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 IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

Prize Fest is October 11-19, 2024

Prize Fest is the final event for all five creative competitions — film, food, music, fashion, and comedy — and takes place in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the festival, competitors attend industry networking events with mentors and judges, exhibit their work for for live audiences, and experience the party of a lifetime.

What is Prize Fest and How Can I Be a Part?

Prize Fest is a competition and festival that takes place in Shreveport, Louisiana featuring five creative arts disciplines — film, food, music, fashion, and comedy — with over $100,000 in cash and prizes.

The finalists have been working preparing to their work to be seen, heard, and tasted by the Prize Fest audience and the Prize Mentors — to win their votes to take home big cash prizes and more.

Buy a pass to as many of the events you wish to attend, come to the festival and experience the artists’ work, have a damn good time, and then vote for your favorites to help crown the winners!

Explore the Prize Competitions

Music Prize: 12 Musicians play for $15,000 in Prizes!

October 13-14 (Friday-Saturday)

12 musicians of all genres compete for $10,000 cash. Six acts play on Friday night and another six acts play on Saturday night. Enjoy two nights of music, dancing, drinks, food and fun.Plus vote for the Audience Choice winner!

Fashion Prize: 6 Designers debut clothes to win a $2,500 Prize!

Sunday, October 15th

Five fashion designers have created original Collections of outfits and accessories to grace the Fashion Prize runway in hopes of winning for a $2,500 cash! Plus there’s brunch!

Film Prize: 19 Short Filmmakers compete for up to $50,000 cash and more prizes!

October 19-21 (Thursday-Saturday)

Filmmakers from all over the world travel to Louisiana to make short films to win the coveted Louisiana Film Prize of $50,000 cash. See all 20 films and then vote for the winner!

Food Prize: 6 Chefs and 3 cocktail artists dish all-new food and drink for $7,000 in prizes

Friday, October 20

Six local chefs will battle for the “Golden Fork” award and $5,000 cash. Taste their dishes and special cocktails, then vote for your favorites during this high-end event culinary event!

Comedy Prize: 7 Standup comics make you laugh to win $2,500!

Saturday, October 21st

Seven standup comedians take the stage 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!

Other Festival Events

There’s even more to do!

Prize Fest has plenty of competitive events, but it also has lounges, parties, a red carpet, educational events, and so much more to explore. Many of the events are free to attend!

Prize Fest Special Events and Parties

Scroll down to see an overview of the events that happen in addition to the competitions. You can also check out the complete Festival Program guide via the button below!

Music Prize + Fashion Prize Late Night Party

Saturday, October 14
11:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Stray Cat Bar, 222 Travis Street

Celebrate the winners of Music Prize and get ramped up for Fashion Prize at this Saturday night party at Stray Cat, featuring drink specials, music, and camaraderie late into the night. Immediately following the announcement of the winners!

Film Prize Red Carpet Event

Thursday, October 19
7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Prize Island, 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 Late Night Afterglow Party

Thursday, October 19
10:00 p.m. – midnight

Pepito XO Restaurant, 706 Texas Street

The party doesn’t stop after the red carpet cameras stop clicking! Join us into the night with special drinks, mocktails, and a quick-service evening menu from Pepito XO just steps away from the red carpet!

Lo Fi Lounge at Central Artstation

Thursday, October 19 thru Saturday, October 21
Open while you wait in line and intermission

Central Artstation, 801 Crockett Street

The lobby of Central Artstation will have a laid back place to hang out, snack, and recharge your mental/physical batteries for the long weekend ahead! The space will be serving beer and wine, and there will be snacks for sale. Listen for scheduled Lo Fi sets curated by the SRAC staff.

Triple Threat: A Performing Arts Party

Friday, October 20
7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Noble Savage, 417 Texas St

Join us for a celebration of all things acting. All performing artists are welcome. You do not have to be working in film to attend! Film actors, theatre actors, dancers, musicians, puppeteers, acrobats, singers, etc. If you are a performing artist, you’re invited!

Film Prize U: Industry Panels

Saturday, October 21
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.​

Robinson Film Center (2nd Floor), 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.

Food Prize Celebrity Chef Food Truck Takeover

Saturday, October 21
9:00 p.m. – sellout

Stray Cat Bar, 222 Travis Street

Celebrity Chef Judges from Food Prize take over a local food truck to create special dishes for this one-night-only Asian-inspired food truck experience. The truck will be parked outside of Stray Cat and the Remington Suite Hotel on Travis Street.

Prize Fest Heaven & Hell Festival Afterparty

Saturday, October 21
9:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Stray Cat Bar, 222 Travis Street

The now-famous Heaven & Hell party is back! Choose the light or the dark at this themed Halloween pre-party and closing party for all things Prize Fest. Costumes are encouraged! Badgeholders are given priority entry. 

"The Big Exhale" Closing Toast

Saturday, October 21
10:00 p.m.

Stray Cat Bar, 222 Travis Street

The party doesn’t stop after the red carpet cameras stop clicking! Join us into the night with special drinks, mocktails, and a quick-service evening menu from Pepito XO just steps away from the red carpet!

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!

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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

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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.

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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.

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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, fashion design, 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?