The Doc Rowe Award 2025 - winner announced!

The winner of our inaugural Doc Rowe Prize (formerly our previous ‘Non-Print Media Award’ has been announced.

The award is a core part of the Society's remit to encourage, promote and support the highest quality of publication in folklore across all media, not just traditional printed books.

We are delighted to announce our winner for 2025 is:

King for a Day by Barbara Santi (dir.)

This multi-faceted entry impressed the judges not simply on the merits of being a powerful film with beautiful cinematography and well-considered editing, but also because it reflects a broader ongoing community engagement project that is exemplary on ethical and practical levels. To the potential disappointment of some, and despite stunning footage captured of the custom, this film is not a documentary overview of the Obby Oss tradition in Padstow. Rather, in following key families connected to the tradition and in documenting public screenings of newly-accessed archival footage, the viewer gets an insight into the significance of the Obby Oss to individuals and the broader community. This allows for nuanced discussions throughout the film from those connected to the Obby Oss on broader concepts like emigration and Cornish identity, demonstrating that tradition does not exist in a vacuum but within wider societal and cultural contexts. Those being filmed are obviously comfortable with the film-maker, and this makes sense given that the film is part of a broader community project in which community participants are involved at every step, be it the making of the film or the making accessible of archival footage in Padstow. That the project is also financially transparent, helping support the Obby Oss parties through the proceeds of the film, further exemplifies a deeply ethical stance that is embodied in all aspects of the project. King for a Day is an excellent example for film-makers and community workers of how to make a project with a community and, as such, it is an apposite winner of the Doc Rowe Award.

Our other shortlisted titles - listed with comments from our judges - were:

Gatherings: Rushbearing - Dave Brewis (dir.) (Documentary series episode)

This is an engaging filmic overview of the Rushbearing tradition at Sowery Bridge with exquisite cinematography throughout. It is immediately accessible to the non-local, demonstrating various aspects of the tradition, its participants, and its history. Seemingly designed as part of a documentary series for television, this is an easy-to-recommend entry point for anyone interested in folk tradition in the UK, giving insight from a wide range of perspectives and participants.

 Haddington Voices - Mark Mulhern, Colin Gateley, Fran Woodrow, Ruth Fyfe (dirs.) (Film)

This is a touching film that puts residents’ voices first, highlighting the importance of community fieldwork. By exploring the depths of history and interest contained within a small town, it convincingly demonstrates that rural areas are not isolated but rather are deeply interconnected with, reflective of, and influential on the wider world.

 Offbeat Film Club - Mike Hankin and Rita Conry (Club / Film Festival)

This is an engaging publicly-orientated project, bringing ‘folk’ films to broader audiences. The selection of wide-ranging films for the 2025 festival – reflecting the honest discussion of identity and folk in the Offbeat Film Club’s ‘Folk Mind Virus’ blog entry – is to be commended, and we look forward to the growth and continued success of the film club, perhaps inspiring similar film clubs elsewhere.

Up the Middle Road - Valentina Bold, Mike Bolam, Kathleen Cronie, Amanda Edmiston, Jamie McLennan, Emily Smith, and the former patients and staff of the Crichton Royal Institution, Dumfries (Film / Public Event)

This film is, at its heart, an edited recording of a compelling event celebrating people’s memories of the Crichton in Dumfries. Bringing together talented musicians, storytellers, and fieldworkers, the event demonstrates the power of place and community and is an excellent resource for those connected to or interested in the Crichton or the history and development of mental health care in Scotland and the UK.

The Zen Art of Stone Squeezing - Harry Wheeler (dir.) (Film)

This short, moving film presents a waller through his own words, putting forward – without sentimentality – his own thoughts and memories on what it is to be a dry-stone waller. While seemingly limited to field footage taken on one day, the waller’s declaration that six metres of wall can be put up by one waller in a working day creatively frames the film, which is divided into six distinct sections following different stories from the waller’s life. The film is an excellent example of the depths that can be found in a singular ethnographic moment.

The Folklore Society would like to thank all the entrants who supported The Doc Rowe Award by submitting their work into the competition.

Published 12th November 2025