An annual awards competition, celebrating the best of UK television programming, has issued a call for entries.
Say the organisters of the Royal Television Society Programme Awards 2011: “The awards honour key genres of television programming, from children's fiction to comedy performance, history to soaps, covering both national and regional output. Held annually, the awards evening aims to recognise the work of exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams, as well as celebrating the programmes themselves.”
Significant for prospective Scots entries, the organisers add: “The criteria for Nations and Regions Programme have been amended. Programmes entered into this category must fully reflect the nation or region where they were produced, whether intended for network or local broadcast. Each entry should capture the ideas, cultures and issues of the area in which they were made.
Depending on the timing of a programme's broadcast, the deadline for entries is either December 3 or January 3, with details appearing on www.rts.org.uk or by telephoning 0207 822 2810.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for March 20.
The award categories are:
Drama
· Single Drama – For dramas transmitted as a single piece.
· Drama Serial – For a drama with a continuous story, but with a finite end.
· Drama Series – A drama series may be defined as having continuing characters in self-contained stories.
· Soap and Continuing Drama – This Award is intended for half hour or hour long multi-unit entities running throughout the year with one or more episode per week.
· Writer: Drama – This category covers original drama and adaptation.
Entertainment and Comedy
· Scripted Comedy – This Award is intended for situation comedies, comedy dramas and sketch shows.
· Entertainment – Series and single programmes can be entered.
· Writer: Comedy – For one-offs and series.
Performance
· Actor (Female) – Best performance by a female actor.
· Actor (Male) – Best performance by a male actor.
· Entertainment Performance – Aimed at hosts, comperes and panellists performing as themselves in a pure entertainment format.
· Comedy Performance – For actors/performers in sitcom, comedy drama and sketch shows.
Presenter
· Presenter – For presenters only, not performers in an entertainment show.
Factual
· History – Series and single programmes can be entered within the History genre.
· Science and Natural History – Series and single programmes can be entered within the Science and Natural History genre.
· Arts – Series and single programmes can be entered within the Arts genre.
· Single Documentary – For general documentaries conceived as a single or a one-off programme part of a strand.
· Documentary Series – For a general documentary series which usually has a continuous narrative or is linked by a central theme.
· Popular Factual and Features – For originality and innovation in popular factual and features programmes.
· Daytime Programme – For originality and innovation in programmes transmitted from 6.00am to 7.00pm.
Children’s Awards
· Children’s Drama – Series and single programmes can be entered for children’s drama programmes.
· Children’s Programme – Series and single programmes can be entered for children’s factual, entertainment and animation programmes.
Nations and Regions
· Nations and Regions Programme – Intended to cover all programming except News or Current Affairs programmes. It is confined to programmes made in the nations and regions, and must reflect the nation or region where it was produced.
International Award – For single programmes or series acquired from the international marketplace, covering all genres.
Judges’ Award – Presented in recognition of an outstanding contribution to UK television programming, either during the criteria year or over a number of years, by an individual or a group.
Lifetime Achievement Award – Presented at the discretion of the Judges for an outstanding broadcaster for an on-screen or off-screen achievement over a number of years.
