SHREVEPORT, LA — The Prize Foundation wrapped another unforgettable year in downtown Shreveport with Prize Fest 2025, bringing together filmmakers, chefs, musicians and comedians from across the nation for five days of competition, creativity, and community. The festival’s signature mix of artistry, energy, and Louisiana flavor drew thousands of attendees and sold out multiple shows across every Prize category — including Comedy Prize, Come and Get It, and the Celebrity Chef BBQ.
“This year’s Prize Fest showed the world what we’ve always known — that Shreveport is a true capital of creativity,” said Gregory Kallenberg, Founder and Executive Director of the Prize Foundation. “From the red carpets to the sold out Food Prize events to the standing-room-only comedy and music shows, every part of the festival was alive with talent, passion, and purpose. Prize Fest continues to shine a bright light on Shreveport as a place where creativity isn’t just happening — it’s thriving, it’s growing, and it’s putting our city on the national stage.”
Louisiana Film Prize
The Grand Prize Winner of the 2025 Louisiana Film Prize is “Last Minute,” directed by Michael Cusumano. The film tells the story of a single mom (in the days before the internet) who must scramble to bail out her 12-year-old son when he waits until the night before to start a major homework assignment. Cusumano walked away with $50,000 in cash and an Oscar™-qualifying screening
“Every year, the bar gets higher, and every year, our filmmakers rise to meet it,” said Kallenberg. “Congrats again to “Last Minute,” and we wish them luck in nabbing an Oscar!”
Filmmakers from across the nation descended on Shreveport and Louisiana at large to shoot their short films, marking another banner year for the program that has helped launch over 1,000 short films and generated millions in local economic impact since its inception. The winning film was selected from the festival’s Top 19 short film finalists, all of which were filmed entirely in Louisiana.
To be eligible to vote, attendees and judges were required to watch all 19 films. The winner was determined by the Film Prize’s signature 50/50 voting system, which combines votes from online and in-person audiences with those from a panel of industry judges from across the country
The other short films that joined “Last Minute” in the Top 5 this year included “Girl Dad” (Directed by Rachael Hudson), “M.R.I. (or, Michael Returns Indefinitely)” (Directed by John F. Beach), “The Old Man at the Bar” (Directed by Alexander Jeffery), and “Rug Pull” (Directed by Carlos Jimenez).
Best Actor was awarded to Ty Hudson for his role in “Girl Dad,” while Best Actress went to Abby Tozer for her performance in “Old Man at the Bar.”
The Prize Foundation also announced the recipients for its Founder’s Circle Grants. The Founder’s Circle recipients are determined by the Film Prize Mentor Judges and provide winners with a $3,000 reimbursable grant that filmmakers can apply towards coming back and making a film for Louisiana Film Prize 2026. The recipients of this award for 2025 were Mackenzie Bell (Mentality), Haley Kirton (Ramon Makes a Movie), Kai Tan (On the Seventh Day), Devon Johns (The Vivid Imagination of David Thursby), and Austin Gorski (Strand).
In addition, LSU Shreveport’s Laura Purdue announced a special award presented to Melissa Goslin, director of “High Cotton.” Goslin was selected to helm a short documentary chronicling the historic 59–0 baseball season, furthering the partnership between the Louisiana Film Prize and local storytelling initiatives.
Food Prize
Food Prize 2025 kicked off Prize Fest weekend with two sold-out culinary events that transformed downtown Shreveport into a haven for food lovers. The annual Come and Get It event paired six local Golden Fork chef semi-finalists with six celebrity chefs from across the country—each of whom has competed on Bravo TV’s Top Chef. Together, the chef teams created one-of-a-kind tastings for judges and attendees, showcasing bold flavors and inventive culinary artistry.
Six of the area’s top mixologists also competed for the coveted Golden Shaker, serving handcrafted cocktails brimming with creativity and craftsmanship. Attendees selected the Golden Shaker Champion, voting local mixologist Shalom Sahlie (Prohibition Bar at Red River Billiards) the winner for his cocktail, the Nutty Islander, featuring coconut fat-washed silver rum, toasted pistachio orgeat, jalapeño-infused pineapple juice, and fresh lime.
Judges and attendees also voted on the three Golden Fork chefs who would advance to the Battle for the Golden Fork, a live, Chopped-style mystery-basket cook-off originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Due to inclement weather, the Battle will be rescheduled, with the new date to be announced soon by the Prize Foundation. The three finalist chefs advancing to the Battle are Jasmine Cherry (The Noble Savage), Chelsea Girard (Heron/Mae & Co), and Dylan Teekell (The Library on Fern).
New for 2025, the Celebrity Chef BBQ, featuring national chefs teaming up with some of Shreveport’s top culinary talent, delivered one of the festival’s most flavor-packed events. Led by celebrity chef Tristen Epps, the sold-out event marked the first of its kind for Prize Fest and drew food lovers from across the area for an unforgettable sampling of smoke, spice, and creativity.
Music Prize
Music Prize 2025 brought the energy to downtown Shreveport as ten musical acts from across the country competed for the coveted $10,000 grand prize. After two nights of unforgettable performances, Cure for Paranoia (Dallas, TX) was selected as the grand prize winner by a jury of nationally recognized music industry professionals. Lew Apollo (Austin, TX) earned second place, and Dezi 5 (Dallas, TX) took third.
The competition also featured an Audience Choice Award, which resulted in a tie between Bond+ (Shreveport, LA) and Big Wy’s Brass Band (Austin, TX), celebrating both local and regional fan favorites.
This year’s Music Prize also marked the return of MPCon (Music Prize Conference), the nationally unique boutique music conference that connects emerging artists with mentors, producers, and industry veterans. Through workshops, panels, and one-on-one sessions, MPCon continued Prize’s mission to educate, inspire, and empower creative professionals.
Comedy Prize
In its fourth year, the Comedy Prize expanded to host ten nationally recognized, touring comedians who each performed 10 minute sets in front of a live sold out audience and industry heavyweights like Charlie Sotelo (SXSW Comedy), Micheal Cox (Comedy booker for the Tonight Show), Bart Coleman (head of comedy for Live Nation’s Veeps) and Elizabeth Furiati (Comedy Cellar in New York). The comedian finalists included Joe Briggs, Olivia Carter, Reggie Conquest, Ben Harkins, Madison Sinclair, Jamie Wolf with Comedy Prize alumna Kalea McNeill returning as emcee for both shows.
New York-based stand up comedia, actor and writer, Peter Revello, was crowned Comedy Prize’s grand champion for 2025 and walked away with the $2,500 grand prize money as well as connections with some of comedy’s top bookers and influencers.
From local chefs and musicians to filmmakers and performers traveling from across the U.S., Prize Fest 2025 embodied the Prize Foundation’s mission to activate, create, and transform. Beyond the competitions, the festival fueled the local economy, spotlighted Shreveport’s creative community, and strengthened its growing reputation as a hub for arts, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
To learn more about the Louisiana Film Prize and Prize Fest or to watch the Louisiana Film Prize awards ceremony, visit www.prizefest.com.
Media Inquiries: Melissa Brannan Prize Foundation 415.637.6202 melissa@prize.foundation Rachael Hansil Prize Foundation 318.560.4386 rachae@prize.foundation
Prize Fest 2025 Winners
Film Prize:
- Grand Prize Winner – Last Minute (Directed by Michael Cusumano)
- Best Actor – Ty Hudson (Girl Dad)
- Best Actress – Abby Tozer (The Old Man at the Bar)
Top 5 Films
- Girl Dad (Directed by Rachael Hudson)
- Last Minute (Directed by Michael Cusumano)
- M.R.I. (or, Michael Returns Indefinitely) (Directed by John F. Beach)
- The Old Man at the Bar (Directed by Alexander Jeffery)
- Rug Pull (Directed by Carlos Jiminez)
Founders Circle
- Mentality (Directed by Mackenzie Bell)
- Ramon Makes a Movie (Directed by Haley Kirton)
- On the Seventh Day (Directed by Kai Tan)
- The Vivid Imagination of David Thursby (Directed by Devon Johns)
- Strand (Directed by Austin Gorski)
LSUS Documentary
- Melissa Goslin
Music Prize:
- Grand Prize Winner – Cure for Paranoia (Dallas, TX) –
- Second Place – Lew Apollo (Austin, TX)
- Third Place – Dezi 5 (Dallas, TX)
- Audience Choice (TIE) – Bond+ (Shreveport, LA) Big Wy’s Brass Band (Austin, TX)
Food Prize:
- Golden Fork Finalists – Jasmine Cherry (The Noble Savage)
- Chelsea Girard (Heron/Mae & Co)
- Chef Dylan Teekell (The Library on Fern)
Golden Shaker Champion
- Shalom Sahlie (Prohibition Bar at Red River Billiards)
Comedy Prize:
- Grand Prize Winner – Peter Revello (New York, NY)
About the Prize Foundation
The Prize Foundation is an award-winning nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and festival based in Shreveport, LA. Founded in 2012, the Prize Foundation’s mission is to promote economic growth, workforce development, youth job training, creative class entrepreneurial buildout and increased tourism through education, entrepreneurship, conferences, contests and festivals in Shreveport and Northwest Louisiana. The Prize Foundation operates six major initiatives year-round: Film Prize, Film Prize Junior, Startup Prize, Food Prize, Music Prize, and Comedy Prize. Each Prize has a qualification process, engagement with economic and cultural resources, and an educational component.
