And the winner is… Australian children’s television!

A range of Australian children’s shows supported by the ACTF have been recognised for their excellence, with a number of wins and nominations for national and international awards.

The second season of Hardball, produced by Northern Pictures for the ABC, has been nominated for an International Emmy Award in the Kids: Live-Action category. If the series wins, it will be its second International Emmy Award – the first season won the 2022 award in the same category.

Five writers who have contributed to ACTF supported shows have been nominated for Australian Writer’s Guild Awards. Dot West, Adam Thompson and Samuel Nuggin-Paynter are finalists in the Children’s P category for their work on Little J & Big Cuz (ABC and NITV), while in the Children’s C category, Angela McDonald and Lou Sanz have received nominations for episodes of The PM’s Daughter (ABC).

The ground-breaking live action teen series More Than This (Paramount+) has been nominated for three awards across two events. The series has been named a finalist in the Youth category for the NHK Japan Prize, an international contest dedicated to educational content, and has been nominated for two ATOM Awards in the Best Children’s and Best Comedy or Drama categories. The ATOM Awards recognise film and media excellence in education and industry within Australia and New Zealand.

First Day – Season 2 has been nominated for a MIPCOM Diversify Awards for Representation of Diversity in Kids Programming in the Older Children category. The ACTF distributes First Day internationally and holds the education rights for the series.

And Kangaroo Beach – Summer Special (ABC Kids and iview) has been named the National Winner for the Best Animated (2D or 3D) Series in the Asian Academy Creative Awards. The series will now represent Australia and New Zealand at the Grand Awards and Gala Final in December.

Meanwhile, four ACTF supported shows have been selected to screen at the prestigious Chicago International Children’s Film Festival.

More Than This and the factual adventure program Red Dirt Riders, available to stream on iview, have been chosen to screen in the Live Action TV category. Preschool series Kangaroo Beach and Little J & Big Cuz will screen in the Animated TV category.