Award
& Winners list
Since 1997, the International Adventure & Discovery Film Festival in Val d’Isère has been celebrating exploration and boldness through a selection of captivating films.
Several awards are presented, including the Golden Eagle of Adventure, the festival’s highest honor awarded by the jury. Other distinctions include the Alain Estève Prize, which recognizes technical excellence, the Rising Talent Prize for emerging filmmakers, the Ushuaïa TV Prize, offering a broadcast on the channel, and the Audience Award, reflecting the viewers’ choice.
Discover the complete list of winners since the festival’s creation!
Award
L’AIGLE D’OR DE L’AVENTURE – Grand prize of the festival
This is the Grand Prix of the Festival awarded by the jury, it is the ultimate reward. The winning film is screened at the end of the closing ceremony of the Festival.
ALAIN ESTÈVE PRIZE – Best technical achievement
This prize pays tribute to the mountaineer Alain Estève, former head of the GMHM (High Mountain Military Group) who disappeared in the mountains in 1997. It rewards the technical qualities of a film.
THE HOPE OUTSIDE PRIZE – Emerging filmmaker award
In the world of adventure, there are the pros who bring back high-end photo and video productions in their luggage. And then there are those travelers—without sponsors or with only modest means—whose first challenge is simply finding the time and money to set off for the first time. They are the ones we can relate to, making it easy to imagine following in their footsteps. The *Outside Hope Award* honors this very first journey—the beginning of an endless list, a source of joy and a thousand struggles alike.
USHUAÏA TV PRIZE
For over ten years, Ushuaïa TV has also been providing support by awarding a prize to a director with the award-winning film being broadcast on the channel. This film is selected by the Ushuaïa TV editorial team.
PUBLIC CHOICE AWARD
At the entrance of each film in competition, the public receives a ticket that allows them to vote at the end of the film for the Grand Prix du Public. Ballot boxes marked “not at all”, “a little”, “a lot”, “crazy” are located at the exit of the Convention Center to collect votes. The count is done in proportion to the number of spectators who thus determine their favorite.
Winners
L’AIGLE D’OR DE L’AVENTURE – Grand prize of the festival
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sunny Boy | Morgan Le Faucheur |
| 2023 | Mongolie, la vallée des ours | Hamid Sardar |
| 2022 | Yukon, un rêve blanc | Mathieu Le Lay |
| 2019 | Ours, simplement sauvage | Vincent Munier, Laurent Joffrion |
| 2018 | In Gora | Andy Collet |
| 2017 | Riso Patron, Hasta Las Webas | Antoine Moineville |
| 2016 | Taïga | Hamid Sardar |
| 2015 | Kabul Cinema | Louis Meunier |
| 2014 | Sur le fil de Darwin | Jeanne Delasnerie, Jean-François Didelot |
| 2013 | Abyssinie, l’appel du loup | Laurent Joffrion |
| 2012 | 7 000 mètres au-dessus de la guerre | Louis Meunier |
| 2011 | L’extraordinaire tournée du facteur Maignan | Patrick Sou-Labaille |
| 2010 | Sherpas, les véritables héros de l’Everest | Frank Senn |
| 2009 | Berhault | Gilles Chappaz, Raphaël Lassablière |
| 2008 | Hors du temps | Florence Tran |
| 2007 | Pururambo | Pavol Barabas |
| 2006 | Les montagnes du silence | Luc Marescot |
| 2005 | OMO | Pavol Barabas |
| 2004 | Au nom du fils | Philippe Jamain |
| 2003 | Les tribus cachées d’Amazonie | Erling Söderström |
| 2002 | Le défi de Jamie | Ian Taylor |
| 2001 | La grande traversée | Thierry Robert |
| 2000 | From nowhere to the middle of nowhere | Alun Hugues |
| 1999 | The wall crawler | Alain Robert |
| 1998 | made it | Göran Kropp, Fredrik Blomquist |
| 1997 | Il vole avec les oies | Jean-Marc Robert |
ALAIN ESTÈVE PRIZE – Best technical achievement
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Aux pays des brumes : un hiver Balte | Sophie Planque |
| 2023 | De l’ombre à la lumière | Sébastien Montaz-Rosset |
| 2022 | Out of the blue | Davina Beyloos Montaz-Rosset, Sébastien Montaz-Rosset |
| 2019 | Derniers jours à Shibati | Hendrick Dusollier |
| 2018 | 700 Requins dans la nuit | Luc Marescot |
| 2017 | Antarctica, sur les traces de l’empereur | Jérôme Bouvier |
| 2016 | Le Mystère Mérou | Gil Kebaïli, Laurent Ballesta |
| 2015 | Urban Escape | David de Rueda, Mélanie De Groot Van Emtden |
| 2014 | Stand | Anthony Bonello, Nicolas Teichrob |
| 2013 | Les prisonniers de l’Himalaya | Louis Meunier |
| 2012 | La montagne magique, sur les chemins du Kaïlash | Simon Alix, Florence Tran |
| 2011 | On a marché sous le pôle | Thierry Robert |
| 2010 | Au royaume du Nautile | Gil Kébaïli (Océanopolis et Andromède Océanologie) |
| 2009 | Sur la piste du renne blanc | Hamid Sardar |
| 2008 | Un désert vertical | Altisphère, Daniel du Lac |
| 2007 | Amazonian Vertigo | Evrard Wendenbaum |
| 2006 | Le Trésor | Henri de Gerlache, Marc Temmerman |
| 2005 | Zanskar, le chemin des glaces | Anne et Éric Lapied |
| 2004 | Eigernordwand | Franck Senn, Thomas Ulrich |
| 2003 | Troisième Pôle | Michel Peissel |
| 2002 | Vague influence | M. Bertin |
| 2001 | Sur la piste du Mammouth | P. Fauque, B. Buigues, J.-C. Deniau |
| 2000 | L’Odyssée blanche | Nicolas Vanier |
| 1999 | Néblina : Montagnes des brumes | Antoine de Maximy, Henri Herré |
| 1998 | À la découverte des grottes ornées de Bornéo | Luc-Henri Fage |
THE HOPE OUTSIDE PRIZE – Emerging filmmaker award
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ORAHALA – Théâtre nomade au Sahara | Valentin Bertrand |
| 2023 | Upurkushun | Maxime Aubry |
| 2022 | Ô Parizad, le chant des anges | Guillaume Pierrel |
| 2021 | The American Hike | Virgile Woisard |
| 2019 | Estrellas del Semáforo | Margot Cami |
| 2018 | Frozen Road | Ben Page |
| 2017 | Riso Patron, Hasta Las Webas | Antoine Moineville |
| 2016 | Eqalusaq | Kévin Peyrussé et Hugo Braconnier |
| 2015 | Gold of Bengal | Corentin de Chatelperron |
| 2014 | The Boy Who Flies | Benjamin Jordan |
| 2013 | Venezuela Jungle Jam | Sean Villanueva |
| 2012 | I believe I can fly | Sébastien Montaz |
| 2011 | Azadi freedom | Anthony Bonello |
| 2010 | Himalaya, le chemin du ciel | François Chayé |
| 2009 | Babouche | Charles Véron |
| 2008 | Un désert vertical | Altisphère, Daniel Du Lac |
| 2007 | Asiemut | Mélanie Carrier et Olivier Higgins |
| 2006 | Québec Givrés | Sam Beaugey et Erwann Le Lann |
| 2005 | L’Odyssée andine | Philippe Ma–zet, Brice Villecourt, Alexis Bouillez |
| 2004 | Chamonix-Katmandou | Arno Adam et Stéphane Dan |
| 2003 | Les tribus cachées d’Amazonie | Erling Söderström |
| 2002 | L’Odyssée de Sao Maï | Michaël Pitiot |
| 2001 | La planète femme à bicyclette | Jean-Philippe Pons-Malartre |
| 2000 | Les amoureux du Pôle | Thierry Dagobert |
| 1999 | De mes propres ailes | Dorine Bourneton |
PUBLIC CHOICE AWARD
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Fils du vent | Jérémy Bigé |
| 2023 | Wild Waters | David Arnaud |
| 2022 | Alaska patagonie, la grande traversée | Sophie Planque |
| 2021 | Le Cavalier Mongol | Hamid Sardar |
| 2019 | Les voix de la liberté | Mélusine Mallender |
| 2018 | En équilibre sur l’océan | Sébastien Devrient |
| 2017 | Les mystères du Scoresby Sund | Evrard Wendenbaum et Gil Kebaïli |
| 2016 | Taïga | Hamid Sardar |
| 2015 | Solidream | Brian Mathé, Morgan Monchaud, Siphay Vera |
| 2014 | China Jam | Evrard Wendenbaum |
| 2013 | Nager au-delà des frontières | Robert Iséni et Charlène Gravel |
| 2012 | Sherkan, l’aigle du Mont Blanc | Jacques Olivier Travers |
| 2011 | L’extraordinaire tournée du facteur Maignan | Patrick Soulabaille |
| 2010 | Sherpas, les véritables héros de l’Everest | Frank Senn |
| 2009 | Broad Peak | Sébastien Toutta et Sébastien Collomb-Gros |
| 2008 | Maud Fontenoy à contre courant | Luc Marescot |
| 2007 | Asiemut | Mélanie Carrier et Olivier Higgins |
| 2006 | Coast to Coast | Olivier Aubert et Mike Blyth |
| 2005 | Sur le fil des 4 000 | Gilles Chappaz |
| 2004 | Au nom du fils | Philippe Jamain |
| 2003 | Richard et ses requins | Roland Théron |
| 2002 | Le défi de Jamie | I. Taylor |
| 2001 | La Grande Traversée | Thierry Robert |
| 2000 | Kashmir | Daniel Lafarge |
| 1999 | La marche dans le ciel | Pierre Barnerias |
| 1998 | I made it | Göran Kropp & Fredrik Blomquist |
| 1997 | Dans le secret des glaces | Janot Lamberton |
