Awards History

The IAWRT AWARDS have been an integral part of the IAWRT International Biannial Conferences since 1994. Mette Janson coordinated the first Awards and it is now passed on to Gerd Inger Polden, both from the Norway Chapter.

In the first year, the competition was limited to TV documentaries, but after 1997, awards of Excellence have been granted, one for radio and one for TV programs. Honorable mentions are also awarded in each category. To secure a broad representation within the two respective juries, IAWRT members are chosen from all continents. A representative from the hosting country of the conference acts as the chair for the competition.

Each year, a theme is chosen for the AWARDS usually the same as the theme for the IAWRT international conference. The AWARDS have a capacity building element as it is a unique opportunity to develop dialogue and critical viewing opportunities for the jury members involved. Entries are also a unique opportunity to share ongoing advancements with the participants at the conferences. With this, the IAWRT AWARDS became an important part of the professional input at the conferences. Each conference concludes with an AWARDS ceremony and banquet, which is one of the highlight of the conferences.

The AWARDS work is facilitated and sponsored by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and the Forum for Women and Development or FOKUS.