The Golden Sheaf Awards

History

In 1956, Winnipeg Free Press Film Critic Frank Morris suggested that the festival needed an award to call its own. Recalling his travel from Winnipeg to Yorkton, his suggestion to the film council was based on the golden fields of wheat he drove by. And from there, the Golden Sheaf Award was born.

The Winnipeg Brass Company was commissioned to design and produce the first Golden Sheaf Award for 1958. And while the Sheaf has undergone many changes since its beginnings, including a drastic reduction in weight, it remains a staple of festival and has truly become the unique and respected image of the festival that Frank Morriss had in mind.

Adjudication Standards

Adjudication for the awards is undertaken by over seventy jurors, all of whom are industry professionals, across Canada each year. Films are adjudicated by juries set up from coast to coast, Vancouver to Halifax, and this ensures one of the most rigorous adjudication processes of any festival.

Nominee Benefits

It’s also good to be a nominee! Filmmakers nominated for the Golden Sheaf Awards are eligible to receive a festival bursary to cover their registration costs for attending the Yorkton Film Festival. We’re also a qualifying festival for the Canada Screen Awards, which means we’re happy to provide support documentation to any filmmakers who qualify for the CSAs.