Free entry, worldwide eligibility, €11,500 in prizes. Deadline: 28 February 2027. Screenings 19–24 July 2027 in Valle d’Aosta, Italy, at the gateway to the Gran Paradiso National Park.
The Gran Paradiso Film Festival (GPFF), one of the longest-running international competitions dedicated to wildlife filmmaking, has opened submissions for its 30th edition. Founded in 1984 in Aosta Valley, in Italy’s first National Park, the festival takes place each summer in Cogne and the surrounding villages of the Gran Paradiso area. The 2027 edition runs from 19 to 24 July in Cogne, Introd and Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, and continues in the following weeks with more locations and online screenings.
Submission is free of charge and open to wildlife filmmakers worldwide. Eligible works include feature-length films and short films up to 20 minutes, completed after 1 January 2024. Each director may submit up to two works, provided they have not previously been selected for the festival. Entries must be received by 28 February 2027.
Prizes: €11,500 across nine awards
The 30th edition confirms the same prize structure as the previous year, with a total prize pool of €11,500. Full eligibility criteria and submission requirements are published on the Festival’s website.
Feature film awards
- Stambecco d’Oro – €5,000
- Stambecco d’Oro Junior – €500
- GPFF Online – €1,000
Short film awards
- CortoNatura – €1,000
- Technical Jury Award – €500
- GPFF Online – €500
Special awards
- Best Screenplay – €1,000
- Best Cinematography – €1,000
- Scientific Perspective – €1,000
How winners are chosen
Winners are selected through a combination of expert and public judging. A technical jury — composed of cinematographers, wildlife filmmakers, and figures from the worlds of science, culture and conservation — awards the prizes for Best Short Film, Screenplay, Cinematography and Scientific perspective.
The festival’s top honour, the Stambecco d’Oro (“Golden Ibex” — the ibex being the symbol of the Gran Paradiso National Park), is instead awarded by the audience through public voting at in-person screenings, while a junior jury of young viewers assigns the Stambecco d’Oro Junior award. A separate online jury, following the festival remotely and watching entries on the festival’s streaming platform, determines the winners of the GPFF Online awards.
A global stage for nature filmmaking
Over the years, the Festival has drawn filmmakers from around the world and recognised some of the genre’s most acclaimed voices. The figures of the 2026 edition give a sense of its scale: 24,000 attendees across 18 days and 9 venues, with 102 events, including 80 screenings, and 168 hours of online streaming
