Since 2021 our top prize for Best in Show has been named the
"Adam York Memorial Award"
in loving memory of our dearly departed friend and colleague: Stranger Days Co-Founder and Filmmaker Adam York.

Adam was a driving force and champion of independent cinema, particularly in his native North Carolina, who tragically lost his long battle with bone cancer in 2021. He was named the inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at that year's festival, as well as the namesake of our Best in Show award that year and every year since.