The Emmy Award
, often referred to simply as the Emmy
, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards (for film), Grammy Awards (for music) and Tony Awards (for stage). [1] [2]
They are presented in various sectors of the television industry, including entertainment programming, news and documentary shows, and sports programming. As such, the awards are presented in various area-specific ceremonies held annually throughout the year. The best known of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring excellence in American primetime television programming (excluding sports), and the Daytime Emmy Awards, honoring excellence in American daytime television programming.
Three related but separate organizations present the Emmy Awards: [3]
- the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) honors national prime time entertainment excluding sports;
- the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) recognizes daytime, sports, news and documentary programming, and;
- the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honors all programming produced and originally aired outside the United States.
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EMMY AWARDS TICKETS
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History
The
Los Angeles-based
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) established the Emmy Awards as part of an image-building and
public relations opportunity.
[4] The name "Emmy" was chosen as a feminization of "immy", a nickname used for the
image orthicon tubes that were common in early
television cameras.
[5] To complement the name, the
statuette was designed to depict a winged woman holding an atom, which has since become the symbol of the TV Academy's goal of supporting and uplifting the art and science of television: The wings represent the muse of art; the atom the electron of science.
The
first Emmy Awards were presented on January 25, 1949 at the
Hollywood Athletic Club, but solely to honor shows produced and aired locally in the Los Angeles area.
Shirley Dinsdale has the distinction of receiving the very first Emmy, for Most Outstanding Television Personality, during that first awards ceremony.
In the 1950s, the ATAS expanded the Emmys into a national event, presenting the awards to shows broadcast nationwide. In 1955, the
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) was formed in
New York as a sister organization to serve members on the
East Coast, and help to also supervise the Emmys. The NATAS also established regional chapters throughout the
United States, with each one developing their own local Emmy awards show for local programming.
Originally there was only one Emmy Awards ceremony held per year to honor shows nationally broadcast in the United States. That changed when the
Daytime Emmy Awards, a separate awards show specifically just for daytime programming, was first held in 1974. Other area-specific Emmy Awards ceremonies soon followed. Also, the
International Emmy Awards, honoring television programs produced and initially aired outside the U.S., was established in the early 1970s.
Meanwhile, all Emmys awarded prior to the emergence of these separate, area-specific ceremonies are listed along with the
Primetime Emmy Awards in the ATAS' official records.
[6]
In 1977, due to various conflicts, the ATAS and the NATAS agreed to split ties. However, they also agreed to share ownership of the Emmy statue and trademark, with each responsible for administering a specific set of award shows.
Area-specific ceremonies
The Emmys are presented in various area-specific ceremonies held annually throughout the calendar year, with each having their own set of nominating and voting processes. Each ceremony also has its own set of award categories, and it is not uncommon for them to have some of the same names (e.g.
Primetime
Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and
Daytime
Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series).
Primetime Emmys
The
Primetime Emmys are presented in recognition of excellence in American
primetime television programming. Ceremonies generally are held in mid-September, on the Sunday before the official start of the fall television season, and are currently broadcast in rotation among the
ABC,
CBS,
NBC, and
FOX networks.
Some award categories presented to behind-the-scenes personnel such as
art directors,
costume designers,
cinematographers,
casting directors, and
sound editors are awarded at a separate
Creative Arts Emmys ceremony held a few days earlier.
Daytime Emmys
The
Daytime Emmy Awards, generally are held in June, are presented in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming. The first daytime-themed Emmy Awards were given out at the primetime ceremony in 1972, but the first separate awards show made just for daytime programming was not held until 1974.
Like the Primetime Emmys, a separate Creative Arts Emmy ceremony is also held a few days earlier to honor the behind-the-scenes personnel working in daytime television.
Sports Emmys
The
Sports Emmy Awards are presented for excellence in sports programming. The awards ceremony takes place every Spring, usually sometime in the last two weeks in April or the first week in May, and is held on a Monday night in
New York City.
Technology and Engineering Emmys
Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards are presented to individuals, companies, or to scientific or technical organizations in recognition for their significant developments and contributions to the technological and engineering aspects of television.
Regional Emmys
There are 20 chapters of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, located across the United States, that conduct regional awards to recognize excellence in all the regional
television markets, including
local news programs and other locally-produced shows. Because the headquarters of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences are located in Los Angeles, the Academy also handles the Los Angeles area membership and regional awards. The Regional Emmy Award is 11.5 inches (29 cm) tall with a base diameter of 5.5 inches (14 cm) and weight of 48 oz (1.4 kg), as opposed to the Prime Time Emmy, which stands tall with a base diameter of and weight of 88 oz (2.5 kg).
;National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences chapters
- Boston / New England
- Chicago / Midwest
- Cleveland
- Heartland
- Lone Star
- Los Angeles
- Michigan
- Mid-America
- Mid-Atlantic
- Midsouth
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- National Capital/Chesapeake Bay
- New York
- Northern California
- Northwest
- Ohio Valley
- Pacific Southwest
- Rocky Mountain Southwest
- Southeast / Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina
- Suncoast Chapter
- Upper Midwest
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International Emmys
The
International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presents the International Emmy Award to the best television programs produced, and initially aired, outside the U.S. There are fourteen program categories for the International Emmy Awards: Arts Programming; Best Performance by an Actor; Best Performance by an Actress; Children & Young People; Comedy; Current Affairs; Documentary; Drama Series; Interactive Channel; Interactive Program; Interactive TV Service; News; Non-Scripted Entertainment; Telenovela; and TV Movie/Mini-Series.
The awards are presented at the International Emmy Awards Gala. Held each year in November at the Hilton Hotel, New York City, the Gala attracts over 1,200 television professionals, who gather to celebrate excellence in television and network with their peers.
The three Interactive categories are awarded in a separate ceremony held during MIPTV in Cannes.
Student Emmys
High school and college students can submit productions to their region's charter and receive recognition in the categories of News, Arts & Entertainment, Documentary, Public Affairs/Community Service/Public Service, Sports, Technical Achievement and Writing.
The school or after-school program attached to the students then receives a plaque with the name of an adult advisor and the student film-makers. Up to one-hundred students are allowed to be attached to an award.
From there, a "blue-ribbon" panel judges the winners from each region and awards the National Student Television Award for Excellence.
However, in 2009, this program was suspended at a national level and competition went on only regionally. Per the NationalStudent.tv website: "Partly as a result of the recent severe downturn in the nation’s economy, corporate and personal grants and donations that provided National Student Television (NSTV) with funds to conduct our annual competition have not materialized. There is no money to continue our operations."
Other Emmys
- National TV newscasts and documentaries
- Business and financial reporting
- Public Service - for public service announcements and programming to "advance the common good"
- The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award - awarded by the Academy Board of Governors
- The Governors Award honors the achievements of an individual, company or organization whose works stand out with the immediacy of current achievement. It is the highest award presented by the Academy. [7]
See also
- List of Daytime Emmy Award winners
- List of International Emmy Award winners
- List of Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Sports Emmy Awards
- Academy Award
- Streamy Awards
References
- BBC Learning English | Emmy awards
- Emmys For Dame Helen/The Sopranos - Reality TV | Photos | News | Galleries
- Awards
- History of the Television Academy
- Emmy Origin
- Advanced Primetime Awards Search
- American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" and HBO's "The Addiction Project" Named Recipients of Television Academy's 2007 Governors Award