The Golden Doorknob Awards will be returning during the 2026-27 academic year as an annual competition thanks to a generous contribution by Dan Heffner '78, Executive Producer of the SAW franchise.
The Golden Doorknob competition was started in 1969 by Ithaca College professor emeritus of cinema and photography Gustav "Skip" Landen. All film students had the same assignment: make a very short film that presents the most imaginative way to kill someone with a doorknob.
The competition theme has been expanded so that the “death by doorknob” concept may go beyond physical death–it may be the end of a relationship, an emotion, an institution, or a time in history–anything that can come to an end.
1st Place $1,000
2nd Place $750
3rd Place $500