Why Take Part

Grow skills. Share your voice. Make a real impact.


  • Tell a story that matters to you, from your local community - and share it with EiM Schools worldwide

  • Learn to create an impactful film in as little as a weekend 

  • Build future-ready skills in content creation, creativity and empathy. 

  • Evidence your interaction and engagement with sustainability and global citizenship

How It Works:

Students create a 3–6 minute documentary around the 'Live Worldwise' theme in their local community.

They are supported through:

  • A beginner-friendly filmmaking course (no prior experience needed)
  • Mentorship from professional storytellers and filmmakers


The Docathon ‘Sprint’ course can be completed in a few hours, while the extended version can be integrated into a 6–10 week curriculum.



Students share their films during the 'Live Worldwise Earth Week Docathon', showcasing the videos from your own school with our family of schools during the week of 20th April 2026.  


A fun and exciting way to evidence sustainability and global citizenship!




As an optional extra, standout students can take their film beyond the EiM community and share it during an international Docathon event. Films can be showcased through:

  • Live in person screenings (selected films only)

  • Online Student Film Exchanges, connecting students across countries.

    • Participating students earn the Global Perspectives Leader Credential from RMIT University

Standout students can earn leadership credentials (digital certificates) by leading workshops or screenings to inspire others. 


Time for Stories That Matter!


This fee covers:

  • Access to the Docathon filmmaking course
  • Three live mentorship sessions with a professional filmmaker
  • Attendance to the EiM 'Live Worldwise' Docathon
  • Participation in a Global Docathon event and/or Student Film Exchange
  • Opportunity to earn a Docathon leadership credential



Deadline: 

Submit your films by 12th April 2026 in order for them to be celebrated in your school and around the EiM Group during Earth Week (20th-24th April)



Register Your Interest

Get in touch to explore how your students can take part in Docathon.

Register Your interest

About the organizers


Visit the Docathon website if you would like to know more about other Docathons worldwide. 

   

Education in Motion is a growing family of premier education brands, nurturing more than 11,000 students to Live Worldwise. 


Open Planet enables everyone, everywhere, to tell stories of our world’s major environmental challenges and solutions.

The Docathon Course

Please see the full Docathon course below. A 'Sprint' Version is also available, making it possible to finish the course in a few hours, and make a film in just a few days.

    1. Welcome to Docathon!

    2. Everything You Need to Know

    3. Student Action Notebook

    4. Live Mentorship

    1. Introduction

    2. Why Tell a Purposeful Story?

    3. Many Ways to Serve a Purpose

    4. Looking at Purpose in a Docathon Film

    5. What Purpose?

    1. A filmmaking secret

    2. 3 questions you need to ask yourself

    3. Asking Meaningful Questions

    4. Types of Meaningful Questions or Prompts

    5. Student Action Notebook activity

    1. Introducing your Storyboarding mentor

    2. Storyboarding - What and Why?

    3. Storyboarding Techniques

    4. Storyboarding Tips & Tricks

    5. Practice Storyboarding

    6. From Storyboard to Shot List

    7. Download a Shot List Template

    1. It's time to film! What you need to know

    2. Types of Shots

    3. B-Roll

    4. Audio

    5. DOs and DON'Ts: Filming Quiz

    6. Getting permission to film

    7. Let's film!

    1. It's time to edit your film!

    2. Narrative

    3. A quick summary of next steps

    4. Video Editors

    5. Sound and Music

    6. Graphics

    7. DOs and DON'Ts: Editing Quiz

FAQ

  • Who can join Docathon?

    Docathon is open to students in grades 6–12. No prior filmmaking experience is required - 99% of participants have never made a film before. Our training materials and mentorship will guide you all the way.

  • Can we submit a film to a Docathon showcase event without signing up to the course?

    No. All teams must complete the learning journey because our training materials ensure: Fairness — everyone uses the same skills and guidelines. Quality & Alignment — films clearly connect to the theme and criteria. Safety & Ethics — students learn essential guidance before filming. We also offer a Sprint Course for students who are short on time, giving them all the essential fundamentals.

  • Will every submitted film be screened?

    The Docathon showcase events (held during plenary sessions) have limited screening slots, so not every film can be shown. However, every student filmmaker will still have the chance to share their work with a real audience — through our student film exchange, by contributing to a workshop at one of our events, or by hosting a showcase/workshop in your own school with our support.

  • What equipment do I need?

    A mobile phone is enough to film your documentary. You can also use cameras, microphones, and editing software like CapCut, iMovie, or Adobe Premiere Pro if available.

  • Your pricing is 350 USD per group of 5. Can I participate as an individual?

    The fee is 350 USD per group of up to 5 students. This keeps the cost affordable for schools, while enabling us to provide a personalised coach per team. If you wish to take part as an individual, and cannot find any colleagues to join you, get in touch and we'll see how we can assist you.

  • How much time do I need to make a film?

    The 'spint' version of the Docathon course takes under an hour to complete. Creating the film will take more time — students have been known to complete a film in a weekend, although we recommend at least 3-4 weeks for the best results. Teachers who choose to integrate Docathon into their curriculum or run it as an ECA can also roll it out over 6–10 weeks, allowing more space for research, reflection, and deeper storytelling.

  • What kind of support can teachers provide students?

    Highly motivated students can complete a film independently, but we recommend having at least one supervising teacher (no filmmaking experience needed). This teacher simply helps coordinate check-ins with the mentor, keeps students on track, and ensures communication runs smoothly.

  • How much creative freedom do we have in making our films?

    The only guideline is that your film should clearly connect to the Docathon theme. Beyond that, you’re free to be as imaginative and expressive as you like.