Grierson: The British Documentary Awards, commonly known as The Grierson Awards, are awards bestowed by The Grierson Trust to recognise innovative and exciting documentary films, in honour of the pioneering Scottish documentary filmmaker John Grierson.
The inaugural award was given in 1972 and since then the awards have become an annual fixture. In 2000, The Grierson Trust forged a link with the UK Film Council in order to expand and add prestige to the awards. The awards have grown in stature and recognition over the years.
Awards trophy The awards trophy is in the form of a bust of John Grierson. Sculpted posthumously by Ivor Roberts-Jones, it was struck in a limited edition of 10, with three copies held by the Trust.
Originally, the trophy was given to the award winner for one year before being returned and presented to the next recipient.
John Grierson
John Grierson was a leading documentary filmmaker, and he has also been attributed to have coined the name "documentary". He was born in Scotland in 1898. Grierson was the founder of a new movement of documentary film in the 1930s. He started the Empire Marketing Board Film Unit, and in 1933 the GPO Film Unit, gathering together such diverse and exciting talents as Humphrey Jennings, Paul Rotha and Alberto Cavalcanti. His ground-breaking work on the Scottish herring fleet, Drifters, had its premiere in 1929 alongside the first British showing of Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin. In 1936, he produced the celebrated Night Mail, directed by Harry Watt with script by W.H. Auden and score by Benjamin Britten.
Grierson Trust Founded as the Grierson Memorial Trust in 1972, shortly after the death of John Grierson, the Grierson Trust is a registered UK charity that exists to celebrate the best factual and documentary filmmaking from both the UK and globally. The trust also nurtures factual TV talent via training and mentoring schemes. Since its inception it has had nine chairs: 1972 – ?: Basil Wright ? – 1987: Edgar Anstey 1989 – 2000: John Chittock 2000 – 2002: Larry Chrisfield 2002 – 2006: Edward Mirzoeff 2006 – 2008: Jenny Barraclough 2008 – 2010: Murray Weston 2010 – 2013: Dawn Airey 2013 – Present: Lorraine Heggessey In 2022, to mark its fiftieth anniversary, the Trust published its 50 must-see documentaries since its inception in 1972.
Judging As of 2023, the Grierson Awards employ a two-stage judging process, with each individual entry reviewed by a minimum of three members of the Trust.
A long list of eight nominees for each category is drawn up; then the contenders are judged by five-person juries, drawn from documentary makers, broadcasters and subject experts. The jurors then decide on the final four shortlisted nominations, and subsequently the winner for each category.
The judges look for evidence of quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence. They also consider the steps taken by producers to ensure the best diversity and inclusion practices, as this is considered key to the integrity and quality of any documentary. Since 2020, entrants to all but the Best Student Documentary category have been required to provide a statement on diversity and inclusion.
The Grierson Trustees' Award and Grierson Hero of the Year Award are honorary and not selected by the jury process.
2000–2025 winners
2025 winners All entries to the 2025 Grierson Awards must have had their first UK screening between June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025. +Hosted by Rachel Parris: 18 November 2025 at The Roundhouse, London.Best Single Documentary – DomesticBest Single Documentary – InternationalBest Current Affairs Documentary Winner — Witches (Mubi) dir. Elizabeth Sankey Winner — No Other Land (Channel 4) dir. Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor Winner — Life and Death in Gaza (BBC) dir. Natasha Cox, Lara El Gibaly, Haya Al Badarneh, and Sarah KeelingBest Arts DocumentaryBest Returning Documentary SeriesBest Sports Documentary Winner — Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other: dir. Jacob Perlmutter, and Manon Ouimet Winner — Life and Death Row (BBC) Winner — Unbreakable: England 2003 (TNT Sports) dir. Chris HayBest History DocumentaryBest Science and Natural History DocumentaryBest Crime and Justice Documentary Winner — The Zelenky Story – Episode 1 (BBC) dir. Michael Waldman Winner — Britain's Nuclear Bomb Scandal: Our Story (BBC) dir. Simon Rawles Winner — Bibaa & Nicole: Murder in the Park – Episode 1 (Sky) dir. Alex Thomas Best Popular Culture DocumentaryBest Cinema DocumentaryBest Documentary Series Winner — Grand Theft Hamlet (Mubi) dir. Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane Winner — Mediha: dir. Hasan Oswald and Mediha Alhamad Winner — Bibaa & Nicole: Murder in the Park (Netflix) dir. Alex ThomasBest Student DocumentaryBest Documentary ShortBest Documentary Presenter Winner — Welcome Home Freckles: dir. Huiju Park Winner — Chernobyl: My Promised Land (Sky Documentaries) dir. Mark Dominic Devlin Winner — Blindboy Boatclub: The Land of Slaves & Scholars (RTÉ) Grierson Trustees' Award Recipient — Rupert Houseman 2024 winners The eligibility window was for documentaries broadcast or available to stream in the UK between 1 June 2023 and 31 May 2024. +Hosted by Kerry Godliman: 7 November 2024 at The Roundhouse, London.Best Single Documentary – DomesticBest Single Documentary – InternationalBest Current Affairs Documentary Winner — Me and the voice in My Head: (Channel 4). dir. Tommy Forbes and Tom Green Winner — My Name is Happy: (Channel 4). dir. Ayşe Toprak and Nick Read Winner — 20 Days in Mariupol: (Associated Press, PBS Frontline). dir. Mstyslav ChernovBest Arts DocumentaryBest Music DocumentaryBest Sports Documentary Winner — Yellow Door: '90s Lo-fi Film Club: (Netflix). dir. Lee Hyukrae Winner — Milli Vanilli: (Paramount+) dir. Luke Korem Winner — Mighty Penguins: dir. Louis Myles and Ahmed TwaijBest History DocumentaryBest Science DocumentaryBest Natural History or Environmental Documentary Winner — Stamped from the Beginning, (Netflix). dir. Roger Ross Williams Winner — The Jennings vs Alzheimer's (BBC). dir. Niamh Kennedy Winner — Silverback (BBC). dir. Miles Blayden-RyallBest Popular Culture DocumentaryBest Cinema DocumentaryBest Documentary Series Winner — Big Zuu Goes to Mecca (BBC). dir. Adnan Ahmed Winner — 20 Days in Mariupol: (Associated Press, PBS Frontline). dir. Mstyslav Chernov Winner — The Push: Murder on the Cliff (Channel 4). dir. Anna HallBest Student DocumentaryBest Documentary ShortBest Documentary Presenter Winner — The Waiter, the Scientist and Jenny: (NFTS). dir. Joe Snelling Winner — Ted & Noel: (Channel 4). dir. Julia Alcamo Winner — Joe Tracini for Me and the Voice in My Head (Channel 4)Grierson Trustees' Award Recipient — Stacey Dooley
2023 winners The eligibility window was for documentaries broadcast or available to stream in the UK between 1 June 2022 and 31 May 2023. +Hosted by Nish Kumar: 9 November 2023 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.Best Single Documentary – InternationalBest Single Documentary – DomesticBest Current Affairs Documentary Winner — All That Breathes: (HBO Documentary Films). dir. Shaunak Sen Winner — Lyra: (Channel 4). dir. Alison Millar Winner — Retrograde: (National Geographic Documentary Films). dir. Matthew HeinemanBest Arts DocumentaryBest Music DocumentaryBest Sports Documentary Winner — "Sr.": (Netflix). dir. Chris Smith Winner — Moonage Daydream: dir. Brett Morgen Winner — The Real Mo Farah: (BBC). dir. Leo BurleyBest History DocumentaryBest Science DocumentaryBest Natural History Documentary Winner — Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland, Episode 3: (BBC). dir. James Bluemel / Sian Mcilwaine Winner — Inside Our Autistic Minds, Episode 1: (BBC). dir. Joe Myerscough / Emma Jones Winner — Big Oil vs. the World, Episode 1: "Denial": (BBC). dir. Jane McMullenBest Entertaining DocumentaryBest Cinema DocumentaryBest Student Documentary Winner — Pepsi, Where's My Jet? Episode 1: The Kid from Seattle: (Netflix). dir. Andrew Renzi Winner — All That Breathes: dir. Shaunak Sen Winner — With Woman: (NFTS). dir. Mia HarveyBest Constructed Documentary SeriesBest Documentary SeriesBest Documentary Short Winner — Monster Factory: (Apple TV+). dir. Galen Summer / Naiti Gámez Winner — Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland: (BBC). dir. James Bluemel / Sian Mcilwaine Winner — Lady of the Gobi: (The Guardian). dir. Khoroldorj ChoijoovanchigBest Documentary PresenterGrierson Trustees' AwardGrierson Hero of the Year Award Winner — Hannah Fry for Making Sense of Cancer with Hannah Fry: (BBC) Recipient — Anna Hall Recipient — Deaf & Disabled People in TV (DDPTV)
2022 winners (50th anniversary awards) The eligibility window was for documentaries broadcast or available to stream in the UK between 1 June 2021 and 31 May 2022. +Hosted by Rosie Jones and AJ Odudu: 10 November 2023 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.Best Single Documentary – InternationalBest Single Documentary – DomesticBest Current Affairs Documentary Winner — The Reason I Jump: (Disney+). dir. Jerry Rothwell Winner — Grenfell: The Untold Story: (Channel 4). dir. James Newton Winner — Exposure - Afghanistan: No Country for Women: (ITV). dir. Karim Shah. Reporter: Ramita Navai.Best Arts DocumentaryBest Music DocumentaryBest Sports Documentary Winner — SALT by Selina Thompson: (BBC). dir. Alison Ramsay Winner — Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, "Act I: VISION": (Netflix). dir. Coodie & Chike Winner — Citizen Ashe: (BBC). dir. Rex Miller / Sam PollardBest History DocumentaryBest Science DocumentaryBest Natural History Documentary Winner — The Missing Children: (ITV). dir. Tanya Stephan Highly commended — Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11: (Sky Documentaries). dir. David Belton / Bjorn Johnson Winner — A Year in the Ice: The Arctic Drift: (Channel 4). dir. Ashley Morris Winner — The Green Planet, Episode 1: "Tropical Worlds": (BBC). dir. Mike Gunton Highly commended — My Garden of a Thousand Bees: (Sky Nature). dir. David AllenBest Entertaining DocumentaryBest Cinema DocumentaryBest Student Documentary Winner — Twas the Fight Before Christmas: (Apple TV+). dir. Becky Read Winner — Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised): dir. Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson Winner — Ten by Ten: dir. Jami L. Bennett Highly commended — Daughters of the Sea: (London College of Communication). dir. Laura EstebanBest Constructed Documentary SeriesBest Documentary SeriesBest Documentary Short Winner — We Are Black and British: (BBC). dir. Ryan Samuda Winner — Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy: (Netflix). dir. Coodie & Chike Winner — Three Songs for Benazir: (Netflix). dir. Elizabeth Mirzaei / Gulistan Mirzaei Highly commended — Freedom Swimmer: dir. Olivia Martin McGuireBest Documentary PresenterGrierson Trustees' AwardGrierson Hero of the Year Award Winners — Jamie MacDonald & Jamie O'Leary for Blind Ambition: (BBC) Recipient — Roger Graef OBE (posthumous award) Recipient — Clare Richards (Documentary director and founder of We Are Doc Women)
2021 winners After the previous years online only ceremony, this year marked a return to an in-person event. The eligibility window was for documentaries that had their first UK screening between 1 June 2020 and 31 May 2021. Best Cinema Documentary was not awarded for the first time since 2003, but two new categories were introduced, Best Sports Documentary and Hero of the Year, whilst the award for Best Arts and Music Documentary was split into two separate awards.
+Hosted by Patrick Kielty: 10 November 2021 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.Best Single Documentary – InternationalBest Single Documentary – DomesticBest Current Affairs Documentary Winner — Collective: Unravelling a Scandal (BBC Four). dir. Alexander Nanau Winner — David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (Netflix). dir. Jonnie Hughes, Alastair Fothergill & Keith Scholey Winner — Storyville" Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge (BBC Four). dir. David France