1999
Gulag: Enemy of the People (Angus Macqueen/BBC)
- Grierson Tributes to Philip Donnelan and David Munro
1998
Inside Story – Tongue Tied (Olivia Lichtenstein/BBC)
- Trustees’ Award: Michael Apted
1997
The System – The Nature of the Beast (Peter Dale/BBC)
1995
Tripping with Zhirinovsky
1994
Beyond the Clouds
- (Philip Agland/Channel 4)
1993
Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (Nick Broomfield/Lafayette Films)
1992
Children of Chernobyl (Clive Gordon/Yorkshire Television)
1990
Four Hours in Mai Lai (Kevin Sim Yorkshire Television)
1987
Handsworth Songs
- (John Akomfrah/Black Audio Collective)
1986
From the Cradle to the Grave (John Willis/Yorkshire Television)
1985
Miners Campaign Tapes (Platform Films/National Union of Mineworkers)
1984
Framed Youth
- (Lesbian and Gay Youth Video Project/GLAA)
1983
Give Us This Day
- (Phil Mulloy/Arts Council of Great Britain)
1981/2
Rough Cut and Ready Dubbed (Hasan Shah/BFI & GLAA)
1980
Josef (Jerzy Kaszubowski/National Film School) joint winner with The Tom Machine (Paul Bamborough/National Film School)
1979
Fred Dibnah – Steeplejack (Don Haworth/BBC)
1978
Begging the Ring (Colin Gregg/Dartington Arts Society)
1978
Tom Phillips
- (David Rowan/Arts Council of Great Britain)
1976
Devices and Desires (Giles Foster/Ken McMullen Productions)
1975
Drive Carefully Darling (John Krish/Department of Environment)
1974
Butterfly Ball (Lee Mishkin/Halas & Batchelor)
1973
Like Other People (Paul Morrison/Spastics Society & Mental Health)
1972
The Wind in the Wires (John Edwards/Buff Films) – first year of The Grierson Award trophy