwide online magazines), “shots” and “Adweek” also cover the award regularly.

The PORSCHE AWARD started out as the successor of the HENNESSY PRIZE, which had been founded in 1989 by the “Initiative Junger Werbefilm” (Young Advertising Film Initiative) in Munich. Up to the year 2000, young students from all parts of Germany were annually called upon to submit their advertsing spots which were produced especially for the competition. The goal of the Hennessy Prize was to encourage the students to engage in commercials and to convince the colleges that advertising films are a discipline no less worthwhile than documentaries or fiction films. The PORSCHE AWARD remains true to this goal, however – unlike the Hennessy Award – not on a national, but on a broad international level with participants, jury members, and an audience from all over the world.


The following CO-SPONSORS and supporters currently take part in the competition which will be held for the nineth time in 2012:

The  City of Ludwigsburg, a reliable partner and supporter of the Filmakademie since its foundation in the year 1991, contributes to the competition each year as a generous secondary sponsor.

A further secondary sponsor of the event in November 2012 is the advertising film production company Tempomedia GmbH, barred in Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt.

In the year 2007, we were able to enlist the  nestor Hotel, which is located in close vicinity of the Filmakademie. Since then, it has borne the expenses for the accomodation of the jury members and the presenter.

The London-based advertising trade magazine  shots will again release a selection of the ten shortlisted films on DVD or on their website (since 2004) and publish an extensive paper on the award winners. Furthermore, each year a “shots” editor is part of the jury (cf. jury).

The  Bionade GmbH (since 2008) and the  Distelhäuser Brewery Ernst Bauer GmbH & Co. KG (since 2009) have committed themselves to the competition by providing beverages and drinks. 


If you or your company are interested in supporting the successful PORSCHE AWARD as co-sponsor as well, please contact the project management via e-mail: ad-award@filmakademie.de, or via telepohne: +49 (0)7141 969 280. We will be happy to send you our detailed sponsoring documents.