Watch the Film Prize 2024 Hype Reel to get inspired!
Film Prize is excited to kick off the 13th year of the most amazing film competition and festival on Planet Earth — Louisiana Film Prize! But don’t just take our word for it… hear it from your fellow filmmakers and watch the magic unfold before your eyes!
Prize Fest is here! October 16-19 in Shreveport, La.
Prize Fest is a creative competition and festival that takes place in Shreveport, Louisiana featuring film, food, music, and comedy — with huge cash prizes and other awards. Get your passes to the competition events, experience the artists’ work, have a damn good time, and then vote for your favorites to help crown the winners!
PRIZE FEST IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
Explore the Prize Competitions
Food Prize: Come and Get It Culinary Experience!
Wednesday, October 16
6:00-10:00pm
Remington Suite Hotel & Spa
Six local chefs will team up with 6 celebrity chefs from across the country. Together, they will create amazing bites for you! Taste their dishes and then sip specialty drinks by three of our community’s best cocktail artists, then vote for your favorites during this high-end event culinary event!
Comedy Prize: 10 Standup Comedians Across Two Shows!
Thursday, October 17
(7:00pm and & 8:30pm)
Prize Garage (211 Market St)
Ten standup comedians take the stage across two shows at the Remington Garage to make you laugh your ass off as they try to win $2,500 cash from a panel of celebrity comedy judges! This event will have two shows, 7:00pm and 8:30pm. Each will have five comedians. Go to both shows to see all ten!
Film Prize: 20 Short Filmmakers compete for up to $50,000 cash!
Thursday-Saturday, October 17-19
Screenings All Day Across Four Venues
Various Venues Across Downtown Shreveport and Bossier City.
Filmmakers from all over the world traveled to Louisiana to make short films, now they will premiere their work and vie for your vote to win the coveted Louisiana Film Prize of $50,000 cash! See all 20 films and then vote for the winner!
Music Prize: 11 Musicians play for $14,000 in Prizes!
Friday-Saturday, October 18-19
6:00pm-midnight
Prize Garage (211 Market St)
11 musicians of all genres compete for $10,000 cash. Six acts play on Friday night and another five acts play on Saturday night. Enjoy two nights of music, dancing, drinks, food and fun.Plus vote for the Audience Choice winner!
Food Prize: Battle for the Golden Fork Final Cookoff
Saturday, October 19
3:00pm-5:00pm
700 Block of Texas Street
Three finalist chefs, which were selected at Wednesday’s Come and Get It event will face off Chopped-style, live and in-person right in the heart of downtown Shreveport. Cheer on your favorites.
Parties and Celebrations
There’s even more to do!
Prize Fest has plenty of competitive events, but it also has lounges, parties, a red carpet, live entertainment, and so much more to explore. Many of the events are free to attend!
Prize Fest Special Events and Parties
This festival is more than creative competitions, it’s a celebration of community. Join us for these free events throughout the festival.
Film Prize Red Carpet Event sponsored by Fly Shreveport
Thursday, October 17
7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
700 Block of Texas Street
Join the filmmakers and the stars of this year’s Louisiana Film Prize on the red carpet. This event, open to all, will feature photographers, a filmmaker speed date, big toast with special drinks and more, all in the middle of Texas Street in downtown Shreveport.
Red Carpet Afterglow Party
Thursday, October 17
10:00 p.m. – midnight
700 Block of Texas Street
The party doesn’t stop after the red carpet cameras stop clicking! Join us into the night with special drinks, mocktails just steps away from the red carpet!
Prize Fest Friday Night Party
Friday, October 18
9:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.
Stray Cat Bar
The infamous Prize Fest Halloween-themed party is back — complete with a live DJ and decorations! Costumes are highly encouraged. Festival pass holders enter for free. All others will pay cover.
Film Prize U: Industry Panel Discussions
Saturday, October 19
10:00 a.m. – noon
Robinson Film Center, 617 Texas Street
Mentor Judges from Film Prize will host panel discussions and Q&As discussing the independent film industry, next steps to grow your filmmaking career, and more. This event is free and open to the public.
Prize Fest Closing Party with Special Musical Guest
Saturday, October 19
9:00 p.m. – 2:00am
The Noble Savage
Close out Prize Fest in style with a special closing party event featuring food and drink — both non-alcoholic and alcoholic. Plus a special musical guest will return to Shreveport and take the stage after the Big Exhale Toast! You won’t want to miss this event!
Golden Lens Photography Competition Sponsored by Bossier Parish Commmunity College
September 28th thru October 20th
This exciting photography competition invites photographers of all levels, from beginners to professionals, to capture the unique essence of Shreveport and Bossier City. Through your lens, we invite you to explore our vibrant community, iconic landmarks, and the spirit of our festivities.
Prize Fest is more than contests.
We love a good contest. We love a good festival. Prize Fest are both of these and so much more. Throughout the preparation period in the spring and the festival in the fall, the Prize Team attracts creative individuals who desire to elevate their craft and create opportunity for themselves to realize their artistic and economic dreams. The festival is not just an exhibition for adoring audiences, it’s also a space for learning, networking, and so much more.
Root for these creative individuals, they are an important spice in our community!
Big Cash Prizes
Sure, we have some of the largest prizes for our creative competitions in the world. One major difference between Prize Fest and other competitions is that we speak green. All of our grand prizes are cash money. You can take that to the bank. Our commitment to prize money doesn’t end at cutting a check, however. Our mentors are available to offer you advice on how to invest your winnings back into your creative endeavors. After all, “it’s called show business, not show art” as actress Jean Seberg would say. Building a successful career doesn’t stop at winning — in fact, it’s just the beginning
An Engaged Audience
Between 6,000 and 10,000 people attend Prize events throughout the year, culminating in our largest event — Prize Fest — which takes place in Shreveport, Louisiana each October. People from across the world come to (and stream) Prize Fest events. But it’s not just about the size of the audience, it’s about how they interact with the artists. Each attendee gets to vote in the competitions, meaning they have a direct impact on the outcome of the festival. And because each audience member has attendance requirements they have to meet in order to vote, they are incentivized to get to know you work better than any festival audience on the planet.
Industry Mentorship
Lots of festivals and competitions have judges and panel discussions with guests. Sometimes those panels are disconnected from the competitors, seated high up on a stage and available only for short conversations afterward. Not at Prize. We have built a network of working industry professionals who have been where you are and want to see you succeed. We make our mentors available to the creative competitors before, during, and after the competition so that you can not only ask them questions, but so you can get to know them and they can get to know you. When you put in the work, who you know can be an incredibly powerful tool.
Real Community
One of the biggest parts of building a career and making moves in this world is building a community around you. Yes, our audience is engaged in your success. Yes, we bring mentors and we write big checks. The biggest thing you can take from Prize, however, is a connection with other artists like you who are driven to succeed. Prize is like summer camp: You will make friendships, find collaborators, and raise glasses screaming to the heavens in celebration of what you have all accomplished individually and together. Beyond all of that, you will carry it forever. In the end, the Prize gives to you what you put in, just like life.
Elevating creatives, building community.
At the Prize, we make opportunities for creatives to grow and elevate their careers in filmmaking, culinary arts, music, and standup comedy. Every Prize competition is a chance to meet working professionals in your industry and to make the very connections that could change the trajectory of your life.
After competing at Prize events, our creatives have started companies, signed deals, opened retail businesses, and traveled the world — you could be next. The only question is: Are you in?