The prizes
How a film climbs from Official Selection to its section's top prize. Every badge stays on the film page and on each crew member's profile for good.
Top prize of each section
Every competitive section has its own top prize, given in each of its categories.
Golden Beaver
Top prize of the International section.
Golden Maple
Top prize of the National section, for Canadian films.
Turtle Island Award
Top prize of the Indigenous section.
Golden Kit
Top prize of Made by Kids. A kit is a baby beaver.
Special awards
Given across the festival, in any section.
Special Jury Prize
For a stand-out achievement: a young performance, an idea, a craft.
People's Beaver
Audience award, decided by public vote.
Little Beaver (Kids' Jury)
Chosen by a jury of young people.
Special Mention
Honourable mention from the jury.
The path to the top prize
- Submitted — the film is entered through our submission form or FilmFreeway.
- Official Selection — our programmers pick the films that screen at the festival. OS
- Top Nominee — the Academy's first round of voting names the best films in each category.
- Special awards — the jury, a kids' jury and the public can honour stand-out films and people.
- Winner — the section's top prize: Golden Beaver (International), Golden Maple (National), Turtle Island Award (Indigenous), Golden Kit (Made by Kids).
Where the prizes are given
National, International, Indigenous and Made by Kids each have their own categories — Animation, Documentary, Feature, Short, Student and TV/Web Series — with their own nominees and winners. World Focus celebrates one guest country each year and is not in competition. See all categories · Past winners