William W. Warner Beautiful Swimmers Award
For Reflecting a Spirit of Reverence for the Natural WorldEstablished in memory of William Warner by the Warner/Kaempfer family for the 2015 Festival, the William W. Warner Beautiful Swimmers Award recognizes a film that reflects a spirit of reverence for the natural world. William Warner was the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Beautiful Swimmers, a study of crabs and watermen in the Chesapeake Bay. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize.
2024 Winner
Mongolia, Valley of the Bears
The Taiga, also known as the boreal forest, has kept an entire population nomadic on its lands for thousands of years. However, the rich natural resources of these Mongolian lands have fallen prey to illegal hunters and miners, causing an alarming decrease in biodiversity. Faced with this worrying situation, the Mongolian Ministry of Environment appointed ranger Jal Tumursukh on a delicate mission to enforce the law of environmental protection.
