2025 Festival Award Winners

  • People's Choice Award

    Voting is still OPEN!

  • Best of Fest - Feature LENGTH

    Champions of the Golden Valley

    directed by Ben Sturgulewski

  • Special Jury Award - Feature length

    Wildboy - Ten Years of Adventure Therapy

    directed by Toby Schmutzler

  • Best of Fest - Mid-Length

    Public Defender

    directed by Andrea Kalin

  • Special Jury Award - Mid-Length

    How to Sue the Klan

    directed by John Beder

  • Best of Fest - Short

    Cycling Without Age

    directed by Isaac Seigel-Boettner

  • Special Jury Award - Short

    Hakki Rising

    directed by David Larson

  • Best MN Doc Award

    A Sea Change for Superior: The Warming of the World's Largest Lake

    directed by John Thain

2023 Festival Award Winners

  • People's Choice Award

    Finding Her Beat

  • Best of Fest

    Ranger

  • Special Jury Award

    The Balcony Movie

  • Best of Fest - Short

    Stranger at the Gate

  • Special Jury Award - Short

    Dani’s Twins

  • Best MN Doc Award

    Finding Her Beat

  • Special Jury MN Film

    Tiny Titanic

  • KSMQ Public Television Award

    Chicken Soup for the Soil

2022 Festival Award Winners

  • Best of Fest

    Failure to Protect

  • Special Jury Award

    Cat Daddies

  • Best Short Film Award

    Breaking Trail

  • Best MN Doc Award

    Breaking Trail

  • KSMQ Public Television Award

    Singing Kindness

  • People's Choice Award

    Cat Daddies

2021 Festival Award Winners

  • Best of Fest

    The Disrupted

  • Special Jury Award

    Picture of His Life

  • Best Short Film Award

    Welcome Strangers

  • Best Minnesota Documentary Award

    Jay’s Longhorn

  • KSMQ Public Television Award

    Myrtle Simpson: A Life on Ice