2021 Film Contest Winners

HIGH SCHOOL

• Personal Stories

1st Place: Chris and Jade, d: Abigail Dixson Boles
2nd Place: Utopia, d: Locky McCann 
3rd Place: A Meaningful Life: The Story of Albert Levis, d: Locky McCann 

•  History & Contemporary Issues

1st Place: Markings,  d: Jillian Haviland
2nd Place Lord’s Hill, d: Colter Lingelbach-Pierce
3rd Place: Soggie Paws Succeeds in Business, d: Colby Perry

• Arts & Culture

1st Place: Chronology, d: Blue Christensen & Elias Manriquez
2nd Place Freedom & Unity Puppetry, d: Ian Carpenter
3rd Place: The Wiccan Religion, d: Erika (Virgil) Chapin

Judge’s Pick: Throwing A Cup, d: Amber Liao

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Judge’s Pick Award: The Lost Pandemic, d: Avery Hohenschau, Elizabeth Bunt, Lila Hecock, Stella Gray, Oprea Littlefield, Willow Heywood
Judge’s Pick Award: The Water Ran Brown: The Story of the Elizabeth Mine, d: Ezra McGinley-Smith

 

JAMIE KANZLER AWARDS

MIDDLE SCHOOL 
1st Place (Tie): The Lost Pandemic, d: Avery Hohenschau, Elizabeth Bunt, Lila Hecock, Stella Gray, Oprea Littlefield, Willow Heywood
1st Place: (Tie) The Water Ran Brown: The Story of the Elizabeth Mine, d: Ezra McGinley-Smith

HIGH SCHOOL

1st Place (Tie): Markings,  d: Jillian Haviland
1st Place (Tie): Freedom & Unity Puppetry, d: Ian Carpenter
1st Place (Tie): Lord’s Hill, d: Colter Lingelbach-Pierce

Honorable Mention (Tie): Why I Love Vermont,  d: Lily Ercklund Gustavson
Honorable Mention (Tie): Throwing A Cup, d: Amber Liao

Honorable Mention (Tie): The Wiccan Religion, d: Erika (Virgil) Chapin
Honorable Mention (Tie):Acceptance, d: Landon Flood

 

THE VERMONT MOVIE AWARDS

1st Place: Chris and Jade, d: Abigail Dixson Boles
2nd Place: Markings, d: Jillian Haviland

Honorable Mention (Tie): The Water Ran Brown: The Story of the Elizabeth Mine, d: Ezra McGinley-Smith
Honorable Mention (Tie): The Lost Pandemic,d: Avery Hohenschau, Elizabeth Bunt, Lila Hecock, Stella Gray, Oprea Littlefield, Willow Heywood
Honorable Mention (Tie): Freedom & Unity Puppetry, d:Ian Carpenter

Finalist (Tie): In Our Backyard, d: Isaac James
Finalist (Tie): Art Therapy (and How It Saved My Life), d: Andrew Martell
Judge’s Pick: Acceptance, d: Landon Flood

 

2020 Film Contest Winners

COLLEGE & YOUNG ADULT

• Personal Stories

1st Place: I am Alone, I am Afraid d: Jacob D’Amour, Aidan Saunders
2nd Place: The Silence in Between, d: Danielle Hazelton
3rd Place: IRL: In Real Life, d: Sophie Whittemore

• Arts, Culture, History & Contemporary Issues

1st Place:  Forget-Me-Not Vermont, d: Travis Washington, Luke Rebman, Charles Dalgleish
2nd Place: Vermont Barrier Breakers: A Teacher and a Politician, d: Ian Carpenter
3rd Place: Do It Yourself, d: Griffin Paul Moran, Nathaniel Hart

HIGH SCHOOL

• Personal Stories

1st Place: Oblivion, d: Xiuyuan Chen, Shixue Shao, Shangyou Li, Zirui Liu
2nd Place Don’t Wait Until Yesterday, d: Jahirah Thurber
3rd Place: (TIE) Sleeping Sun, d: Lachlan McCann &
Dear Daughters, d: Sasha Miller, Rae Kanarick, Anna McIntosh, Adelle MacDowell

•  History & Contemporary Issues

1st Place: Yellow Cards for Equal Pay,  d: Maia Vota
2nd Place The Lost Story, d: Theo Ellis Novotny, Grace Vining
3rd Place: The Camping Assignment, d: Dylan Moody A’ness

• Arts & Culture

1st Place: Tuck’s Rock Dojo: A Rockumentary, d: Anna King
2nd Place Upper Valley Soccer, d: Palmer Okai
3rd Place: Backyard Sugaring, d: Isaac Stcyr

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Social Justice Award: Willing Hands, d: Ezra McGinley-Smith
Environment Award: Our Changing Winters, d: Farren Stainton
Compassions Award: The Fight to End Suffering: The Unknown World of Animal Cruelty, d: Samara Ashooh, Greta Walberg

JAMIE KANZLER AWARDS
1st Place: Sleeping Sun, d: Lachlan McCann
2nd Place: (Tie) IRL: In Real Life, d: Sophie Whittemore &
Oblivion, d: Xiuyuan Chen, Shixue Shao, Shangyou Li, Zirui Liu

3rd Place: Do It Yourself, d: Griffin Paul Moran, Nathaniel Hart

2019 Film Contest Winners

COLLEGE & YOUNG ADULT

• Vermont History and Contemporary Issues

1st Place:  “A Game Dinner” by Peter Ackerman
2nd Place:  “In Plain Sight” by Schuyler Gann, Hayden Graham & R. Daniel Calcagne
3rd Place: “#MeThree” by Anna Steeley

• Vermont Arts & Culture

1st Place: “Old Seeds, New Gardens” by Peter Ackerman
2nd Place:  “House Concerts- The Unseen Music Seen” by Jenna Misra & Olivia Lyons
3rd Place: “Creating Nightmares” by Mason Mashtare

• Personal Stories

1st Place:  “Straight On ‘Til Morning” by James Abrams
2nd Place: “Growing a Vision” by Kirsten Potts & Scout Fischman
3rd Place: “Twin Moons” by Steven Heron & Miranda Rodriguez

HIGH SCHOOL

• Vermont History and Contemporary Issues

1st Place: “Phineas Gage: His Priceless Gift to Us All” by Ian Carpenter
2nd Place: “Vermont Entrepreneurship Week 2019” by Logan Kenyon
3rd Place: “See Something Say Something PSA” by Logan Kenyon

• Vermont Arts & Culture

1st Place: “Preserving the Heart of Vermont” by Meredith Gove & Mary Nagy-Benson
2nd Place: “Harvest of the Month” by Charles Knox
3rd Place: “Pico Free Ski Day” by Ian Haskins

• Personal Stories

1st Place (TIED): “Vermont Love” by Rae S. Earley, Morgan Hills & Shane Bendit
1st Place (TIED): “Barren” by Xiuyuan Chen, Shangyou Li, Shixue Shao & Zirui Liu
2nd Place (TIED): “Mauwa & Senga | Refugees Share Their Story” by Maia Vota
2nd Place (TIED): “The Journey Ahead” by Zoë Kendrick
3rd Place: “Strength and Perseverance” by Zachary Clark & John Cote

JAMIE KANZLER AWARD ( Two Winners): “Barren” by Xiuyuan Chen, Shangyou Li, Shixue Shao & Zirui Liu,  “Landon’s Story” by Landon Potvin & “Strengths and Weaknesses” by Kianna Stone

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2018 Film Contest Winners

COLLEGE & YOUNG ADULT

• Vermont History and Contemporary Issues

1st Place:  “Wagging Tales” by Scarlett Clark
2nd Place:  “Acknowledged” by Anna Steeley
3rd Place: “Spaces in Between” by Maxwell Cornell

• Vermont Arts & Culture

1st Place: “Vioces of Tibet” by Jeffrey Lloyd
2nd Place: “Genese Grill (an artistic profile)” by Aidan Patterson

• Personal Stories

1st Place:  “Ingredients” by Dominique Cornacchia & McKenzie Cordell
2nd Place: “Still a Voice” by Kaylee Mumford, Veronica Minor, & Caroline Noll
3rd Place: “.Inside.” by Blake Donovan, Christian Acosta, Eliza Connolly
Judges’ Pick: “Swing At Life” by Graham Stillman

HIGH SCHOOL

• Vermont History and Contemporary Issues

1st Place: “Freefall” by Riley Allen
2nd Place: “Black Lives Matter Flag Raising at Burlington High School” by Maia Vota
Judges’ Pick: “The Pavilion Dilemma” by Ian Carpenter

• Vermont Arts & Culture

1st Place: “In Search of [Upper Valley] Driving Heaven” by Eli Kaliski
2nd Place: “Boy Scouts – A Documentary” by Joseph Nakamura
3rd Place: “Vermont Is” by Randi Carpenter

• Personal Stories

1st Place (TIED): “ALL IN ORDER” by Nicholas Fish & Dan Denton
1st Place (TIED): “Inside My Heart There Is A Lemon” by Leah Kaliski
2nd Place: “Rejection” by Amanda Adams
3rd Place: “The Art of the Soul” by Nicholas Garland
Judges Pick: “What Vermont Means to Me- An Artist” by Jamilynn Paquette

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Vermont Arts & Culture

1st Place:  “Dan & Whit’s: If We Don’t Have it, You Don’t Need It” By Soren Stettenheim & Finn Duncan

• Vermont History and Contemporary Issues

1st Place: “The Line” by Lena Ashooh

SPECIAL PRIZES

JAMIE KANZLER AWARD ( Two Winners): “Cool Sugar” by Aleksander Cherkasov AND “Abandonment” by Tyler DeForge

VERMONT FILM INSTITUTE AWARD: “Freefall” by Riley Allen

TECHNICAL MERIT PRIZE: “Creative Vision” by Gavin Owens

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2017 Film Contest Winners

COLLEGE & YOUNG ADULT

• Vermont History and Contemporary Issues

1st Place: We Are Vermont by Emily Potts and Dillon Walsh

2nd Place: We’ll See By Colleen Goodhue

3rd Place: Dead Meat: The Modern Relationship with Wild Animals by Peter Ackerman

• Vermont Arts & Culture

1st Place: Sweet Life: A VT “Luv” Story by Nathan Byrne

2nd Place: Fisherman’s Dream by Jay Austin

3rd Place: Dean Andrews by Ryan Scutt and Dean Andrews

• Personal Stories

1st Place: Muddy Footprints by Scarlett Clark

2nd Place: Safe Harbor by Tyler Bradley

3rd Place: Dichotomy by Aenea Thorne

HIGH SCHOOL

• Vermont History and Contemporary Issues

1st Place: Tension in the Air by Sevi Burget-Foster

2nd Place: The Search for the Missing Snow Bank by Sasha Cherkasov

3rd Place: Pure Horsepower by Ian Carpenter

• Vermont Arts & Culture

1st Place TIED: Transformation Vacation by Cady Ray

1st Place TIED: Cervena Trojkolka by Leah Kaliski

2nd Place: Bringing Creativity to Vermont by Amanda Adams

3rd Place: Lucian Avery: Vermont Blacksmith by Matthew Dailey, Randy Putvain, Jacob Edgerly, and Isaiah Gaskell

• Personal Stories

1st Place: A Tale of Two Travelers by Lyla Stettenheim and Daphnie Friedman

2nd Place: Looking Back At Me by Alex Escaja

3rd Place: Why Do I Make Films by Mason Mashtare

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Vermont History and Contemporary Issues

1st Place:  Marion Pritchard: Vermont’s Unsung Holocaust Hero by Jayme Billings

2nd Place: Thetford Hill – The Story of a Building by Kway Antwi, Jr., Beatrice Raiken, Aidan Cronan, Izaiah Kol

3rd Place: Homeschooling – Freedom in Education by Faith and Joy Holzhammer

• Personal Stories & Vermont Arts and Culture

1st Place: Making Furniture in Vermont by Soren Stettenheim and Gil Gordon

2nd Place: Bullying: Mosaic Movie by Elizabeth Spurr

3rd Place: Boy * Music * Love by Bradley McCabe

SPECIAL PRIZES

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD: We are Vermont  by Emily Potts and Dillon Walsh

BEST ETHNOGRAPHIC FILM AWARD: Looking Back At Me by Alex Escaja

BEST ENVIRONMENTAL FILM: Regenerative Agriculture by Kira Boucher, Colette Anton and Honnee McManus

COMMUNITY STORY TELLING AWARD: Roll Like Thunder by Paul Snyder

JAMIE KANZLER EXPERIMENTAL FILM AWARD: How I Became Me by Lia Callahan

JUDGE’S PICK: 4 Days in Philly by Noah Detzer

JUDGE’S PICK: Acing It by Pearl McLeod

VERMONT MOVIE WORK-IN-PROGRESS AWARD: Hidden Blue Prints by Jeremy Lee Mackenzie

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2016 Film Contest Winners

Contemporary Issues – HIGH SCHOOL

1st Place: Young and Queer Vermont by Alex Escaja, South Burlington High School

2nd Place: Lost Then Found: The Lost Boys of Sudan Encounter a Whole New World by Jayme Billings, Browns River Middle School

3rd Place: Distributing Days for Girls Feminine Hygiene kits in Rwanda, Africa by Aenea Mead, Harwood Union High School

Contemporary Issues – YOUNG ADULTS

1st Place: The Richer Whiter State: Seeing Race in Vermont Schools by Laurel & Alyssa Chen

2nd Place: Shame On Me by Andrew Woodman, Green Mountain College

3rd Place: Kelly Burke by Sophie Bodnar, CATV8

Vermont History – HIGH SCHOOL

1st Place: The Saint Albans Raid by Laurent Gagne, Bellows Free Academy

2nd Place (two winners): Vermont Skiing History: Turning Points by Sam Strohbehn, Hanover High School and Exploring the History of the Undersell Schoolhouse by Faryal Afsar, Mount Mansfield H.S.

3rd Place: Ticonderoga by Ethan Bray, Northwestern Technical Center

Vermont History – YOUNG ADULTS

1st Place: The Ghastliness by Chico Eastridge

2nd Place: Vermont 1918 by Shaynelle Francis

Personal Films – HIGH SCHOOL

1st Place: Peace or Prozac by Leah Kaliski, Thetford Academy

2nd Place: God Left Me With A Voice by Abi Murphy, Northwest Technical Center

3rd Place (2 winners): European Skull Mounts by Sam Scott, Middlebury Union High School/D.O. and A Letter I’ll Never Send to the Father Who Should Have Been There by Emily Williams, Hartford Area Career and Technology Center

Personal Films – YOUNG ADULTS

1st Place: Stolen by Rhea Hayes & Alex Schlater, Champlain College

2nd Place: Champlain College Climbs Smuggler’s Notch by Nathan Gobes, Champlain College

3rd Place: Sincerely, Vermont by James Abrams, Rochester Institute of Technology

Art and Culture – HIGH SCHOOL

1st Place: A Vermont Fairytale by Cady Ray & Eva Nichols, Poultry High School

2nd Place (2 winners): Backwoods: A Visual Poem by Ben Shumlin, The Putney School and Vermont is Adventure by Jayvian Poitras, Central Vermont Career Center

3rd Place: Getting Down To Business by Cameron Fennel & Nick Velau, Central Vermont Career Center

Art and Culture – YOUNG ADULTS

1st Place: Hunting & Fishing in Vermont by Martha Howe, Green Mountain College

2nd Place: Baseball in Vermont by Paul Snyder, Northwest Access TV

3rd Place: Good Sports with Jasper Goodman Featuring Norwich University Men’s Ice Hockey Program by Jay Austin, WDEV Radio Vermont

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 2015 Film Contest Winners

DOCUMENTARY (14-18)

1st Place: Blue Light: Living in a Technology Addicted World by Ben Shumlin

2nd Place: Home Away… New England Youth Theater by Aja Selbach-Broad

3rd Place: Education: A Student’s Story by Kaelan Sellback

DOCUMENTARY (18-25)

1st Place (tied): Brewers First by Christopher Williams and Brewtopia by Andrew Woodman & Russell Stone

2nd Place (tied): Vtrees by Jacob Covell, Devin Clark, Matt Woodward & Others and Marching With 400,000 by Erica Lygren, Katherine Christensen, Minahil Ghafoor, and Yenny Martin

FICTION (14-18)

1st Place & Judge’s Pick: Home by Danielle Hazleton

2nd Place (tied) & Judge’s Pick: Race to Vermont by Anna Steeley and The Scarecrow — A Haunting in Vermont by Martin VanBuren

3rd Place: Bigfoot: A Vermont Legend by Shaynelle Francis, Sebastian Durfree, Siobhan Crosier, Hawke Sleigh, Tiffany Martin, Imoni Davis, Meagan Hurley

FICTION (18-25)

1st Place: A Year Without a Colander by Lillian Schley, Emma Holliday, Ian Burnette, Eben Brown, Eric Downing, Laura Hoffman

ANIMATION (14-18)

1st Place (tied): How Vermonters Deal with the Cold Weather by Becky Kelecy and Herman & Rob by Sam Caswell

2nd Place (tied): An Interview with Sabra Field by Damien Murray

2nd Place (tied) & Judge’s Pick: My Movie 2 by Laura Borchers

3rd Place & Judge’s Pick: The Life of Max Judas by Max Judas

EXPERIMENTAL (14-18)

1st Place (tied): Welcome to Vermont by Alissa Keogh and Vermont Will Aid Your Vision by Oliver Hobbitzelle and Nick Nourse

2nd Place & Judge’s Pick: My Experience: What Vermont Means to Me by Rhiannon Mattison

2nd Place (tied): Angela’s Documentary by Angela Murphy

EXPERIMENTAL (18-25)

1st Place & Judge’s Pick: What Does VT Mean to Me? by Matthew Binginot