Television Academy Foundation Announces 36th College Television Awards Winners

The Television Academy Foundation announced winners of the 36 th College Television Awards at a gala event last night, Thursday, April 23, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The awards, which mirror the Emmys, recognized excellence in student-produced entertainment and news content from college students across the country.

More than 65 student nominees and winners accepted awards presented by many of television's brightest stars, including The Normal Heart's Matt Bomer, American Horror Story's Sarah Paulson, Veep's Reid Scott, Jane the Virgin's Justin Baldoni, American Crime's Benito Martinez and Togetherness' Melanie Lynskey. Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Mitchell Hurwitz (Arrested Development) opened the show and was joined by top show creators Steve Levitan (Modern Family) and Nigel Lythgoe (So You Think You Can Dance) to help present the awards. The ceremony was executive produced by SPIKE Jones, Jr. and hosted by the Television Academy Foundation, whose mission is to educate, inspire, and empower those who will shape the future of television.

"The College Television Awards provide us, as an industry, with the opportunity to celebrate storytelling and excellence in student work in all areas of television, from animation to drama," said Norma Provencio Pichardo, Executive Director of the Television Academy Foundation. "Last night once again proved that these talented students are poised to be tomorrow's industry leaders."

This year, the Academy's Foundation received over 1,000 entries from 150 colleges nationwide, including American Film Institute, Brigham Young University, Emerson College, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, University of Miami and many others. These submissions were reviewed by members of the Television Academy, with the three-round judging process culminating in a Blue Ribbon panel to award first ($2,000), second ($1,000) and third place ($500) prizes. Returning for its ninth year, mtvU served as the online media partner and hosted the platform for submissions and judging. Vimeo joined mtvU for the third year as a video partner supporting the platform.

The College Television Awards honored work in 13 categories. This year's first place winners in each category were:

• Animation: "Birthday," Nick Tustin, School of Visual Arts
• Children's Program: "Stealth," Melissa Hoppe, American Film Institute
• Comedy: "Martian American," Trevor Worley, American Film Institute
• Commercial: "Maglite-Dreamweaver," Christopher Campbell, Art Center College of Design
• Directing: "Day One," Henry Hughes, American Film Institute
• Documentary: "Silencing the Thunder," Eddie Roqueta, Montana State University
• Drama: "Day One," Michael Steiner, American Film Institute
• Magazine: "Centre County Report in Cuba," Christian Heilman and Rachel White, Pennsylvania State University
• Music Best Composition: "The Collection," Nate Fenwick Smith, University of North Carolina - School of Visual Arts
• Newscast: "WVU News' Special Edition 'All Things Social Media,'" Cory Sanchez, West Virginia University
• Series Reality/Unscripted:"A Solo-Traveler's Guide To: The World," Aleksandr Rikhterman, State University of New York Binghamton
• Series - Scripted: "Miss Mustard Glade," Katelyn Foley, Shin Yin Hiyu, University of Southern California
• Variety/Alternative: "33 rd Annual EVVY Awards," Joseph Awgul, Zach Ehrlich, Tara Heaslip, Tess Ryan, Emerson College

Several other special awards were presented:

The Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Scholarship, a $4,000 cash award given to a 1st or 2nd place College Television Award winner whose work best highlights a humanitarian concern. Melissa Hoppe from the American Film Institute won for her Children's Program, "Stealth." This award was created two decades ago by Mr. Bricker's family in honor of his commitment to philanthropy.

The Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship presented $10,000 to Natalie Whalen of Chapman University for her work titled "Unspoken." The award celebrates student storytellers whose work sheds light on people with disabilities.

The Mister Rogers Memorial Scholarships, two $10,000 grants funded by Ernst & Young LLP, a global leader in professional services to media and entertainment companies, and the Grable Foundation. The scholarships are presented to graduate students pursuing careers in children's media and developing the defining values of Fred Rogers' work. Sarah Nolen of University of Connecticut and Genie Deez of University of Southern California were this year's recipients.

Earlier this year, mtvU sponsored and introduced a new social media contest, inviting college students nationwide to submit their most creative 6-second Vine entries by using the hashtag #VinetotheCTAS. Following a panel review, the top Vines were voted on by the public; the winner, Ashley Alizor from the University of Southern California, attended the College Television Awards gala.

All College Television Award winners were flown to Los Angeles to receive their trophies. Students attended a day-long Summit hosted by the Television Academy Foundation, participating in panels and discussions led by notable industry professionals including Jonathan Murray, widely credited with inventing the modern reality genre; Bradley Bredeweg, co-creator and executive producer of The Fosters; and Gail Mancuso, Emmy-winning director of Modern Family.

The 36 th College Television Awards were generously sponsored by PEOPLE Magazine, mtvU, United Airlines, The Princeton Review, HBO, Nielsen, CBS, DreamWorks Studios, Samsung, and McGladrey LLP, Ernst & Young LLP, The Loreen Arbus Foundation and EntertainmentPartners. Wine was generously donated by Sterling Vineyards and hair and make-up was provided by The Spa Sante.

Additional details on the awards and winners can be found at TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.

About the Television Academy Foundation

Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. Through renowned educational and outreach programs such as the Archive of American Television, College Television Awards and Student Internship Program the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.

SOURCE Television Academy Foundation