After breaking its attendance record, Film Prize Junior’s 2025 festival came to a close yesterday during a live broadcast Awards Ceremony where the winning films were announced and over $18,000 in scholarships and media grants were awarded. The festival, presented by the Prize Foundation, was part of Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s Artbreak! Festival and featured screenings of a record-breaking 115 films from 63 schools across the state of Louisiana, 30 of which were Title One schools. A diverse group of student filmmakers from across the state and their teachers, families, and friends filled the Film Prize Junior theaters and voted for their favorite films for the Audience Choice winners.
Film Prize Junior is the student version of the Prize Foundation’s independent film program and competition, the Louisiana Film Prize. Film Prize Junior is open to high school and middle school students across the state of Louisiana. The competition was created by Tobias Kallenberg, son of Film Prize founder Gregory Kallenberg, and aims to incentivize students to become engaged in the collaborative art of filmmaking and creative entrepreneurship. Thee program and competition guides students through the entire process from screenwriting to production to marketing of the film.
“Film Prize Junior is one of the most ambitious and inspiring things we get to do,” said Gregory Kallenberg, Executive Director and Founder of the Prize Foundation. “Seeing this many films produced by students, and all the kids and their teachers having the time of their lives at the festival is the coolest!”
In addition to viewing and voting for films, the festival featured a virtual and live red carpet for the student filmmakers, film industry-led mentorship panels for students and their teachers, and Production Island, an interactive exhibit staffed by members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), University of Louisiana Monroe, and local independent filmmakers. Production Island gave students the opportunity for guided, hands-on access to cameras, lighting, and sound equipment and access to live demonstrations for hair, makeup and prop making.
This year’s festival also offered a free filmmaking masterclass for Caddo Parish students. The masterclass featured instruction and exercises for middle school and high school students in the art and science of filmmaking. 2025 also saw the return of a poster design contest, voted on by festival attendees and sponsored by Troubled Muse Studios. The awards on Sunday were a standing-room-only affair, filled with students and teachers cheering on each other as the winners were called by the Film Prize Junior Staff.
Film Prize Junior 2025 Winners
In the high school division, a panel of industry professionals voted for the Judges’ Choice Award, which was presented to Rated from Caddo Parish Magnet High School. The school received a $1,500 media grant along with $1,000 to the sponsoring teacher and $500 for a student celebration. The Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film went to All for the Win from Green Oaks Performing Arts Academy. Each school will receive a $1,500 equipment grant for the school, $250 award for the sponsoring teacher, and $500 for student celebration.
For the middle school division, the Judge’s Choice Award went to The Link from the Holy Family Homeschooling Group. The school received a $1,500 media grant along with $1,000 to the sponsoring teacher and $500 for a student celebration. The Audience Choice Award went to Behind the Ballet from Southfield School, earning a $1,500 equipment grant for the school, $250 award for the sponsoring teacher, and $500 for student celebration.
Films were also recognized for best in genre. For high school, Best Animation went to Death Finds Life from Caddo Parish Magnet High School; Best Comedy to Zeke vs. Zeke from Benjamin Franklin High School; Best Documentary to Street Rider from Istrouma High School; Best Drama resulted in a tie between Last Breath from Bossier Parish School for Technology & Innovative Learning and Physics Theatre Spanish Dance from Baton Rouge Magnet High; Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy to See You Tomorrow from Central High School; and Best
Thriller (also a tie) between Acceptance from Prairieville High School and #9 from Bossier Parish School for Technology & Innovative Learning.
For middle school, Best Animation went both to Crisp Wisp from Benton Middle School; Best Comedy was a tie between Scurry from Caddo Middle Magnet and Ghost Boy from T. H. Harris Middle School; Best Documentary to Behind the Ballet from Southfield School; Best Drama also resulted in a tie between The Big Ask from South Highlands Elementary and Masks from Sterlington Middle School; Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy to The Link from the Holy Family Homeschooling Group; and Best Thriller to The Unexpected from Community School for Apprenticeship Learning.
For the Film Poster Contest, the winning poster for the high school division was Tengo una Idea from Tara High School, and Untied Shoelaces from St. Joseph’s School won the middle school division. Each winning poster will earn the student designers honors and a certificate, a $250 prize for the sponsoring teacher, and a $1500 tech bundle including a Mac Mini and accessories for the student’s school.
In addition to the best of genres and poster art, select films were chosen by the judges’ panel to receive a Founder’s Circle award. The Founder’s Circle provides $250 reimbursable grants to the schools to create films for next year’s festival.
For high school films, the Founder’s Circle awards went to the following films: See Me from Hammond Magnet School; Count Your Lucky Stars from Caddo Virtual Academy; and Dear Lover from Eleanor McMain Senior High School.
For middle school films, the Founder’s Circle awards went to the following films: Never Give Up from Fairfield Magnet Elementary; The Slip from T.H. Harris Middle School; and The Day It All Happened from Fisher Middle/High School.
For those unable to attend the festival, Film Prize Junior will be hosting a Virtual Festival from May 8th until May 15th where the general public can view and vote online for their favorite student films. For more information about the program and to view the films and vote, visit FilmPrizeJr.com/louisiana.
The Prize Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 and based out of Shreveport, LA. Our mission is to promote economic growth, workforce development, youth job training, creative class entrepreneurial buildout and increased tourism through education, entrepreneurship, conferences, contests and festivals in Shreveport and Northwest Louisiana.
The Prize Foundation operates six major initiatives year-round: Louisiana Film Prize, Film Prize Junior, Startup Prize, Food Prize, Music Prize, and Fashion Prize. Each Prize has a qualification process, engagement with economic and cultural resources, and an educational component.
Photo credit: Jeremy Hernandez
