The Prize Foundation has announced the finalists for Prize Fest 2026, bringing five days of creative competition to downtown Shreveport Oct. 14-18.
The annual festival will feature competitions in film, food, music and comedy, along with a Photo Prize exhibition. This year’s finalists include emerging creative talent from Northwest Louisiana and across the country.
“Every year, we think Prize Fest can’t get any bigger, and every year these artists prove us wrong,” said Gregory Kallenberg, Founder and Executive Director of the Prize Foundation. “This year’s finalists are a remarkable group of filmmakers, chefs, musicians, photographers and comedians who are bringing their best work to Shreveport. We’re proud to give them a platform, and we’re ready to show the world what happens when creative geniuses take over and show us how cool Shreveport and Bossier can really be.”
Film Prize
The Louisiana Film Prize will feature 20 films competing for up to $50,000. Filmmakers were required to shoot a 5- to 15-minute narrative short in Louisiana to qualify. The $25,000 grand prize will be doubled to $50,000 if the winning film was shot in Caddo Parish.
The winner will be selected through a combination of audience voting and evaluations from a panel of film industry veterans, tastemakers and celebrities.
Film Prize will begin Oct. 15 with a Red Carpet Event, followed by screenings of the Top 20 Films Oct. 16-17 at venues throughout downtown Shreveport and Bossier City. Films also will be available to watch and vote on online. The winning film will be announced at a private awards brunch Oct. 18.
The finalists are “Abnegation,” directed by Niko Kochalidze; “Carolina Blue,” directed by Mark D. Bonner; “The Day I Met Aretha Franklin,” directed by Brian Egland and Carlos Jimenez; “Doom Lift,” directed by David Culotta; “Fruits of Our Labor,” directed by Taylor Deville; “Grad Night,” directed by Travis Bible; “The Great White Wolf,” directed by Zac Cino; “Harvested,” directed by Justin Livingston; “Hours to Minutes to Seconds,” directed by Catalina Cielo and Stevie Cavalier; “Inhumation,” directed by Austin Gorski; “The Jade Stallion,” directed by Devon Johns; “The King of Time,” directed by Erinn Hayes; “The Man I Love,” directed by Kai Tan; “Max Capacity,” directed by April Yanko; “Smoke,” directed by Gian Smith; “Someday They’ll Go Down Together,” directed by Taylor Bracewell; “Spatial,” directed by Paul Petersen; “Stalling,” directed by Xander Topich; “Tannenbaum,” directed by Matthew Spriggs; and “Winter Wind,” directed by Heath Hill.
Food Prize
Food Prize brings together culinary talent for a competition focused on the chefs shaping Northwest Louisiana’s food culture.
The six Food Prize finalists were selected through the Golden Fork Dinner Series. They will advance to Come and Get It on Oct. 14, where they will be paired with celebrity chefs to create tastings for judges and attendees.
The Food Prize finalists are Darrielle Stephens of BPCC Culinary Arts, Jacob Mouser of Chop Shop, Chelsea Girard of Fat Calf Brassiere, Abelardo “Lalo” de los Santos of El Cabo Verde, Jasmine Cherry of The Noble Savage and Sanela Tomic of Bella Fresca/Sauvage.
Following Come and Get It, three chefs will advance to The Battle for the Golden Fork on Oct. 17. The free, public competition will feature a Chopped-style cook-off, with the winner receiving a $5,000 cash prize and the Golden Fork trophy.
Five mixologists also will compete during Come and Get It for the Golden Shaker. Finalists are Audrey DeLaune of Heron Mae & Co., Chase Boytim of Fatty Arbuckles, Dakota Craig of Bear’s, Paul Loggins of Zuzul Coastal Cuisine and Walker Adams of Fat Calf Brassiere.
Music Prize
Music Prize has selected 11 finalists to compete in two nights of live showcases Oct. 16-17 at the Remington Garage.
Each night will feature five to six finalists. Winners will be selected by a panel of industry judges and compete for a $10,000 grand prize. Attendees who watch at least three musical acts also can vote for the Audience Choice winner, which comes with a $1,000 prize.
Finalists are Ado Soul of New Orleans; Before the Mountain of Shreveport; Dezi 5 of Dallas; Elijah Delgado of Buda, Texas; Gran Moreno of Canyon Lake, Texas; J. Isaiah Evans & the Boss Tweed of Dallas; Jesse Rawlinson of Shreveport; Madame Radar of Wimberley, Texas; Parker Woodland of Austin, Texas; Rococo Disco of Austin; and The Family of Florence, Alabama.
Comedy Prize
Comedy Prize returns with eight stand-up comedians competing for $2,500 at the Remington Garage.
The competition gives finalists an opportunity to perform for audiences and influential professionals in the comedy industry.
Finalists are April Boddie, Gary Simmons, Philipp Kostelecky and Rachel Williams of New York; John Novosad of Denver; Papp Johnson of Oakland, California; Shane Bianchi of Los Angeles; and Tatiana Frank of New York.
Photo Prize
Photographers from across the region will showcase their work through the Photo Prize exhibition at Prize Fest at Bossier Parish Community College.
Up to 30 finalists will compete for the $1,000 Golden Lens Grand Prize, while attendees will select the $500 People’s Choice Award. Photo Prize finalists will be announced soon.
Together, the competitions form the heart of Prize Fest, an annual celebration of independent film, music, food and comedy that brings thousands of attendees, artists and industry professionals to downtown Shreveport.
Throughout the festival, audiences will have opportunities to discover new films, hear emerging musicians, experience culinary competitions, watch live comedy and connect with the artists behind the work.
Prize Fest 2026 will take place Oct. 14-18 in downtown Shreveport. Passes are available at prizefest.com.
Photos courtesy of Jeremy Hernandez.
