Fourth Television Academy Honors Entries Now Accepted

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is now accepting entries for the Fourth Television Academy Honors, a competition that brings recognition to extraordinary television programming that inspires, informs, motivates and even has the power to change lives. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences established the Television Academy Honors in 2008 to recognize “Television with a Conscience.” That is, achievements in programming that present issues of concern to our society in a compelling, emotional and insightful way. The calendar for the 2011 competition is as follows: January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010 Eligibility year December 14, 2010 First entry deadline (for programming originally aired 1/1/10 - 10/31/10) January 12, 2011 Second entry deadline (for programming originally aired 11/1/10 - 12/31/10) March 3, 2011 Announcement of honorees May, 2011 (exact date TBD) Presentation of awards More details about the Television Academy Honors, including 2011 entry materials, are available here. The 2010 honorees were: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (“Coup de Grace”) It’s all about race, or not? When a white cop kills a black officer, Langston (Laurence Fishburne) leads the team through a minefield of their own prejudices. Glee (“Wheels”) A Glee-ful combination: “Proud Mary” in wheelchairs to salute a disabled student; a diva-off for the solo on “Defying Gravity;” and a gay son bravely chooses to protect his widowed father. Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? with Maria Shriver Inspired by Maria Shriver’s book What’s Happening to Grandpa?, this film tells five stories of children who are coping with grandparents with Alzheimer's. Shriver, whose father, Sargent Shriver, has the disease, suggests that kids should go with the flow and handle a grandparent’s loss of memory with patience and compassion. National Geographic Explorer (“Inside Death Row”) A story about the Death Penalty in Texas through the lives of three condemned men. Private Practice (“Nothing To Fear”) Sam and Pete clash when an old friend and colleague asks them to help him die. Taking Chance In 2004, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl, USMC, came across the name of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, a Marine who had been killed in action in Iraq. Strobl, a Desert Storm veteran with 17 years of military service, requested that he be assigned for military escort duty. The film follows his journey to accompany Chance’s remains to his family in Wyoming. Unlocking Autism Unlocking Autism explores autism from both a scientific and human perspective. We visit leading researchers who are slowly unlocking the mystery on many different fronts, from potential causes to effective therapies. We learn about possible genetic and environmental links, and explore the controversial notions blaming vaccines and allergic reactions for the condition. We also learn about autism through the lives of those who are personally affected: four families with autistic children share their frustrations and hopes about coping with this mysterious disorder. Vanguard (“The OxyContin Express”) In the season premiere of Vanguard, correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to South Florida, the “Colombia of prescription drugs,” to expose a bustling pill pipeline that stretches from the beaches of Fort Lauderdale to the rolling hills of Appalachia. Read a recap of the 2010 ceremony here.