The Prix Jean Vigo is an award in the Cinema of France given annually since 1951 to a French film director in homage to Jean Vigo. This award is usually given to a young director, for his or her independent spirit.
  
    - 1951: La Montagne est verte (short) by Jean Leherissey 
- 1952: La Grande Vie by Henri Schneider 
- 1953: Crin Blanc (short) by Albert Lamorisse 
- 1954: Les statues meurent aussi (short) by Alain Resnais and Chris Marker 
- 1955: Émile Zola (short) by Jean Vidal 
- 1956: Nuit et brouillard (short) by Alain Resnais 
- 1957: Léon la lune (short) by Alain Jessua 
- 1958: Les Femmes de Stermetz (short) by Louis Grospierre 
- 1959: Le Beau Serge by Claude Chabrol 
- 1960: À bout de souffle by Jean-Luc Godard 
- 1961: La Peau et les os by Jean-Paul Sassy and Jacques Panuel 
- 1962: La Guerre des boutons by Yves Robert 
- 1963: Mourir à Madrid by Frédéric Rossif 
- 1964: La Belle Vie by Robert Enrico 
- 1965: Coaraze (short) by Jules Engel 
- 1966: La Noire de... by Ousmane Sembène 
- 1967: Who Are You, Polly Magoo? by William Klein 
- 1968: O Salto by Christian de Chalonge 
- 1969: L'Enfance nue by Maurice Pialat 
- 1970: Hoa Binh by Raoul Coutard 
- 1971: Remparts d'argile by Jean-Louis Bertucelli 
- 1972: Continental Circus by Jérôme Laperroussaz 
- 1973: Absences répétées by Guy Gilles 
- 1974: Un homme qui dort by Bernard Queyssanne and Georges Perec 
- 1975: L'Histoire de Paul by René Féret 
- 1976: L'Affiche rouge by Frank Cassenti 
- 1977: Paradiso by Christian Bricout 
- 1978: Bako-l'autre rive by Jacques Champreux 
- 1979: Certaines nouvelles by Jacques Davila 
- 1980: Ma blonde entends-tu dans la ville ? by René Gilson 
- 1981: Le Jardinier by Jean-Pierre Sentier 
- 1982: L'Enfant secret by Philippe Garrel 
- 1984: Vive la sociale! by Gérard Mordillat 
- 1985: Le Thé au harem d'Archimède by Medhi Charef 
- 1986: Maine Océan by Jacques Rozier 
- 1987: Buisson ardent by Laurent Perrin 
- 1988: La Comédie du travail by Luc Moullet 
- 1989: Chine ma douleur by Sijie Daï 
- 1990: Mona et moi by Patrick Grandperret 
- 1991: Le Brasier by Eric Barbier 
- 1992: Paris s'éveille by Olivier Assayas 
- 1993: Les histoires d'amour finissent mal... en général by Anne Fontaine 
- 1994: Trop de bonheur by Cédric Kahn 
- 1995: N'oublie pas que tu vas mourir by Xavier Beauvois 
- 1996: Encore by Pascal Bonitzer 
- 1997: La Vie de Jésus by Bruno Dumont 
- 1998: Dis-moi que je rêve by Claude Mourieras 
- 1999: La vie ne me fait pas peur by Noémie Lvoski 
- 2000: Saint-Cyr by Patricia Mazuy ex-æquo avec De l'histoire ancienne by Orso Miret 
- 2000: Les Filles de mon pays (short) by Yves Caumon 
- 2001: Candidature by Emmanuel Bourdieu ex-æquo with Ce vieux rêve qui bouge by Alain Guiraudie 
- 2002: Royal Bonbon by Charles Najman 
- 2003: Toutes ces belles promesses by Jean-Paul Civeyrac 
- 2004: Quand je serai star by Patrick Mimouni 
- 2005: Les Yeux clairs by Jérôme Bonnell 
- 2006: Le Dernier des fous by Laurent Achard 
- 2007: La France by Serge Bozon 
- 2008: Nulle part, terre promise by Emmanuel Finkiel 
- 2009: L'Arbre et la Forêt by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau 
- 2010: Un poison violent by Paul Falguères 
- 2011: Les Chants de Mandrin by Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche 
- 2012: L'Âge atomique by Héléna Klotz