Two Ravenna teens are among the 10 winners of the second annual Nourishing Narratives: Cultivating Youth Stories for Change, a national mobile film competition focused on food justice.
Abigail Cooper and Avery Walker won for their film, “Avery & Abi Creating Better Food Futures.” The competition was presented by Michigan-based nonprofit Mosaic Film Experience and Newman’s Own Foundation.
Nourishing Narratives is open to filmmakers ages 13 to 18, who create short films entirely on mobile devices. This year’s theme was “Creating Better Food Futures.” Entrants were required to incorporate a plate or bowl into their films and include the phrase “Change Starts With Us.”
Submissions addressed topics including access to healthy food, urban farming and community gardens, food education, organizations feeding their communities and Indigenous food justice.
The 10 winning films were selected by a panel of educators, food justice leaders and film industry professionals. Each winner or winning team receives a $1,000 award and a Newman’s Own prize package.
Cooper and Walker were also invited with a guardian to a two-day celebration Aug. 14–15 in Metro Detroit at College for Creative Studies and The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. The event included opportunities to connect with leaders in storytelling, education, innovation and food justice and concluded with a public screening of the winning films Aug. 15.
“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.”
Mosaic Film Experience is a Michigan-based nonprofit founded in 2012 that uses digital media and storytelling programs to help students develop creative, collaborative and critical-thinking skills and explore emerging careers.
The other 2026 winners came from Minnesota, Georgia, Washington, D.C., Texas, New York, California, Mississippi and Illinois.
