Awards

We work incredibly hard at ShAFF to make sure that we have the best selection of adventure films we possibly can.

We announce the winners ahead of the festival to allow the audience to make sure they see the best films of the year and decide whether they agree with our judges.

You can see which films won awards in previous years in our archive.





Best Film

Our Grand Prize


Learning To Drown

Learning to Drown follows the life and career of professional snowboarder Jess Kimura as she unapologetically shatters stereotypes with her own brand of unwavering determination and go-for-broke mentality. After the tragic death of Jess's partner at the height of her career, she spiraled into a cycle of self destruction, grief and despair. Compounded by head injuries and mental health issues, the circumstances seemed insurmountable. Jess's only way out was within — as she faces her deepest fears, she reminds us that not all wounds are meant to heal.

A White Dream

In love with images and the cold, the wildlife photographer Jérémie Villet travels alone through the white deserts of the northern hemisphere with his pulka and his telephoto lens, looking for animals that survive in extreme cold. During his upcoming expedition in the Canadian North, Jérémie is about to explore the wild and extreme Yukon region, with the ultimate goal of photographing the legendary mountain goat. The difficulty of access to the mountain territories where this animal evolves and the freezing temperatures will make the task challenging. Carried by adventures and unique human and animal encounters, this documentary allows us to enter the photographer's intimacy and to approach with delicacy this changing world.

Farewell to Adventure

Farewell to Adventure follows sailor Bob Shepton as his wife’s Alzheimer’s forces him to repay the presence she gave the family in his absence during his 50 years of sailing trips.





Best Activism Film

Best activism film






Best Bike Film

Sponsored by Komoot

Best Bike Film






Best Climbing Film

Sponsored by Petzl

Best Climb Film

Petzl logo





Best Made in Sheffield Film

Sponsored by Buffalo Systems

First awarded in 2015 to reflect the increasing quality and quantity of films being made in and around Sheffield and/or featuring local athletes.






Best Running Film

Sponsored by Rab Equipment

Best Running Film






Best Short Film

Best Short Film






Best Ski & Board Film

Sponsored by Jöttnar

Best Ski & Board Film






Best Soundtrack

An award created in 2015, judged by Sheffield DJ and producer Paul Hodgson, aka Grievous Angel.






Best Spirit of Adventure Film

Sponsored by John Muir Trust

Best Spirit Of Adventure Film






Best Women In Adventure Film

Sponsored by BMC

Created in 2015 to reflect our drive to encourage more female producers, directors and featured athletes on the big screen.

BMC logo





Judges Special Mention

Every year at ShAFF the judges meet to decide on the top three films in each of our prize categories, but invariably there are a handful of films that come up time and time again in discussion, but don't make it onto the podium. These are those films.