BAFTA announces over £270,000 in grants to support 112 emerging creatives

The grants include 100 Prince William BAFTA Bursary recipients, receiving £2,000 to help creatives from across Wales, Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland cover essential costs, such as training courses, equipment and software, relocation costs, and driving lessons, which can otherwise prevent talented people from pursuing careers in the screen industries. The programme is backed by figures including Director Paul Greengrass and Actors Celia Imrie and Peter Capaldi.

Meanwhile, the UK BAFTA Scholars gives up to £12,000 in funding towards tuition fees or living costs, in addition to mentoring and free access to BAFTA’s year-round events.

BAFTA North America’s 2026 cohort of scholars will receive funding packages of up to $60,000 to support studying at institutions including Columbia University, Loyola Marymount University, New York University, School for Visual Arts, and Stanford University.

According to BAFTA, 98% of the 2024 and 2025 bursary recipients agreed the grant enabled them to access career opportunities they otherwise could not have taken up. Overall, 77% of the recipients live outside of London.

Previous recipients have gone on to work for major film, games, and television productions for the likes of A24, BBC, Disney+, EA, and Netflix.

Daniella, a 2024 bursary recipient from Belfast who has since landed credits with A24 and Netflix, said: "I always imagined I'd have to move to London to keep a career going, but it's been steady in Belfast for five years, and I never thought I'd have the support of an organisation like BAFTA.”

Hilary Rosen, Deputy Chair, BAFTA, said: "BAFTA is passionate about the need to invest in fresh talent that the future of our industries relies on. The Prince William BAFTA Bursary and Scholarships programmes do exactly this – giving life-changing grants to emerging creatives who otherwise might well have been locked out of a career in the screen arts. We are delighted to announce the 2026 cohort and can’t wait to see what they go on to achieve. We know they will have impact.”

The 2026 Prince William BAFTA Bursary recipients include: Abbie Freeman, Researcher; Adam Klis, Independent Filmmaker and Cinematographer; Aidan Donnachie, Screenwriter and Director; Alex Fusco, Documentary Researcher; Alfie O’Sullivan-Neill, Writer and Director; Aminah Alhamdu, Filmmaker and Curator; Aminat Abari, Production Assistant; Ana Jana, Filmmaker and Content Creator; Athina Chatzidaki, Documentary Editor; Ayomide Adegun, Actor; Bellayna Lopez, 2D Game Artist and Animator; Billy Evans, Camera Trainee; Callie Holden, Costume Trainee; Cameron Goodchild, Actor and Filmmaker; Catrin Beynon, Junior Researcher; Chai Lee Tan, Camera Trainee; Chandler Pierre, Assistant Producer, Misfits Entertainment; Chloe Bingham, Freelance Unscripted Assistant Producer and Videographer/Photographer; Chloe Lim, Director/Producer; Clarissa Hepburn, Junior Casting Researcher; Cyd Talbot, Animator and Director; Daisy Williams, AD; Dan Nash, Actor/Camera Trainee/Runner; Daniela Sinai Morales Ochoa, Filmmaker; David Kemmer-Amoda, Filmmaker, Treble Media; Dearbhaile Collins, 2nd AC; Ellie Lewington, Art Department Trainee; Ellis Josebury, Spark Trainee; Erin Curtis, Freelance 2D Game Artist; Eve Gil, Artist; Ewura-Ama Quarshie, Freelance Runner and Writer; Fatima Jawara, Production Secretary; Fiorella Wyn Martínez, Hair and Makeup Junior; Francesca Delguidice, Freelance Film, TV and Locations; Gabrielle Häfner, Freelance Sound Designer; Gagandeep Kaur Chahal, Animation Director; Gemma Mcadam, Sound Recordist; and Hana Yaqoob, Emerging Filmmaker.

The 2026 Prince William BAFTA Bursary will also go to: Harry Martin, Art Department Trainee; Helen Rose, Script Supervisor; Helena Veysey, Actress and Writer; Holly Barbour, Actor/Writer; Holly-Jasmine Kilvington, Production Coordinator; Ira Putilova, Documentary Director / Editor; James Pritchard, Costume Trainee; Janet Marrett, Screenwriter Director; Jessica Murray, Game Designer and Writer; Jessica Speller, Production Coordinator, Assistant Director and Casting Director; Joel Williams, Sound Recordist; John Black, Assistant Editor/DIT Assistant; John Kamara, Writer / Filmmaker; Johnny Massahi, Writer-Director; Julie Tsang, Screenwriter; Kate Smith, Film Extra; Kenna Igwe, Writer/Actor/Director; Kevwe Ayigbe, Freelancer; Klarissa Webster, Filmmaker; Leviathan Vi Amare, Technical Artist; Lily Caccia, Production Designer; Lori Cairney, Events Co-Ordinator; Maryam Haddadi, Director; Mia Haynes-French, Actor; Mo Jannah, Creative Entrepreneur; Nadine O'Mahony, Writer/Director; Poppy Brown, Development Producer; Rosa Brooke, Writer-Director; Rosie Berry, Costume Designer; Ross Shaddick, Independent Filmmaker; Salma Salah, Camera Assistant; Sam Davis Orr, Animator; Sarah Macleod, Camera Assistant; Sean Patrick Murray, Writer; Sean Simmons, Freelance Illustrator and Concept Artist; Serena Gardner, Producer; Serena Soumiya, PA and Documentary Researcher; Serina Lopez, 2D Artist and Game Producer; Stefano Navarra, 2nd Assistant Editor; Suda Mohamedin, Creative Producer and Curator; Symoné, Game Designer; Tamzin Khan, Actor; Theo Kotz, Filmmaker; Thusika Baskaran, Runner; Tibiyan Hayden-Smith, Multimedia Creative; Tinu Alabi, Office Runner; Usaamah Hussain, Actor; Vaiva Azzolini, Assistant Script Supervisor; and Wilma Smith, Writer/Director/Animator.

The 2026 UK BAFTA Scholars include: Christopher Loat, National Film and Television School, BAFTA Reuben Scholar, MA Sound Design for Film and TV; Chloe Lamb, Falmouth University, Reuben Scholar, MA Film and Television; Hamzah Ali, Staffordshire University, Reuben Scholar, MA Games Art; Sophie Hogan, Drama Studio London, BAFTA Scholarship, BA Hons Professional Acting; and Ava Rogerson, Norwich University of the Arts (NUA), BAFTA Scholarship, BA Games Art and Design.

The BAFTA North America Scholarships include: Abdullah Khan, BAFTA Ben Jorgensen Scholarship, Columbia University for an MFA in Film; Alex Darby, Pigott/BAFTA Scholarship, Stanford University for an MFA in Documentary Film; İlayda McIntosh, Pigott/BAFTA Scholarship, New York University Tisch School of the Arts for an MFA in Dramatic Writing; Róise Nic an Bheatha, Fulbright-BAFTA Scholarship and the Pigott/BAFTA Scholarship, School of Visual Arts for an MA in Film Directing; Sebastian Wright, Pigott/BAFTA Scholarship, Columbia University for an MS in Documentary; Sarvin Shakib, Pigott/BAFTA Scholarship, New York University Tisch School of the Arts for a Graduate Film Degree; and Elena Moreno, BAFTA Bridge Scholarship, Loyola Marymount University for a BA in Film, Television, and Media Studies.

The British Film Institute (BFI) recently pledged £11.85m funding over three years to support skills development and training across the UK. Discover more here.