29th May, 2024: Award for the world’s best children’s and youth television programs. The winners of the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2024 have been announced
The winners of the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2024 were announced this evening. At the world’s oldest and largest festival for children’s and youth television programmes, over 300 international children’s television professionals came together at the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation in Munich/Germany, to view the competition programmes from all over the world, discuss quality standards and select the best productions. The coveted trophies have now been awarded at a festive gala in the Old Town Hall of Munich.
A total of 406 TV programmes from 51 countries were submitted to the competition by television broadcasters and production companies. Back in January, an international pre-selection jury had chosen 84 entries for the final round. The range of programmes in the six main categories Fiction/Non-Fiction up to 6 years, Fiction/Non-Fiction 7-10 years and Fiction/Non-Fiction 11-15 years covers all genres that children’s television has to offer: From comedy formats over drama and animated action series to documentaries and knowledge shows. And this year’s final programmes were also particularly diverse in terms of subject matter: exclusion, racism, abuse of power, violence, and death are addressed as well as friendship, cohesion, gender identity, physical disability, activism, and cultural exchange.
The award ceremony is the crowning glory of an inspiring week. What makes the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL so special is that there are no juries that meet behind closed doors. The festival participants from all over the world vote together on the winning programmes in the six main categories.
Norwegian children’s television won two of the coveted main prizes: One in the 11 – 15 Years/Fiction category for an episode of the series Like Me, that deals with the pressure many young people feel when facing their sexual debut. Another Norwegian drama production was successful in the 7 – 10 age category. The comedy series Superhero Academy is about first-graders at a boarding school for future superheroes. It soon becomes clear that even budding world saviours have to deal with the everyday challenges of life.
The Apple TV+ series Jane convinced the jury of the Theme Prize connected to this year’s PRIX JEUNESSE festival theme “For Us, No Planet B – Kids TV and Sustainabilty”. The jury regarded the series as outstanding example of how to foster climate literacy among children.
The Smeds and the Smoos, a production of Magic Lights Pictures in association with BBC and ZDF, did not only win in the Up to 6 Years/Fiction main category, but the UNESCO Special Prize, for successfully promoting in a child-friendly way how a better understanding of different cultures could work – all without feeling moralizing or lecturing.
The film Days of Thunder by Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica – Film Training Center – CCC from Mexico was another big winner of the evening: Both the Gender Equity Prize and UNICEF Special Jury found the short film to be taboo-breaking: To this day, menstruation is hidden, stigmatized, considered “dirty” and even dangerous in many societies. This programme however teaches girls and women not to be ashamed of their periods.
These are the prize winners of PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2024:
Category 11-15 Years Non-Fiction
TIMMYLAND
VPRO, Netherlands
Category 11-15 Years Fiction
LIKE ME
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), Norway
Category 7-10 Years Non-Fiction
HAVING FUN IN THE MOUNTAINS
Fubon Cultural & Educational Foundation, Taiwan
Category 7-10 Years Fiction
SUPERHERO ACADEMY
Seefood TV, Norway
Category Up to 6 Years Non-Fiction
MITATERU-PHOSE: LET’S CHANGE PERSPECTIVES!
Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), Japan
Category Up to 6 Years Fiction
THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS
Magic Lights Pictures (in association with BBC and ZDF), United Kingdom
UNESCO Special Prize
THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS
Magic Lights Pictures (in association with BBC and ZDF), United Kingdom
UNICEF Special Prize
DAYS OF THUNDER
Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica – Film Training Center – CCC, Mexico
Gender Equity Prize
DAYS OF THUNDER
Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica – Film Training Center – CCC, Mexico
PRIX JEUNESSE Theme Prize
JANE
Apple TV+, United States
Prize of the German Children’s Jury | 7-10 Years Non-Fiction
SAVE OUR WILDLIFE
Sky Kids, United Kingdom
Prize of the German Children’s Jury | 7-10 Years Fiction
FRAGGLE ROCK: BACK TO THE ROCK
The Jim Henson Company, United States
Prize of the International Youth Jury | 11-15 Jahre Non-Fiction
DEADLY MISSION SHARK
BBC Studios (Natural History Unit.), United Kingdom
Prize of the International Youth Jury | 11-15 Jahre Fiction
CRAZY FUN PARK
Werner Film Productions, Australia
Shorts Prize
ANIMANIMALS
KiKA – Der Kinderkanal von ARD und ZDF, Germany
Heart Prize
RUNAWAY GIRL
Japan Broadcasting Corporatio (NHK), Japan