THE GOLDEN SHEAF AWARD

The original award given out by the Yorkton Film Council was a people’s choice certificate of merit voted on by the audience. In 1956, one of the first adjudicators, Frank Moriss of the Winnipeg Free Press, suggested that Yorkton should have a grand prize. The wheat fields surrounding Yorkton inspired the idea for “The Golden Sheaf” award. Unanimously approved, the Winnipeg Brass Company designed and produced the first award. Made of metal, the first statues looked like a bouquet of wheat. An engraved metal plaque was used in the 1960s, with a new statue introduced in the 1970s. Jim Trinder of Yorkton designed the bronze sheaf we know today – a symbol of the Yorkton Film Festival and excellence in Canadian Short Film.