Our winner: Maranatha Hay
The judging panel for the 2009 Documentary Scholarship have weighed in their results to announce this year's winner. As you will see from the winning and shortlisted entries below, the standard was exceptional, giving the judges a very difficult task to separate a winner.
Here are the results....
The Winner....
First Place:
Maranatha Hay
Judge's comments: I was really impressed with Maranatha's film, particularly the way it balanced the personal story with the larger medical issue. It had a strong engaging narrative, an honest, direct approach and great access to the subjects which gave an insight into a world I knew nothing about. It was an incredibly emotional rollercoaster of a film that was remarkably powerful and moving for such a short piece. Maranatha's written application was also excellent. A great effort by a filmmaker with enormous potential.
Congratulations Maranatha! We look forward to seeing your documentary from Vietnam.
Runners Up...
1st Runners Up: Jon Scorer
Judge's Comments: Jon’s film was a very very close second. It was instantly engaging and gave a fascinating insight into the plight of the refugees. He got great natural moments from his subjects and I really liked the way it didn’t feel that it was pandering to audience heart strings but rather just presenting a well told story. It felt like this story would sustain a longer format – It left me wanting to see more. An excellent doco.
2nd Runners Up: Allison Otto
Judge's comments:Really enjoyed this little insight into the world of the ultra marathon runner. I like the way Allison focused on the motives and mindset of the competitors as much as the race itself. It was beautifully shot and captured the landscape and lonely journey of the runners and in a very natural, unobtrusive way. A very interesting and well told story.
The Shortlist
(in alphabetical order)
Ankit Bapna
Jan Bednaz
Matt Freeman
Natalie Garwin
Dan Hottie
Mackenzie Hunkin
Erin Johnson
Belle Keynes
Andrew Lynch
Don Meers
Andrew Oppenheminer
Morgan Paar
Kirsty Starke
The Judging Panel
This year's judging panel was made up of;
Trent O'Donnel, Film-maker
Ram Bhat, National Geographic Channel
Chris Noble, Worldnomads.com
Amanda Byrne, Worldnomads.com
Congratulations to everyone who applied. The judge's thoroughly enjoyed reviewing all the entries and were impressed by the number of issues raised through your documentaries.
One general piece of feedback from the judging panel was not to underestimate the weight of your written application. Make sure you answer the questions with consideration (and spell check your application!) When applying for an opportunity in such a competitive environment, these factors may work for or against your overall application.
What's next on the Scholarship program?
Apply now for the Travel Photography Scholarship and your opportunity to go to Antarctica with National Geographic!
Sign up to the Scholarship Mailing List for news on the 2010 Scholarship program
Want to keep filming but looking for something more light hearted? Check out for Van-Tastic Adventures for your opportunity to film the ultimate Aussie Road Trip.
