NFF AWARDS
From our Screenwriters Tribute and Tony Cox Screenplay Competitions to our Best of Fest and Audience Awards, we are proud to honor screenwriters and filmmakers who display a mastery of their craft.
The Screenwriters Tribute Awards are the most esteemed honor the NFF® bestows to writers and storytellers. These honors mark a career achievement for these individuals who have brought distinction to the craft of writing for film. These awards include the Screenwriters Tribute Award, Excellence in Television Writing, Special Achievement in Storytelling and Filmmaking, and the New Voice in Screenwriting Awards.
ADRIENNE SHELLY
FILMMAKING AWARD
This $5,000 award is presented in partnership with The Adrienne Shelly Foundation to a female writer or director working in the film arts in honor and remembrance of Adrienne Shelly’s film legacy. All feature-length films in the NFF lineup written and/or directed by women are eligible. The Award winner is announced in June at the Festival.
2024 WINNER: Sally Aitken – Every Little Thing
PAST WINNERS INCLUDE:
Nicole Newnham – The Disappearance of Shere Hite, Amy Bandlien Storkel – The Pez Outlaw, Crystal Moselle – The Wolfpack, Alexandra Dean – Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, Nancy Schwartzman – Roll Red Roll, Irene Taylor Brodsky – Beware the Slenderman
MARIA MITCHELL
VISIONARY AWARD
The Maria Mitchell Visionary Award, named after the Nantucket native who was the first woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, this award is given to a female filmmaker who stretches innovative boundaries.
The recipient of the award will receive a $5,000 grant and an engraved telescope bracelet designed by Nantucket jeweler Anna Jay. Created in partnership with The Maria Mitchell Association.
2024 WINNER: Sally Aitken – Every Little Thing
PAST WINNERS INCLUDE:
Sophia Barthes – The Pod Generation.
SHINE GLOBAL
CHILDREN'S RESILIENCE IN SCREENWRITING AWARD
New in 2024, the festival launched the Children’s Resilience in Screenwriting Award, created in partnership with Shine Global. This new prize is given to a film with outstanding storytelling that effectively portrays the resilience and strength of children and young people. The winner is awarded $2,500 and an invitation to participate in Shine Global’s Resilience Awards in Los Angeles, CA each fall.
INAUGURAL WINNER: Los Frikis directed by Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson
TONY COX SCREENPLAY COMPETITION AWARDS
The Tony Cox Competition recognizes emerging screenplays as the best from our pool of submissions each year. The competitions give writers the opportunity to have their scripts read by a prestigious jury, receive top industry recognition, participate in a festival focused specifically on screenwriting, and win over $5,000 in total cash prizes.
TEEN VIEW ON NFF AWARD
Nantucket teenagers screen, analyze, and discuss short films at the Festival, just like the pros. The Teen View on NFF Jury will screen this year’s shorts, discuss each one, and in the process learn the fundamentals of critical film analysis. The jury will give the Short Film Award to the filmmaker whose short best inspires discussion.
2024 WINNER: Terminally Ill
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Each year our audiences take on the distinct honor of awarding their favorite Feature and Short films with an Audience Award. In addition to the winners, the runners-up are all re-screened on the Monday of the Festival. All films in the NFF lineup are eligible and winners are announced at the end of the Festival.
PAST WINNERS INCLUDE:
It Ain’t Over, The Full Monty, Burden, Bathtubs Over Broadway, The Big Sick, Other People, Life Animated, Sleepwalk with Me, Me Earl and The Dying Girl, Being Elmo, Run Lola Run, The Cable Guy
Narrative Feature
LOS FRIKIS
Narrative Short
PUPPY LOVE
Documentary Feature
PORCELAIN WAR
Documentary Short
JUMPMAN