Student and graduate filmmakers from UWS have secured three nominations at the national Royal Television Society (RTS) Student Television Awards 2026.

The shortlisted productions are Behold, This Dreamer Cometh, nominated in Postgraduate Entertainment and Comedy Drama; I Called Her Lexi, nominated in Postgraduate Factual – Short Form; and Return of the Reindeer, nominated in Undergraduate Saving the Planet.

The national nominations follow a successful period for UWS student filmmaking. Earlier this year, seven projects were shortlisted at the RTS Scotland Student Television Awards, with Return of the Reindeer among those to walk away with the trophy. In 2025, students also claimed wins at both the RTS Scotland Student Awards and the national RTS Student Television Awards, bringing national recognition for creative programmes at UWS.

 

These nominations are a tribute to the creativity, craft and determination of our students and graduates. It’s particularly pleasing to see UWS recognised once again across such a varied group of categories, from animation and comedy drama to factual documentary and environmental filmmaking. Our students work incredibly hard to develop their own voices while also learning the skills needed in the screen industries. Recognition from RTS at this level gives them an important platform and reflects the quality of work now coming through our filmmaking programmes.

Dr Gill Jamieson, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for BA Filmmaking and Screenwriting

 

Behold, This Dreamer Cometh was created by writer, director and animator Jonny Mowat, producer David McColl, director of photography TJ Turner and editor Ainsley White. Jonny, David and TJ are graduates of UWS’s MA Filmmaking programme, while Ainsley is a current MA student who recently won the Best Editing award at the RTS Scotland Student Television Awards for her work on Locked Oot (or the importance of cartwheels).

I Called Her Lexi was directed by Logan Kenny, with Matthew Wilkie as editor, Syamaprasad CR on cinematography and Krisztian Sutko on sound. The team are all graduates of the MA Filmmaking programme.

Return of the Reindeer, by Thomas McGillivray, is nominated in the Undergraduate Saving the Planet category, after winning the same category at the RTS Scotland Student Television Awards earlier this year.

Speaking of the nomination for Behold, This Dreamer Cometh, Jonny Mowat said: “Getting a nomination from the RTS is fantastic, and having our work recognised at these national awards is especially exciting. The work of the cast and crew deserves to be recognised, so I’m thrilled!

 

The MA in Filmmaking at UWS was a very formative experience for myself and my collaborators and I’m grateful to them for the encouragement and direction. I’m excited to be representing the University and the course in this category.

 

Bettina Talbot, Lecturer in Documentary & Wildlife Media at UWS, said: "It's fantastic to see three UWS films nominated for the UK-wide RTS Student Awards, and particularly exciting to see UWS competing in the highly competitive Saving the Planet category for the second consecutive year – a testament to UWS and Scotland's commitment to conservation and environmental issues. Best of luck to all of the nominees!"

The RTS Student Television Awards celebrate outstanding audiovisual work created by students across the UK, with this year’s winners set to be announced at a ceremony on Friday 12 June at the IET, Savoy Place, London.