Teen Filmmakers Nationwide Honored for Powerful Stories Exploring Food Justice
Mosaic Film Experience and Newman’s Own Foundation to Celebrate Winning Filmmakers at College for Creative Studies and The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation Aug. 14–15
Mosaic Film Experience and Newman’s Own Foundation today announced the winners of the second annual Nourishing Narratives: Cultivating Youth Stories for Change, a national youth mobile film competition that explores food justice through storytelling.
Mosaic Film Experience is an award-winning, Michigan-based nonprofit that empowers youth to explore emerging and creative careers through storytelling. Newman’s Own Foundation, the private grantmaking foundation started by legendary actor Paul Newman, collaborates on the competition as part of its mission to nourish and transform the lives of children who face adversity.
Nourishing Narratives invites youth ages 13 to 18 from across the United States to explore food justice through short films created entirely on mobile devices. This year’s filmmakers were challenged to interpret the theme “Creating Better Food Futures,” incorporate a plate or bowl as a required prop and include the phrase “Change Starts With Us” in their films. Teen storytellers submitted short films exploring topics including access to healthy food, urban farming and community gardens, organizations feeding their communities, food education and Indigenous food justice.
The 2026 Nourishing Narratives winners are:
“Against the Wind,” by Rita Backes Kozhimannil – White Bear Lake, Minnesota
“Avery & Abi Creating Better Food Futures,” by Abigail Cooper and Avery Walker – Ravenna, Michigan
“Changing Food Futures 4 Wheels at a Time,” by Jackson Alexander Brisco – Kennesaw, Georgia
“Creating Better Food Futures,” by Ada Grace O’Connor and Jane Mathis Alexander Fettus – Washington, D.C.
“Feeding Hope,” by Gabriella Grace Dibrell – San Antonio, Texas
“Food Show,” by Natalie Goldban, Sammy Goldban and Teddy Kroin – Scarsdale, New York
“Mickey-Don’ts,” by Myles Alexander Fredrickson – Castaic, California
“Planting the Seeds of Food Literacy,” by Brianna Wang and Adrianna Wang – Jackson, Mississippi
“The Divide on Our Plates,” by Ewura-Adjoa Darkoa Dwumfuoh, Maame-Abena Konadu Dwumfuoh and Nana-Ama Pokua Dwumfuoh – Oakley, California
“The Same Bowl,” by Ike Grace Apata – Calumet City, Illinois
Each winner or winning team will receive a $1,000 award and a Newman’s Own prize package. Winners and a guardian will also be invited to a special two-day celebration Aug. 14–15 at College for Creative Studies and The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Metro Detroit, where they’ll connect with leaders in storytelling, education, innovation and food justice. The celebration will conclude with a public screening of the winning films on Aug. 15. Winning films can be viewed via YouTube.
A distinguished panel of educators, food justice leaders and film industry professionals from across North America – including Crystal FitzSimons, president, Food Research & Action Center; Maralyn O'Brien, chief strategy officer, Chef Ann Foundation; and Virginia Anzengruber, producer, screenwriter – selected this year’s winners.
“Nourishing Narratives reminds us that young people aren’t waiting to impact the future, they’re already shaping it,” said Skot Welch, founder and president of Mosaic Film Experience. “These filmmakers challenged audiences to think differently about food, community and opportunity. Their stories demonstrate the power of storytelling to spark meaningful change and show that meaningful change isn’t defined by age, but by the courage to share your voice.”
Now in its second year, Nourishing Narratives continues to elevate youth voices while encouraging students to explore food justice through creativity, storytelling and civic engagement.
“This year’s top films demonstrate how youth are building better food futures with creativity and compassion,” said Alex Amouyel, President and CEO of Newman’s Own Foundation. “We applaud Mosaic Film Experience for providing a platform for youth voices, and celebrate all the young filmmakers for sharing stories of community-driven food justice solutions.”
About Mosaic Film Experience
Founded in 2012 by Skot Welch, The Mosaic Film Experience (MFE) is a 501(c)(3) organization that uses the platform of digital media to provide students with an opportunity to tell their unique stories and equip them with the critical thinking, collaborative and creative skills necessary for career- preparedness. There are three aspects to The Mosaic Film Experience: The Mosaic Event: An annual interactive experience that provides students access to industry professionals through creative, career-inspiring workshops. Mosaic Mobile: An annual mobile film competition where films are shot, edited, and entered on mobile devices. Mosaic Community: Events ranging from afterschool curriculum to industry guest speakers and film screenings. For more information about MFE, visit http://mosaicfilmexperience.com/.
About Newman’s Own Foundation
Newman’s Own Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation whose mission is to nourish and transform the lives of children who face adversity. The Foundation continues Paul Newman’s commitment to use all the money that it receives—100% of the profits and royalties—from the sale of Newman’s Own products in service of its mission. Through the efforts of Paul Newman and Newman’s Own, over $600 million has been given to social impact organizations since 1982. Today, Newman’s Own Foundation grantee partners promote nutritious food in schools, advance Indigenous food justice, and through SeriousFun Children’s Network, create medically inclusive camp experiences. Learn more at newmansown.org.
Selection Process
Following the judges’ evaluations, eight films achieved the competition’s winning score threshold. Mosaic Film Experience and Newman’s Own Foundation each selected one additional film that closely matched the winning scores and embodied the creativity, storytelling, and mission of Nourishing Narratives, resulting in this year’s class of 10 winners.
