The Awards
Every film starts as Applied, can be selected for This Year’s festival or for Competition, and the Academy names Top Nominees and Winners in each category. Here is what each prize is, how categories work and who has won.
The prizes
Each competitive section has its own top prize, given in every one of its categories. Open a prize to see what it honours, its categories, past winners and pictures.
Golden Beaver
Top prize of the International section.
Open → GMNationalGolden Maple
Top prize of the National section, for Canadian films.
Open → TIIndigenousTurtle Island Award
Top prize of the Indigenous section.
Open → GKMade by KidsGolden Kit
Top prize of Made by Kids. A kit is a baby beaver.
Open →Special awards
Given across the festival, in any section.
Special Jury Prize
For a stand-out achievement: a young performance, an idea, a craft.
Open → PBPeople's Beaver
Audience award, decided by public vote.
Open → LBLittle Beaver (Kids' Jury)
Chosen by a jury of young people.
Open → SMSpecial Mention
Honourable mention from the jury.
Open →How a film wins
- Applied — the film is entered through our submission form or FilmFreeway.
- Display only or Competition — our programmers select films for the festival. Films in Competition are judged in their section and for their crew roles.
- Top Nominee — the Academy's first round of voting names the best films and performances in each category.
- Special awards — a jury, a kids' jury and the public can honour stand-out films and people.
- Winner — the top prize of the section in each category. Every badge stays on the film page and on each crew member's profile for good.
See every category Rules & terms
Nominees & winners
Nominees and winners are coming soon
Once the Academy finishes voting, the Top Nominees and Winners of every category appear here, and stay here for every year to come.