2025 Finalists and Winners

Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Charley Pride

Charley Pride (1934–2020) was a pioneering American country music legend, acclaimed for breaking racial barriers and transforming the face of the genre. Born in the small town of Sledge, Mississippi, Pride grew up in a sharecropping family and developed a deep love for music while working the cotton fields. Before his rise to fame, he pursued a career in professional baseball, playing for several Negro League and minor league teams — a reflection of his determination and drive long before stepping onto a stage.

In the 1960s, Pride’s unmistakable baritone voice and soulful storytelling caught the attention of country music fans across the United States. At a time when racial segregation still deeply divided the nation, he became the first Black artist to achieve major success in country music, a genre long dominated by white performers. His career took off with songs like “Just Between You and Me” and “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” eventually leading to one of his biggest hits, “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’,” which became an international anthem of love and optimism.

Over the course of his career, Pride recorded more than 50 Top 10 hits, including 29 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. His achievements earned him three Grammy Awards, multiple Country Music Association (CMA) honors—including Entertainer of the Year (1971) and Male Vocalist of the Year (1971 and 1972)—and induction into both the Grand Ole Opry (1993) and the Country Music Hall of Fame (2000). In 2017, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy, recognizing his extraordinary influence on American music and culture.

Beyond his accolades, Charley Pride’s journey stands as a powerful story of resilience, humility, and trailblazing courage. In an era of limited opportunities for Black performers in country music, he opened doors for future generations of diverse artists. His artistry bridged cultural divides and proved that music has the power to unite people beyond color or background.

Until his passing in December 2020, Pride remained an active performer, beloved by audiences for his warmth, authenticity, and faith in the human spirit. Today, he is remembered not only as a country music icon but also as a symbol of perseverance, grace, and the enduring power of hope through song.

A highlight of the Jackson Doc Fest Award Gala is the Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest honors in film, entertainment, and music. This award recognizes an individual whose enduring contributions, influence, and legacy have left a lasting impact over the course of their career, rather than for a single work or performance.

FESTIVAL SPECIAL AWARD

WINNER:

“Grown Up” – Hyeyeong Jang (South Korea)

Grown Up is a deeply moving and personal documentary by Hyeyeong Jang, who turns the camera on herself and her younger sister Hyejung, a woman with a developmental disability. After spending 18 years confined in a residential facility, Hyejung finally returns home to live with her sister. What begins as a hopeful reunion soon unfolds into an honest and emotional portrait of two women learning how to live together again — not just as siblings, but as individuals navigating love, frustration, and freedom.

The film captures their daily struggles and quiet triumphs, showing moments of tenderness, conflict, and mutual discovery. Through her sister’s journey toward independence, Jang confronts her own fears, prejudices, and the meaning of “becoming an adult.” The camera becomes both a witness and a mirror, reflecting the complex reality of caregiving, self-determination, and family responsibility in modern society.

Beyond their personal story, Grown Up shines a light on broader social issues in South Korea — particularly the institutionalization of people with disabilities, the lack of social support for families, and the need for deinstitutionalization and inclusive welfare reform. Jang’s compassionate storytelling and quiet courage invite audiences to rethink the meaning of dignity, independence, and coexistence.

Since its release, the documentary has been screened and acclaimed at major film festivals, including the EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF), the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival, and the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival. Critics praised it for its intimate cinematography, emotional honesty, and unflinching social consciousness.

Following the success of the film, Hyeyeong Jang emerged as a prominent voice in human rights and social activism. She later entered the National Assembly of Korea, where she continues to advocate for disability rights, women’s empowerment, and social justice — extending the mission of her film into real-world change.

Grown Up stands as a poetic and transformative story of love, growth, and responsibility — a film that reminds us that to become an adult is not merely to grow older, but to learn how to live together with others in truth and compassion.

AMERICAN HISTORY - FEATURE

WINNER:

“How To Build A Library” – Maia Lekow, Chris King (Kenya)

Two intrepid Nairobi women decide to transform what used to be a whites-only library until 1958 into a vibrant cultural hub. Along the way, they must navigate local politics, raise millions for the rebuild, and confront the lingering ghosts of Kenya’s colonial past.

FINALIST:

• “A Piece of Ground” – Sesihle Manzini (South Africa)
• “Courage to Thrive” – Josh Sikkema, Kamin Samuel (United States)
• “Heading West 2: If The Lions Don’t Tell Their Story” – Donald Dew (United States)
• “My Mind To Me A Kingdom Is: The Legacy of Dr. Jane Ellen McAllister” – David Rae Morris (United States)

AMERICAN HISTORY - SHORT

WINNER:

“Chrisman Blues” – Ted Fisher (United States)

Cleveland, Mississippi was the last American city to desegregate. Chrisman Avenue is a three-mile long road about a half mile from Cleveland’s downtown. Once the center of a thriving Black Business District, Chrisman has seen decades of history and cultural change, but now sits nearly forgotten. Five graduates of East Side High School tell us their memories of Chrisman and their thoughts on the history they have lived through.

FINALIST:

• “Anhanguera, 92″ – Huli de Paula Balász, Ma Gonzaga (Brazil)
• “Everything is Everything” – Kin Marie (United States)
• “Voices of the Academy” – Latoria Hicks (United States)

EAST ASIAN - FEATURE

WINNER:

“Third Act” – Tadashi Nakamura (United State)

Cleveland, Mississippi was the last American city to desegregate. Chrisman Avenue is a three-mile long road about a half mile from Cleveland’s downtown. Once the center of a thriving Black Business District, Chrisman has seen decades of history and cultural change, but now sits nearly forgotten. Five graduates of East Side High School tell us their memories of Chrisman and their thoughts on the history they have lived through.

FINALIST:

• “Ceramic Utopia” – Vincent ZHENG (China)
• “Fists and Prayers: The Life of Iwao Hakamada” – Chiaki Kasai (Japan)
• “IRABŪ of the Kudaka Island, Okinawa” – Kazuo OKADA, Yuki SUZUKI (Japan)
• “Mistress Dispeller” – Elizabeth Lo (United States)
• “POLIBOY” – Daehyun Kim (South Korea)
• “The Sense of Violence” – Mooyoung Kim (South Korea)

EAST ASIAN - SHORT

WINNER:

“Paris to Pyongyang” – Helen Lee (United States)

In the film, Lee weaves together personal memory, archival material and diasporic reflection to explore a remarkable 1950s journey: a group of Parisian intellectuals and filmmakers, including Chris Marker and Claude Lanzmann, visited the newly-formed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) — a trip that intersects with Lee’s own family history (her grandmother’s claimed allegiance during the Korean War) and the broader story of Korean diaspora and identity. Tënk+2diaff.org+2
Using a mix of personal voice-over, water imagery that evokes memory and boundary-crossing, archival footage and reenactment, the film becomes both a portrait of divided histories and a meditative inquiry into how art, politics and migration shape our sense of belonging.

Helen Lee is a Korean-Canadian filmmaker and artist known for her poetic, cross-cultural explorations of identity, migration, and memory. Based in Toronto, she often blends documentary, essay, and experimental forms to examine diasporic histories and the emotional landscapes of displacement. Her works, including Paris to Pyongyang, reflect a deeply personal yet globally resonant approach to storytelling that bridges the political and the intimate through archival imagery, voice, and reflection.

FINALIST:

• “Island in Between” – S. Leo Chiang (Taiwan)
• “Last May in Theaters” – Arief Budiman (Indonesia, South Korea)
• “Pulse of Chongqing” – George Georgakopoulos (Greece)

HUMANITY - FEATURE

WINNER:

“Songs of Slow Burning Earth” – Olha Zhurba (Ukraine)

An audiovisual diary of Ukraine’s immersion into the abyss of the first two years of Russia’s full invasion, made up of places, occasional characters, rare dialogues, intraframe sounds and silences which, when put together, capture the chronology of how the war became normalised. Against the backdrop of this (meta)physical landscape of collective disaster, a new generation of Ukrainians aspires to imagine the future.

FINALIST:

• “Food For Those In Need” – Leonardo Brant (Brazil)
• “GEN_” – Gianluca Matarrese (France, Italy, Switzerla)
• “Grand Me” – Rebecca Park (South Korea)
• “GREAT LEGACY in the Philippines” – Rebecca Park (South Korea)
• “Homegrown” – Michael Premo (United States)
• “Palliative Care Unit” – Philipp Döring (Germany)
• “PATOU: In Black & White” – Fiona Cochrane (Australia)
• “Section 1591_Sex trafficking of children in the U.S.A” – Dan Poole, Cort Kristensen (United Kingdom)
• “Snowland” – Jill Orschel (United States)
• “The Next Chapter” – Russ van Aardt (South Africa)
• “The Treasure Hunter” – Giacomo Gex (United Kingdom)
• “Through The Boullevard of Mists: Biket Ilhan” – Mehmet Güreli (Turkey)
• “Time to the Target” – Vitaly Mansky (Latvia)
• “When Lightning Flashes Over The Sea” – Eva Neymann (Germany, Ukraine)

HUMANITY - SHORT

WINNER:

“Your Last Best: A Memphis Rox Story” – Glen Janssens (United States)

Your Last Best: A Memphis Rox Story is a 16-minute documentary by Glen Janssens that follows the Memphis Rox climbing gym in South Memphis—a pay-what-you-can community space where climbing becomes a metaphor for resilience and equality. Through the personal stories of local residents, including the late Jarmond Johnson, whose tragic death by gun violence shook the community, the film reveals both the fragility and strength of hope in underserved neighborhoods. It captures how Memphis Rox transforms grief into purpose, showing how access, dignity, and shared struggle can help people keep climbing—together.

FINALIST:

• “’We’ll make it home together’: Suzanne and Simone, a friendship at Ravensbrück camp” – Stéphanie Trouillard, Claire Paccalin (France)
• “20 Years and Other Untranslatabilities” – Alexandra Kumala (Indonesia)
• “All-American Ruins: Nevele Grand Hotel” – Angel Gatesk (United States)
• “Death By Numbers” – Kim A Snyder (United States)
• “Endangered Albinos in the Kasai, DR-Congo” – Ruphin Kalala (Congo)
• “Frankenstein Too” – Chris Jones, C.W. Jones (United States)
• “Heal avec Delphine” – Delphine Breyne ((United States)
• “Human History” – Youcef Hollywood (United Kingdom)
• “Jade Earrings of the Last Empress” – Lin Zuo, Marlin Darrah (United States)
• “Liam & Friends” – Chad Blain (Canada)
• “Pandora’s Butterfly” – Shady George (Egypt)
• “Shining Light” – Robbie Hart (Canada)
• “The Language of Light: Ashley Gilbertson” – Fiona Cochrane (Australia)

EQUALITY - FEATURE

WINNER:

“Night and Fog in Kurdistan” – Shilan Saadi (Belgium, Canada, Georgia, Iran, Islamic Republic of, Turkey)

Night and Fog in Kurdistan is a documentary that tells the powerful story of seven Yazidi teenagers who survived the 2014 ISIS genocide. Directed by a Kurdish woman filmmaker with firsthand experience of war and displacement, the film follows their five-year migration journey from refugee camps in Turkey to relocation in Europe. Using innovative mixed methods of documentary making—graphics, maps, archival research, and storytelling—it documents the lasting trauma of genocide, the gendered and intersectional impacts of displacement, and the resilience of these young women as they turn their cameras on themselves, sharing their survival and growth through multiple displacements.

FINALIST:

• “CLOSURE” – Ken Brosky (France)
• “Deserted” – Ian Wilson (Canada)
• “Eitai – Community Togetherness” – sally bashford-squires (United Kingdom)
• “Emerge – The creative journey of visual artists” – Sacha Hulsebosch (Australia)
• “I Am Irani” – Farhad Irani (Iran)
• “I’ve Already Died Three Times” – Maxence Vassilyevitch (France)
• “Jinwar (Women’s Village)” – Nadia Derwish (Syrian Arab Republic)

EQUALITY - SHORT

WINNER:

“Mother v. Maricopa County” – Kristin Atwell Ford (United States)

When a young mother, Sherri Chessen, discovers she has taken Thalidomide, a drug that severely causes severe fetal anomalies she makes the heartbreaking decision to end the pregnancy. It is 1962 and abortion is illegal in the United States. Her doctor and the hospital approve a private therapeutic abortion, but news of the operation is leaked to the press before it can be performed. Sherri and her husband sue the state for her right to medical care. What ensues is shell game between the prosecutor, the hospital, and patient.

FINALIST:

• “No Kings” – David Tardiff (United States)
• “Other World” – Majid Farzolahi (Iran)
• “The Absence” – Edgar Omar Alejandro Gutierrez Neri (Mexico)
• “The Art of Repair” – Gabriel Diamond (United States)
• “The Callers” – Lindsey Dryden (United Kingdom)
• “The Dance of Darkness” – Omar G. Neri (Mexico)

ENVIRONMENT - FEATURE

WINNER:

“Only on Earth” – Robin Petré (Denmark)

Only on Earth (2025) by Robin Petré is a poetic and visually striking documentary-feature that journeys into the fire-prone landscapes of southern Galicia in Spain during an unprecedentedly hot and dry summer. polarstarfilms.com+2berlinale.de+2 Through the eyes of wild horses, a young cowboy, a dedicated equine veterinarian, a seasoned firefighter and a farming family on the frontline, the film explores how human and animal lives are intertwined as both confront escalating wildfire risk, environmental change and a fragile balance between nature and human development.

Robin Petré is an award-winning Danish documentary filmmaker based in Copenhagen, known for her visually poetic explorations of the relationship between humans, animals, and the natural world. A graduate of the Doc Nomads program and a Berlinale Talents alum, her films—such as From the Wild Sea and Only on Earth—blend immersive imagery and empathy to examine themes of climate change, coexistence, and resilience across fragile ecosystems.

FINALIST:

• “Adriana a Passenger from Italy” – Habib Alvani (Iran)
• “Animal Culture (Best Of)” – Alexandra Ternant (France)
• “Collective Monologue” – Jessica Sarah Rinland (Argentina, United Kingdom)
• “Earth’s Greatest Enemy” – Abby Martin, Mike Prysner (United States)
• “Fighting For Florida” – Wilson McCourtney (United States)
• “Home is the Ocean” – Livia Vonaeschi (Switzerland)
• “The Invisible Mammal” – Kristin Tieche (United States)
• “The Wolves Always Come At Night” – Gabrielle Brady (Australia, Germany, Mongolia)
• “To Use a Mountain” – Casey Carterh (United States)

ENVIRONMENT - SHORT

WINNER:

“Rock | Plastic | Salmon” – Josh “Bones” Murphy (Canada)

Newfoundlanders have always been a resilient people, and, for many, moving past the economic and socio-cultural trauma of the 1992 cod moratorium presents two options. Do they continue down the path of industrial fisheries, this time in the form of salmon farming, or do they forge a new path founded on a conservation economy? Our film follows communities on the South Coast of Newfoundland and the unsung heroes who call it home. Told through the vivid and unmistakably local voices, we see individuals and communities standing up to the industrial scale salmon farming in an effort to protect the landscapes and way of life they love.

FINALIST:

• “Asphalt Wounds” – Uber Gualinga (Ecuador)
• “Australia-the Beautiful” – Chris Tangey (Australia)
• “Echoes of Menchul” – Sophia Bihailo (Ukraine)
• “Small is Beautiful” – Carolyn M. Scott (United States)
• “The Congress” – Eko Krisna (Indonesia)
• “The Conscience Files” – Brian Bolster (United States)
• “The Man of the Trees” – Abdrea Trivero (Italy)
• “Trashy Waters” – Randal Crow, Ingrid Pfau (United States)

RELIGION AND FAITH - FEATURE

WINNER:

“Maestro Roman Toi Beautiful Songs I Ddicate To You” – Kalli Paakspuu (Canada)

Germany disbands their radio choirs for their war effort and Estonian composer and conductor Roman Toi gets a rare opportunity to introduce Estonian music to the world.He organizes a choir of exiled opera singers in Poland and broadcasts news and music performed by the exiled Estonian musicians through the iron curtain to their war torn and occupied homeland. Based on Roman Toi’s (2007)autobiography “Kaunimad laulud pühendad sull”(”Most beautiful songs I dedicate to you”) featuring rarely heard archival broadcast recordings by Estonia’s eminent musicians. VeljoTormis’s “Curse upon Iron”is sung byGrammy winning Estonian Philharmonica Chamber Choir conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste.

For five decades then Estonian-Canadian Maestro Roman Toi composed and conducted choral works and toured a Singing Revolution worldwide to restore freedom and democracy to the Republic of Estonia.

The film follows Roman Toi’s life through his music and historical events starting from the early 1900’s, through Estonian Independence, World War II and then the refugee years in Germany featuring incredible 16mm footage,photography and archival broadcast recordings. Adapted from Roman Toi’s autobiography with broadcast recordings of Roman Toi’s music performed by his choirs and eminent Estonian musicians to the socially engaged photography of early photo journalist Karl Hintser who follows the Estonian musicians’ escape to Danzig and to Germany’s Displaced Persons camps. American Julien Bryan’s photography of prewar daily life in Poland, Soviet Union, featuring Nazi Germany’s assault on modern art at the popular and the infamous Entartete Kunst [Degenerate Art] exhibition in Munich in1937.

FINALIST:

• “8 GENERATIONS: Like Father, Like Son” – Kris Boykin (United States)
• “American Orthodox” – American Orthodox (United States)
• “Love Among Ruins” – Jacek Komorowski (Poland)
• “MEARS: How One Woman Changed American Christianity” – Rob Loos (United States)
• “Moirai” – Bo Zhou (China)

RELIGION AND FAITH - SHORT

WINNER:

“Fiddler on the Moon: Judaism in Space” – Daniel A. Miller, Seth Kramer, Jeremy Newberger (United States)

FIDDLER ON THE MOON, a half-hour documentary short, finally answers the question that has plagued scientists, theologians, and comedians for millennia: Will Judaism survive in space? Starring Neil deGrasse Tyson, astronauts Jeffrey Hoffman and Jessica Meir, and a quorum of rabbis and researchers.

FINALIST:

• “A Still Small Voice” – Nolan Dean, Laney Gradus (United States)
• “Across the Icy Desert” – Bartek Zytkowiak (Poland)
• “Every Day But Sunday” – Susan Young, Danielle Mannion (United States)
• “Gangsta to Grace: The Prodigal Daughter Returns” – Letitia Scott Jackson, Valerie Denise Jones (United States)
• “Faithful Defenders” – Barbara Jean Hall (United States)
• “Havra Street” – Mehmet Yıldız (Turkey)

SOCIAL JUSTICE - FEATURE

WINNER:

“Khartoum” – Anas Saaed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Phil Cox (Germany, Qatar, Sudan, United Kingdom)

From the metropolis of Khartoum five Sudanese characters: a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer, and two street boys all in search of freedom, have their stories unexpectedly woven together through animated dreams, street revolutions and a civil war.

FINALIST:

• “American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies” – Marty Riemer (United States)
• “Antidote” – James Jones (United Kingdom)
• “Blowing in the Wind” – Eyad Aljarod (United States)
• “Coexistence, My Ass!” – Amber Fares (United States)
• “Cutting Through Rocks” – Sara Khaki (United States)
• “Democracy Under Siege” – Laura Nix (Belgium)
• “Harm in the Water” – Kendall Moore (United States)
• “Holloway” – Sophie compton, Daisy-May Hudson (United Kingdom)
• “I DIED” – Ana Ts’uyeb (Mexico)
• K-Number” – Seyoung Jo (South Korea)
• “Life After” – Reid Davenport (United States)
• “Make It Look Real” – Kate Blackmoret (Australia)
• “SEX WORK It’s Just a Job” – Tami Kashia Gold, Bienvenida Matias (United States)
• “Susan” – Lina Vdovîi (Romania)
• “Tata” – Marie Tavernier (United States)
• “Yvon” – Tami Kashia Gold, Bienvenida Matias (United States)
• “¿Are We There Yet? A Compassionate Exploration of Contemporary Migration” – Thomas Andrew Hoebbel (United States)

SOCIAL JUSTICE - SHORT

WINNER:

“Beneath the Same Sky” – Christine Kane (United States)

In the borderlands of El Paso, Texas, Fidel confronts the complex reality of his life as a Border Patrol agent. Finding himself at the edge of two nations, he works to enforce the law while uncovering the human stories behind the headlines—of dreams pursued and lost, hopes carried and shattered.

FINALIST:

• “A Time for Ourselves” – Eva Poirier (France)
• “Esaro” – Magdalena Wolnik-Mierzwa (Poland)
• “Last May in Theaters” – Arief Budiman (Indonesia, South Korea)
• “Michigan Visits Matter: The Family Cost of Incarceration” – Bryce Mackie (United States)
• “The Amerian Labyrinth III – Sounds of Freedom” – Dr. Karmen Annette Smith (United States)
• “The Return” – Jeremy S. Levine (United States)
• “The Window to Venus” – Zeliha Karakoca (Turkey)

STUDENT FILMS

WINNER:

“Driving Day” – Rosa Kim (South Korea – Dankook University)

Rosa’s father was a paraplegic, and although he was gifted with fine motor skills, he had few opportunities to use them. His way of expressing his love and sacrifice for his family was through driving. An excellent driver, he was always willing to get behind the wheel for his family. One day, seven years ago, he was struck with another terminal illness. As she watched his declining health, Rosa had a breathless dream. Maybe one day she could drive with her father again. Even if it’s just for a day, even if it’s just for an hour, she wants to drive with him again.

WINNER:

“From the Ashes” – Jaden Mason (United States – Taylor University)

After a family tragedy, a mother learns how to persevere with the help of family and community.

WINNER:

“Remembering Together – the Final Flight of CNAC 60” – Selina Lu (United States – Blair Academy)

Remembering Together – The Final Flight of CNAC 60 follows 98-year-old WWII veteran Bob Willett’s three-decade quest to uncover the fate of his cousin, Jimmie Browne — a young American pilot who vanished in 1942 while flying a supply mission for China over the treacherous Himalayas. Through archival footage, eyewitness accounts, and intergenerational encounters, the film captures a mission that became larger than one family’s search. It is a bridge across nations and generations, a testament to courage, sacrifice, and the bonds that survive long after war.

WINNER:

“The Distance Between” – Madeleine Sophia Wilson (United States – Berkeley High School)

Seventeen-year-old Madeline turns the camera inward to explore the long-lasting impact of her parents’ divorce. Through memories, family conversations, and intimate self-reflection, she traces the journey from childhood innocence to teenage understanding — grappling with divided homes, shifting family dynamics, and the arrival of half-siblings. What emerges is a tender coming-of-age portrait of resilience, belonging, and the complicated ways love continues to shape a family long after it breaks apart.

WINNER:

“What is Social Justice?” – Allen Myers (United States – Portland State University) 

“What is Social Justice?” is a collaborative short film created by students in the Social Justice and the Arts program at Portland State University. Guided by professors Darrell Grant and Amanda Singer and filmmaker Allen Myers, the film weaves together community reflections, student artwork, and a collective poetic response to explore the layered meaning of social justice.
From interviews with Portland community members to intimate glimpses of student art-making, the film moves from inquiry to expression. It asks not just for definitions, but for embodiment—for the viewer to engage, reflect, and respond.
This film is one response. The next page is yours. What will you create?

WINNER:

“Özgürlük Yılkıları – Dizginsiz Özgürlük” – Meryem Şahin (Kyrgyzstan)

This documentary explores the inspiring story of Daniar, a young Kyrgyz horseman whose dreams and determination shine against the stunning backdrop of Kyrgyzstan’s mountains and steppes. Known for his performances at the World Nomad Games, Daniar’s life reflects the deep bond between tradition and modernity, symbolizing a culture’s resilience and heritage in a changing world.

FINALIST:

• “A Wall Overgrown” – Silas Gobat (Germany/United States) – Loyola Marymount University)
• “African Roots: The Hearts of Little Black Sheep” – Jordan Gersson Salim (Indonesia)
• “Becoming Jeremy” – Cole Adefuin Aylaian (United States – Menlo-Atherton High School)
• “BrownWhite” – Ruchama Ehrenhalts (Israel – Ma’aleh School of Film and Television in Jerusalem)
• “Calling the Wild” – Brynn Smarrella, Madelin Crawford (United States – Taylor University)
• “Changing Shapes” – Nico Lee (United States – Berkeley High)
• “Cottonwood” – Arian Tomar (United States – USC)
• “Fading Away” – Rukiyye Bayram, Zeynep Keskin (Turkey – Sakarya University)
• “For Isaiah” – Jack Fauser (United States – Taylor University)
• “Ghost Nets” – Ayşenur Sülün (Turkey – Istanbul University)
• “Glitter Pxrn” – Maddie Dimetrosky, Sophie Addison, Sophia Liscockmoret (United States – Colorado College)
• “Hidden Lives” – Nicholas Gao (Hong Kong)
• “If I Had Wings, I Would Fly” – Tirasak Sipilae Simawit (Thailand)
• “In A Better Place” – Joshua Markowitz (United States)
• “Kitty Kathryn Sings The Blues” – Oliver Hufford (United States)
• “Leaving the Nest” – Thomas Andrew Hoebbel (United States – Berkeley High)
• “My Mother Bought a Camera” – Geovana Maria Pimentel Chaves (United States – Berkeley High)
• “Roar & Resilience” – Viren Bhaika (United Kingdom – Harrow School in London)
• “Soil and Copper” – Дарья Артюшковаl (Russian Federation – Moscow State Institute of Culture)
• “The Crown of Exhaustion” – Philipp Kowalski (Germany – Media Science from Bauhaus-Universität Weimar)