2023 International AGF Award Winners!

Greener Power Award
Green Gathering (UK)

Pied Piper Award
Forest Green Rovers F.C.  (UK)

Water & Sanitation Award
(Supported by Loowatt)
Boom Festival (PT)

Greener Innovations Award
WomanInFan @ Sitges Film Festival (ES)

Green Gathering are known as ‘the original off grid festival, powered by ‘Sun, Wind, People and Passion for change’. Rather than being a festival to forget your responsibilities, Green Gathering inspires people to change their habits and leave the festival ready to change the world! They achieve this through skill sharing, activist training, permaculture workshops, heritage crafts, education on alternative technology, solar power.. the list goes on! Sustainability was never an afterthought here- it is the very reason the festival began, and is at the heart of everything they do, from the moon loos to help encourage plastic free periods, to the Crock and Rock system for reusable cutlery to their upcycled ‘danger bunting’ … Green Gathering are a shining example of just how green a festival can be!

Greener Transport Award

DGTL Amsterdam is held near Amsterdam Central station, and has it’s own party ferry to get people to the site! It is perfectly situated to allow the audience to arrive via public transport, bike or by walking there and this is how the vast majority travel there. Local artists are prioritised over international, and for the few artists who do have to fly-DGTL worked with SkyNRG to replace all their fossil fuel with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Once here, artists are transported by electric vehicles to reduce any impact from ground travel!

Community Action Award

Sonidos Liquidos is located on the beautiful volcanic island of Lanzarote, and every year they demonstrate their commitment to the local community there. Among their many community efforts, they host children’s workshops creating artworks through recycling, which are used to decorate the festival. They work to make visible and recognize women who have played an important role in the protection of the territory, or in the sustainable development of the island. They hire people at risk of social exclusion, and contract services to an association for the defence of local people with mental health problems, as well as working with different local social and environmental groups to collaborate on their campaigns- such as bird conservation or beach clean-ups!

Circular Festival Award

DGTL Festival Amsterdam have been open about their road to circularity , and documented this at every stage of the process. Focusing on five pillars- Resources, Energy, Mobility, Sanitation and food, they have created a living lab for circular innovation. With reusable serveware, a cup deposit scheme, a circular food court creating compost from leftover food, cigarette butts turned into park benches and of course -their pee into tea system , it is clear that every aspect of the resources have been considered, with reduction, reuse and recycling ensuring that nothing is truly wasted!

Greener Power Award

Green Gathering continues to be pioneers of the 100% renewable energy powered festival. This year they were powered entirely by electricity from solar, generated on site using 3 modified fire engines! They have shown that despite common beliefs, being solar powered in Britain IS possible. Power needs are continually monitored to ensure they can meet the needs of the festival. Generators are not allowed on site, and as such traders also need to use renewable power, which has led to some changing how they trade, and choosing to adopt solar as their power going forward into other events!

Pied Piper Award

Forest Green Rovers FC go above and beyond when it comes to communication, reaching out to encourage real change. They have an international reach, with fan clubs all over the world due to their action on sustainability. They are an ambassador for UNFCC sports for climate action, fly the Palestinian flag, and show Just Stop Oil and climate messaging pitchside during televised games. They have achieved a media reach of 8 million in just 12 months, and are the worlds first vegan, and greenest football club according to FIFA and UNFCC. The list goes on, and will no doubt continue to grow as FGR reach more and more people, both within and beyond the football community!

Water & Sanitation Award

Boom Festival in Portugal continue to show their dedication to minimizing their environmental impact in every way, and now with 100% compost toilets using no chemicals, permanent showers built with recycled materials, separation of toilet liquids and solids – using the solids for compost to fertilise the site, and a brand-new on-site water treatment station that can process up to 7 million litres of grey water for reuse on site…. Boom really pulls out all the stops and then some when it comes to water and sanitation!

Greener Innovations Award
Sitges Film Festival in Spain, delivered an innovative social initiative, which puts the spotlight on EDI and brings creative women to the forefront! WomanInFan is a program for the visibility and incorporation of creative women into fantastic filmography. Through five steps- visibility, awareness, the Fan Lab, Networking and finally Sitges Presents, WomanInFan sets out to vindicate the role of the female filmmaker within the fantasy genre, and at Sitges International Film Festival, they give visibility to the work that has emerged from the WomanInFan Scholarships. A fantastic initiative highlighting and promoting female filmmakers in this genre.