Congratulations to the award-winning artists of the 2026 West Virginia Mountaineer
Short Film Festival:
Earth and Sky Award:
In its fertile shade, Andrés Dávila,
Colombia
Body and Spirit Award:
All of This Must Be Paid For, Gabi Rudin,
United States
Time Theme Award:
fracture summer, Kym McDaniel,
United States
Best Regional Work:
CosmonautOpRemix, Timothy Nohe,
United States
Best Experimental Work:
The Story of the Cricket Queen, Natalie Peracchio
United States
Honorable Mention:
Hurricane Season, Michelle Trujillo,
United States
Best Short Narrative:
PAPA, Florias Welch Gallay,
Switzerland
Honorable Mention:
10 52, Amirmohammad Zand,
Iran
Best Documentary:
On Camera, Jackie Mishol,
United States
Honorable Mention:
Voices of the mountains,
Laboratory for visual storytelling,
Tajikistan
Best VR Project:
Midst the Sky, Kiley Brandt,
United States
Best Animation:
Facuk, Maida Srabovic,
Croatia/Slovenia
Honorable Mention:
Dollhouse Elephant, Jenny Jokela,
Finland
Best Student Experimental Work:
Fumble, Mahsa Talebiani,
United States
Honorable Mention:
Petty People, Yang Yi,
United States
Best Student Animation:
Service Bus, Elmer Lodemel,
Denmark
Honorable Mention:
Project Selkie, Ryleigh Moule,
United States
Best Student Narrative:
Miracles Happen Day, Sloane Ren,
United States
Honorable Mention:
Black Saturday!, Alexander Colt Young,
United States
Best Young Filmmaker Award:
The Bunny,
Isaiah Supadi & Oscar Smith,
Australia
Honorable Mention:
The Red Thread, Peyton Rhian Fitz,
United States
Best WVU Student Work:
I fear what's in my cells, Aiden Crawford, United States
Honorable Mention:
You Look Familiar, Brooke Haller,
United States
Organized by the Digital Art & Animation area in the WVU School of Art and Design and founded in 2010, the WVMSFF has been a hub for independent and experimental filmmakers worldwide, bringing diverse cultural and artistic perspectives to West Virginia and the Appalachian region.