The Telly Awards unveiled its 44th annual winners after a record-breaking year for entries. Winners include some of the most prominent global brands and companies alongside smaller and independent production houses, including Cut+Run, Netflix, Disney Parks, Media.Monks, Paramount, National Geographic Society, and dynastic NBA team the Golden State Warriors.
Founded in 1979 to originally honor commercials made for cable and local TV, The Telly Awards has continually refreshed its categories to honor the evolving, broad range of work being made today–work that reflects the trends, issues, and topical matters of each year. This season, the Tellys unveiled categories to better recognize work across Pro Bono and CSR, video journalism, and those pushing boundaries across virtual production.
Among the winners in the new categories, FORTUNE Brand Studio won in Branded Content – General – CSR for its “Feeding America” piece spotlighting Dollar General’s partnership with Feeding America to support those facing food insecurity. Media.Monks took home honors in Use of Motion Capture for their collaboration with GoNoodle, Verizon 5G and Tua Tagovailoa focused on creating an accessible fitness program for schools. BBC World Service, BBC World News and Mother Jones all took home honors in Video Journalism for their breakout work and commitment to using video to document human stories from across the globe.
The Telly Awards’ 44th annual edition – “Break through the static” – boasted nearly 13,000 entries from across the globe, the most in a decade, with submissions coming in from the U.S., Middle East, U.K. and Canada, as well as strong entries from Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and as widespread as Afghanistan, Sweden, New Zealand, Jamaica, and South Africa.
“The caliber of the work this season truly has reflected the theme of breaking out and standing out,” said The Telly Awards executive director Sabrina Dridje. “Our industry is experimenting with new technologies like never before, crafting truly compelling stories to draw attention to some of the world’s most pressing issues, and companies big and small are turning to more sustainable practices to break the cycle of past production processes.”
Standout work in animation, social impact, and sustainability was headlined by winners such as National Geographic Society, Sixteen South Studios, a 2D animation studio that co-produces work with partners The Jim Henson Company, as well as Sesame Workshop, the BBC and Alabama-based The Bending the Arc Project, whose work promotes racial justice and human rights through filmmaking and storytelling.
The Telly Awards also announced Hearst Media Production Group as Telly Company of the Year for the very first time, with television series including Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien and The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation among their winning work.
The fan favorite, the “People’s Telly Awards”, which were chosen by the public, went to a diversified, solid roster of creative and production talent, from Netflix and MTV Entertainment Studios to Paramount Brand Studio and Sesame Workshop.
Here’s a rundown of winner highlights:
Branded Content
- Cut+Run Editorial, Branded Content – Craft – Editing, Nike – “Travis Scott”
- FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Branded Content – Campaign – Campaign: Promotional, “Focus Testing’
- Civic Entertainment Group, Branded Content – General- D&I, Forces of Beauty
- Partizan, Branded Content – Craft – Directing, WhatsApp – “Naija Odyssey”
Social Video
- Disney Parks, Social Video – General – Sustainability, “Disney Parks: Gingerbread House Recycling”
- European Parliament, Social Video – General – Hybrid Events, “Charting a course for the future”
- Media.Monks, Social Video – Craft – Use of vertical format, “For You, Paige: A TikTok Musical”
- Brut. America, Social Video – General – Video Journalism, “Grief Camp”
Online Series/Shows/Segments
- American Society of Cinematographers, Online – Series – Series: Education & Discovery, “ASC Clubhouse Conversations”
- BET Networks/BET Digital, Online – Series – Web Series: Non-Scripted, “I Was a Soul Train Dancer S5”
- Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, General-Museums & Galleries, “gOD-Talk 2.0: Hip-Hop & #BlackFaith”
- Windsong Productions, Online – General – Social Impact, “BBC StoryWorks: Shape of water”
Immersive/Interactive & Mixed
- Blue Telescope Labs, Immersive, Interactive, & Mixed – General – Museums & Galleries, ““African/American: Making the Nation’s Table” at The Africa Center x MOFAD”
- Frameless London, Immersive, Interactive, & Mixed – Craft – Use of 360, “Frameless London”
- Utsab Giri, Immersive, Interactive, & Mixed, Craft-Use of VR, “Movement Across Spaces”
- Paramount Brand Studio, General-Virtual Events & Experiences, Ram x Yellowstone Set Tour
Non-Broadcast
- Airbnb, Non-Broadcast – General – Diversity & Inclusion, “Airbnb | We are one. We are many”
- Sesame Workshop, Non-Broadcast – General – Education & Training,“Teaching Smarter – Learning in Crisis”
- HBO, Non-Broadcast – General – Documentary: Long Form (Above 40 minutes), “HBO Camera Assessment Series (2023)”
- NASA Television, General-Diversity & Inclusion, “The Color of Space”
People’s Telly Award
- MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks, Social Video, “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7 Ruveal”
- Operation Smile, Branded Content,“What Legacy Will You Leave?”
- World Wildlife Fund, Branded Content, “Wearing Thin”
- Accenture, Non-Broadcast, “Make Invisible Visible”
