PARIS – Reed MIDEM has opened the call for entries for the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards 2018. Dedicated to championing and promoting diversity and inclusion in all forms across the international television industry, the second edition of the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards will take place on Tuesday 16 October.
The awards show will be held in the Grand Salon of the Intercontinental Carlton Hotel, Cannes, France, during MIPCOM.
Global entertainment content market MIPCOM takes place in Cannes from 15-18 October.
The MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards ceremony is an invitation-only event for some 200 leading TV executives. The winning projects will be chosen by charitable organisations and specialised publications that campaign for equality and inclusion including GADIM, SCOPE, Gay Star News and Minority Rights, who will reward positive programming across the year that embraces representation in worthy shows.
The deadline for submissions is 5 September 2018.
To be eligible, programmes must provide a fair and accurate representation of BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic), LGBTQ and disabled communities, have made a positive impact, stand out in originality and excellence in terms of storytelling, casting and production values, and challenge stereotypes.
Submissions must have aired for the first time between 1 September 2017 and 31 August 2018 on a linear and/or non-linear platform.
Programmes can be entered for multiple categories:
- MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award for Representation of Race and Ethnicity
- Scripted
- Non-Scripted
- MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award for Representation of LGBTQ
- Scripted
- Non-Scripted
- MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award for Representation of Disability
- Scripted
- Non-Scripted
New this year is the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award for kids’ programming, across all genres.
All submitted programmes will be reviewed by Reed MIDEM’s Editorial Team and members of the MIP Markets Diversity Advisory Board that includes: Bunmi Akintonwa, Managing Director, The Little Black Book; Sahar Baghery, Media and Entertainment Executive; Sean Cohan, President, International & Digital, A+E Networks; David Cornwall, Managing Director, Scorpion TV; David Ellender , President, Global Distribution and Co-productions, Sonar Entertainment; David Levine, General Manager, Disney Channels UK; Nick Smith, EVP Formats, All3Media International; and Sallyann Keizer, Managing Director, Sixth Sense Media.
“I’m really proud that the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards are coming back bigger and better for 2018. There are so many examples of how specific television programming has made a difference in society, so it feels right to acknowledge excellent programmes that include a fair and accurate representation of often marginalised groups, and important that the awards are judged by organisations supporting these groups,” said Nick Smith, EVP Formats, All3Media International.
“Diversity and inclusion are a major priority for us at Reed MIDEM. Besides being a place to do business, MIPCOM is a great platform to think about these preoccupations and address some of the key issues facing the world today. Over the past years, MIPCOM has been providing a forum for the entertainment industry to discuss extending its role to influence society and to take action to improve representation at all levels,” said Laurine Garaude, Director of Television at Reed MIDEM, which organises MIPCOM.
The MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards are part of the MIPCOM Diversity and Inclusion programme which is supported by companies and associations including A+E Networks and Diversify TV.
The programme will notably include a poignant testimony given by Rania Ali, a young Syrian refugee who was the subject of award-winning documentary Escape from Syria: Rania’s Odyssey. Rania Ali’s escape from her war-torn homeland to a new life in Austria was documented by Norwegian filmmaker Anders Hammer, and the pair will give a double interview during MIPCOM.
