2025 WINNERS
Actor – Award of Excellence
OUTRO
Mike Pace
Actor – Award of Achievement
Death By Fruitcake
Rob Merritt
Actress – Award of Excellence
Little Red Bracelets
Princess Winters
Actress – Award of Achievement
Death By Fruitcake
Paula Sands
Animated Entertainment – Short Form (Under 5 minutes) – Award of Excellence
GRATE
Radio Garage
Animated Entertainment – Short Form (Under 5 minutes) – Award of Achievement
Munich Re Specialty Holiday Video
Shelby Hagerdon with Elise White
Animation – Tag or Logo – Award of Achievement
Rocket Garage Studios Logo
Radio Garage
Art Direction – Award of Achievement
The Entomologist’s Wife
Shelby Hagerdon
Commercials (Under $1,000) – Award of Achievement
Filmmaker’s Spot Radio Garage
Radio Garage
Corporate & Community Marketing – Award of Excellence
Lightspeed Origin Story
Shelby Hagerdon
Corporate & Community Marketing – Award of Achievement
Retiring Today with Loren Merkle Welcome to Oz Edition
Merkle Retirement Planning
Digital Marketing – Award of Excellence
Van by a River – The Abby Holcombe Story
Mark Nevils, Winnebago; Joe Sir & John Lockwood, Chessfight
Digital Marketing – Award of Achievement
Lightspeed Origin Story (Director’s Cut)
Made By Things
Direction – Documentary – Long Form (over 30 minutes) – Award of Achievement
The Negro Artist
Nikolas Heftman
Direction – Long Form (60 minutes +) – Award of Excellence
Death By Fruitcake
Max Allan Collins
Direction – Narrative Short Form (less than 30 minutes) (excludes music video) – Award of Achievement
OUTRO
Wes Worthing
Director of Photography – Award of Achievement
The Entomologist’s Wife
Ally Boyd
Documentary – Long form (30 minutes or longer) – Award of Achievement
Seeds of Sovereignty
Stuart Tanner
Documentary – Short form – (Under 30 minutes) – Award of Achievement
Zastava Brothers
Pep Stojanovic
Editing – Documentary – Long Form (30+ minutes) – Award of Achievement
The Negro Artist
Nikolas Heftman
Editing – Documentary – Short Form (under 30 minutes) – Award of Achievement
Van by a River – The Abby Holcombe Story
John Lockwood, Chessfight
Editing – Music Video – Award of Achievement
Cornered
Kristopher Gathercoal
Editing – Narrative Short Form (less than 30 minutes) (excludes music videos) – Award of Achievement
The Entomologist’s Wife
M.G. White
Editing – Narrative Short Form (less than 30 minutes) (excludes music videos) – Award of Excellence
Static Tape
Madie Case
Graphic Art Direction/Design – Award of Achievement
Lightspeed Origin Story (Director’s Cut)
Made By Things
Graphic Art Direction/Design – Award of Achievement
Munich Re Specialty Holiday Video
Made By Things
Live Action Entertainment – Long Form – Includes Feature Films – Budgets $50,000 and over (60 minutes +) – Award of Excellence
My Heart Remembers
Stephen Folkers, Melinda Myers, and Melissa Brian
Live Action Entertainment – Long Form – Includes Feature Films – Budgets $50,000 and over (60 minutes +) – Award of Achievement
5683
Brittany Benedict, Kevin Shepherd, and Michael Huntington
Live Action Entertainment – Long Form – Includes Feature Films – Budgets $50,000 and over (60 minutes +) – Award of Achievement
Death By Fruitcake
Max Collins, Chad T. Bishop, and Barbara Collins
Live-Action Entertainment – Short Form – Award of Excellence
Little Red Bracelets
Dave Stuck
Live-Action Entertainment – Short Form – Award of Excellence
OUTRO
Wes Worthing
Live-Action Entertainment – Short Form – Award of Achievement
The Entomologist’s Wife
Shelby Hagerdon
Music Videos – Award of Excellence
Forever 21
Bonnie McKee
Original Music Score – Award of Achievement
The Entomologist’s Wife
Joshua E. White
Screenplay (Produced) (Over 20 pages) – Award of Excellence
The Painter – Screenplay
M. G. White
Screenplay (Produced) (Over 20 pages) – Award of Achievement
5683 Screenplay
Kevin Shepherd, Dojolo Films
Screenplay (Produced) (Over 20 Pages) – Award of Achievement
OUTRO (Screenplay)
Wes Worthing
Screenplay (Unproduced) (Over 20 Pages) – Award of Achievement
Last Shot
John A. Goodlove
Screenplay (Unproduced) (Under 20 Pages) – Award of Achievement
Before The Flood
Alexander Dingeman
Screenplay (Unproduced) (Under 20 Pages) – Award of Achievement
SPUD
Dave Stuck
Soundtrack Audio Mix – Award of Achievement
GRATE
Dave Stuck
Student Production (Graduate) – Award of Excellence
Paryl
Jack Campbell, Brandyn Foel
Student Production (K-12) – Award of Excellence
Driving Me Crazy
Sailor Grace Shervisch, Chase F. Waite, and Des Moines Central Campus
Student Production (K-12) – Award of Achievement
Blood On Your Hands
Harper Egge, Des Moines Central Campus
Student Production (K-12) – Award of Achievement
Fatality
Hunter Max Christensen, Alexander Gene Beveridge, and Des Moines Central Campus
Student Production (K-12) – Award of Achievement
Please Don’t Go
Amanda Knox
Student Production (K-12) – Award of Achievement
Ronald McDonald
Nick Corbin
Student Production (K-12) – Award of Achievement
A Touch of Jazz
Mason Schnurstein
Student Production (K-12) – Honorable Mention
Detective Danger
Thomas Lehman, Des Moines Central Campus
Student Production (Undergraduate) – Award of Excellence
Eighteen Years
Emily Surma, Libby Perry, and Loras College
Student Production (Undergraduate) – Award of Excellence
Jayden Upton: “Give It Your All”
Dylan Ervin, Kevin Franks, Nolan Swartz, Loras College
Student Production (Undergraduate) – Award of Excellence
Tim Olson: Observing Oddities
Jessen Webber, Loras College
Student Production (Undergraduate) – Award of Achievement
50mm
Dillon Jacobson, University of Iowa
Student Production (Undergraduate) – Award of Achievement
Bagel Run
Heath Atz, Lucas Schoaf, Martin Blythe, and Loras College
Student Production (Undergraduate) – Honorable Mention
The Existence of Being a Woman
Iowa Valley Community College District, Marshalltown Community College District
Student Production (Undergraduate) – Honorable Mention
Remember What’s Important
Logan Baccam, Polaroid Productions, Dordt University
Supporting Actor – Award of Achievement
My Heart Remembers
David Juehring
Supporting Actress – Award of Achievement
Death By Fruitcake
Alisabeth Von Presley
Supporting Actress – Award of Achievement
OUTRO
Davida Williams
TV News Feature or Series – Award of Achievement
‘Lights, Cameras and Action!’ at Cosmic Films Studio
Joseph McMahan
Visual Effects (Mechanical) – Award of Achievement
The Entomologist’s Wife
Shelby Hagerdon