It's been tough Nomads. Really tough. We reviewed your documentaries from the edge of our seats; amazed, horrified, inspired, heart broken, and left contemplating our very existence!
We received over 170 entries from every crevice of the earth. The places you are travelling, the people you are meeting and the stories you are telling astound us.
Thank you to everyone for sharing your important stories with us and congratulations to our winner, runners' up and shortlisted applicants, all of which were exceptional.
Judge's comments: This was a beautifully filmed and wonderfully told story. The little story of hope in one family told against the backdrop of a war torn region was engaging and moving without falling into the overtly moralistic or sentimental world. The imagery gave a great sense of the world and narrative a clear and concise structure in such a short space of time. A worthy winner.
UPDATE! Read Cassie's blog about her experiences on assignment in Arnhem Land.
Congratulations Cassie! You will be flying to Arnhem Land with Virgin Australia, joining the World Expeditions Marine Rescue Program. Your assignment under mentorship from Trent O'Donnell is to make a short documentary for Nat Geo Adventure!
RUNNERS' UP
Second Place: Erin Morris - Courage
Judge's comments:This film has a great rawness and energy to it. It was a wonderful character driven piece that gave such a clear sense of one man's plight under incredibly difficult circumstances. The final moment between father and son was handled with lovely observational soft touch.
Third Place: Ernesto Anaya Adalid - 0 Longitude
Judge's comments:A spectacular looking piece with great characters and an interesting tale of bureaucracy in the strait between Alaska and Russia. The film had a great sense of adventure and local community in an incredibly harsh climate. I thought the sense of place was conveyed really well and the visuals showed an wonderful, creative eye.
Fourth Place: Thomas Allan - Letter from Lapland
Judge's comments:If Tom's letter from Lapland is a taste of what's to come from this
aspiring documentary filmmaker then we can't wait to check our inboxes for
the next instalments of his journey. Beautifully shot and scored, it
captures the isolation and haunting beauty of the arctic with a real sense
of warmth. Now if only I could remember where my bike is?
Fifth Place: Ralph Lam - A Short Travel Documentary
Judge's comments:If there's one thing that always gets to me it is finding out what other people are thinking and in Ralph's 'A Short Travel Documentary', that is
exactly what I feel like I'm getting. It's a very simple film, a series of interviews of a handful of travellers passing through one area in Malaysia but the result is terrific. The filmmaker has turned the premise of a travel film on its head and come up with gold - he isn't travelling, everyone else is, he's just capturing their, sometimes amusing, thoughts as they pass by. Why didn't I think of that?
THE SHORTLIST
(In alphabetical order)
Nisar Ahmed - Voice from Pakistan
Rodrigo Alvarez - Mexican Roots
Josephine Boxwell - Rural Voices in British Columbia
Sarah Choi - Stories of Empowerment
Jessica Crump - Rediscovering the Lost City of Columbia
Oana Dragan - Whoa is Me
Simon Doree - Consider This Before You Enlist
Wajeeha Fatima - Hindu Community in Pakistan
Frank Ferendo - The Bridge Diaries
Nate Gross - Arequipa Volunteer Adventure
Jacqui Hocking - Creating Peace Through Cultural Pride
Stephanie McWilliam - Korean Encounters
Analeen Hermans - Tia
Mir Mukarram Hossain - Crama
Manuela Lorga - My Jazz
Noella Marquez - The Art that Lives
Alex Pena - Mexico: Narco Encounters
Ilyas Sarib - Village 14
Danie Van der Westhuzien - A Local Encounter of Hope
Louis Young - Street by Street
Kevin Zeichmann - In the Blood: Tradition of Hunting
Random Award for Awesome Entries!
(Formerly the Nomads Community Choice Award - but our Facebook liking tool had a bug, and we couldn't honestly calculate the likes. We're very, very sorry! So we picked a entry number randomly...)
Goes to Bryan Myers for Composting at Crawford High School
Lucky you Bryan, a new video camera is coming your way!
For all of you aspiring creatives, check out our Scholarships page and sign up to hear about our latest opportunities, tips, advice and interviews with industry professionals in the fields of photography, travel writing and filmmaking.
And if you're lucky enough to be mentored by one of our industry professionals, it could kick start your career!
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