Spring 2026 Winners
Nature Without Borders International Film Festival
Nature Without Borders International Film Festival
In order of importance
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NWBIFF uses a performance-based system in which films do not compete against each other, but are evaluated on their own merits. Each entry is judged individually, so your film is assessed for what it achieves, not in comparison with others.
For all practical purposes, each film "competes against itself." Every entry is scored according to an internal value scale that measures its specific strengths and qualities.
When it is your film's turn to be evaluated, the judge's full attention is on your work alone. The focus is not on other films in the queue, which helps reduce bias and ensures a fairer assessment of your artistic vision and storytelling.
Judges score entries on a performance scale. Winning projects may receive recognition as Best of Festival, Best of Show, one of two Awards of Excellence levels, one of two Awards of Merit levels, a Kudos Endeavor Award, or no award. Criteria include creativity, technical execution, originality, and overall impact.
Best of Festival and Best of Show honors are reserved for the highest-scoring works each season. Awards of Excellence highlight truly outstanding artistic and technical achievement, while notable accomplishments are acknowledged at the Merit and Kudos levels.
in Wildlife Conservation
United States
Director: Myles Connolly
Witness one of nature's most compelling sagas in Running Wild: Return to the River — the incredible life of Pacific Salmon. Prepare for a breathtaking immersion into a vital ecosystem, where the fate of wild salmon is intertwined with iconic wildlife and untamed beauty. From the grizzlies and wolves that patrol the rivers' edge to the orcas and eagles reliant on their ocean bounty, discover the profound influence of wild salmon across both land and sea.
Through stunning visuals and intimate storytelling, Running Wild: Return to the River follows the epic return of wild salmon to the streams where they began. Experience their remarkable resilience and the intricate web of life sustained by their seasonal journey. Along the way, encounter the deep interdependence of creatures – from sea lions to grizzly bears and even ourselves – each playing a crucial part in this vibrant and interconnected world.
Director: Ewa Galica
in Human-Animal Interactions
Poland
Director: Destyn Patera
in Flora Documentary
United States
Directors: Tom Bouyer, Aimee Tallian
in Ecosystem Dynamics
United States
Director: Oliver James Couch
in Land and Water Management, Soil Health and Agriculture
United Kingdom
Director: Ewa Galica
in Pollution and Environmental Challenges
Poland
Director: Nari Safa
in Soil Health and Agriculture
United States
Director: Ewa Ewart
in Pollution and Environmental Challenges
Poland
Director: Alex Stavrou
in Documentary, Direction (subcat)
United States
Director: Joel Serin-Christ
in Endangered Species
United States
Director: Adam Kavanagh
in Ocean Life Documentaries
Australia
Director: Júlio Mauro
in Environmental
Brazil
Directors: Jeff Ragovin, Andrea Mitchell
in Narrative Short Film Centered on Animal, nature or environment
United States
Director: Louis Lam
in Documentary
United States
Director: Richard Wainwright
in Human-Animal Interactions
Australia
Director: Mike Buffo
in Endangered Species
United States
Director: Breannah Mitchell
in Narrative Short Film Centered on Animal, nature or environment
Australia
Director: Achille Mauri
in Documentary
Italy
Director: Nora Long
in Flora Documentary
United States
Submitter: Patricia Chambers
in Indigenous Cultures and Nature
United States
Director: Tad Souden
in Indigenous Cultures and Nature, Cinematography (subcat)
Australia
Director: Pranay Patel
in Wildlife/Nature Documentaries, Direction (subcat)
India
Submitter: David Garraway
in Habitat Restoration Efforts
United States
Directors: Ken Musen, Howard Vu
in Experimental
Egypt, United States
Director: Alexander Alex Tsaga Tsagareyshvili
in Music Video
Kazakhstan, Russian Fed
Director: ALLATRA Global Research Center
in Environmental
Not Specified
Director: Abigail Child
in Climate Change and Its Impact on Nature
Canada, United States
Director: June-ho Lee
in Marine Life and Oceans
South Korea
Director: Alex Mundt
in Endangered Species
Germany
Director: Konrad Borusiewicz
in Meteorology Documentaries
Poland
Director: Karen Russo
in Experimental
United Kingdom
Director: Dario Barbaro
in Wildlife Conservation
France
Director: GRANT HUNTER
in Land and Water Management, Music Video
United Kingdom
Directors: Kayah George, Danielle Da Silva
in Indigenous Cultures and Nature
Canada
Director: Arnau Argemi Gonzalez
in Marine Life and Oceans
Spain
Directors: Arnau Argemi Gonzalez, Marco Del Boca
in Wildlife Conservation
Spain
Submitter: Kelly Sweet
in Documentary, Endangered Species, Wildlife Conservation
United States
Directors: Maxwell Bamber, Jack Margerison
in Documentary
United Kingdom
Director: Iida Valmé
in Experimental
Finland, Haiti, United States
Director: myungson chung
in AI Films (All categories, except Screenplays)
South Korea
Director: myungson chung
in AI Films (All categories, except Screenplays)
DCP Available
Submitter: Steve Polydoros
in Wildlife Conservation
United States
Director: Addie Akina Knoll
in Youth Produced
United States
Director: Amol Jalandhar Jadhav
in Environmental
India
Submitter: Mara Miksch
in Documentary
Canada, United States
Director: Gaspard Renault
in Documentary
France
Director: Victoria Ziglar
in Biodiversity and Genetics
United States
Submitter: Kim Best
in Endangered Species
United States
Director: Eija Kujansuu
in Animal Behavior and Intelligence
Finland
Directors: Robert Conway Jacobson, Dan Barstow
in Experimental, Original Concept (subcat)
United States
Director: Veer Supunya Devavrata
in Documentary
India
Director: Kris Millgate
in Wildlife Conservation
United States
Director: Alongkot Chukaew
in Endangered Species
Thailand
Director: Eduardo Barrachina
in Animal Behavior and Intelligence
Spain
Director: Megan Spatz
in AI Films (All categories, except Screenplays)
United States
Director: Rupert Poeschl
in Documentary
Germany"
Director: Alejandro Daniel Pompa
in Climate Change and Its Impact on Nature
United States
Director: Giuseppe Ierise
in Land and Water Management
Italy
in Animal Behavior andBears in Hot Tubs
Directors Claire Musser, Maddie Bear
Director: Jonah Brainard
in Wildlife Conservation
United States
Director: Logan Michael Kord
in Youth Produced
United States
Director: Shelby Nicole Thompson
in Documentary
United States
Director: Daniel Edmond Sullivan
in Global Warming and Adaptation Strategies
United States
Director: Nikki Hausherr
in Documentary
United States
Directors: Harsha S Reddy, Christopher Chekuri
in Indigenous Cultures and Nature
United States
Director: Pieter Kruit
in Biography
United States
Director: David Victor Sorola
in Land and Water Management
United States
Directors: Jeremy Gray, Molly Deacon
in Narrative Short Film Centered on Animal, nature or environment
United States
Director: Purva Tavri
in Documentary
United Kingdom
Director: Daryoush Gharibzadeh
in Documentary, Wildlife/Nature Documentaries
Iran
Submitter: Magdalena Cundrič
in Animation
Slovenia
Directors: Kimberly Danek Pinkson, Andrew Smyth
in Environmental, Global Warming and Adaptation Strategies
United States
Director: philippe verichoux
in Environmental, Narrative Short Film Centered on Animal, nature or environment, AI Films (All categories, except Screenplays)
France
Director: Ran Kaplan
in Experimental
Israel
Director: Gjert Rognli
in Experimental
Norway
Director: Harry Roseman
in Animation
United States
Directors: Rebekah Lee Jorgensen, Anya Olivia Karlin
in Human-Animal Interactions
Switzerland
Director: Zak Plaskow
in AI Films (All categories, except Screenplays)
United Kingdom
Director: Akira Golz
in Narrative Short Film Centered on Animal, nature or environment
United States
Director: Ryan Edens
in Human-Animal Interactions
United States
Director: Mason Mirabile
in Youth Produced
Switzerland
Director: Anthony Zambito
in Animation
Not Specified
Director: Nathan Winston Burrell
in Youth Produced
United States
Director: David Charles Schendel
in AI Films (All categories, except Screenplays)
United States
Director: Carol J. Amore
in Music Video
United States
Submitter: Steve Radovan
in Documentary
United States
Director: Rodrigo Rodrigo Pedroza Pedroza
in Indigenous Cultures and Nature, Direction (subcat)
Brazil
Director: Greg Karnilaw
in Music Video, Original S
Director: Glenda Frances Rome
in Documentary
United Kingdom
Director: Yilin Wang
in Youth Produced
China
Director: Christopher S Johnson
in Experimental, Nature and Mental Health
United States
Director: Dan Blackwell
in Experimental
United Kingdom
Director: Alexei Pevov
in Land and Water Management
Russian Federation
Directors: Mary Jennifer Bunch, Lia Tarachansky
in Environmental
Canada
Director: Jeff Sweeton
in Documentary
United States
Director: Jillian Abbott
in Documentary
United States
Directors: Jackie Furtado, Jennifer Haare
in Experimental
United States
Director: KLEBER DO NASCIMENTO SABA
in Music Video
Brazil
Director: naz shahrokh
in Experimental
United Arab Emirates
Director: Nic Zhang
in Direction (subcat)
China
Director: Leo Leng
in Direction (subcat)
China
Director: Sandeep Mukherjee
in Content/Message Delivery (subcat)
India