Announcing 2026 Award Winners from Perth/Boorloo, Australia

Hi, Reader,

We were thrilled to announce these awards at our Awards Showcase at the World Trails Conference in Perth/Boorloo, Australia:

BEST FEATURE: Remaining Native by Paige Bethmann

A Native American teenager chasing his dream of collegiate running discovers that his greatest race is learning how to carry the legacy of his great-grandfather’s escape from an Indian boarding school.

BEST SHORT FEATURE: Transcendence by Ben Haggar

Artists and writers explore Northern British Columbia’s mountain bike trails to uncover the hidden stories, emotions, and identities embedded in the landscape.

BEST SHORT: The Backcountry Horsement of Pisgah by Tommy Penick

Faced with collapsing trail infrastructure and limited funding, horseback riders, volunteers, and land managers unite to preserve access to North Carolina’s legendary backcountry.

EMERGING FILMMAKER AWARD: Zelzin Aketzalli, Zelzin, Footsteps of Inspiration

Zelzin is a filmmaker, high-performance endurance athlete, and trail builder. She was the first person from Mexico to complete the Triple Crown and is now making a film about her project to create the Baja Sierra Trail, Mexico’s first long-distance national trail.

GALEO PRIZE (AUDIENCE CHOICE): Breaking Trail by Jesse Roesler

Emily Ford sets out with Diggins, a borrowed sled dog, to become the first woman and person of color to thru-hike the 1200-mile Ice Age Trail in winter.

Winners all receive cash prizes and Trails Film’s handcrafted silk flags, made by our friends at Kinetika.

For the love of trails, ✌︎