The Governors Award, which is bestowed annually to individuals or organizations committed to important social causes, went to the “It Gets Better Project,” an organization devoted to supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people via its website, initiatives and the posting of original videos with messages of empathy, encouragement and hope for a positive future. The award was accepted by its co-founders, Dan Savage and Terry Miller.

Since its inception in September 2010, the “It Gets Better Project” has become a worldwide movement, inspiring more than 50,000 user-created videos viewed more than 50 million times. To date, the project has received submissions from celebrities, organizations, activists, politicians and media personalities, including President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Adam Lambert, Anne Hathaway, Colin Farrell, Matthew Morrison, Joe Jonas, Sarah Silverman, Tim Gunn, Ellen DeGeneres, Suze Orman, the staffs of The Gap, Google, Facebook, Pixar, the Broadway community, and many more.

The Syd Cassyd Founders Award, named in honor of the Television Academy’s founder, was created to recognize members who have made a significant, positive impact on the Academy through their efforts and service over many years of involvement. It is not annual award; instead, it is given selectively to individuals deemed worthy — such as this year’s recipient, Dick Askin.

Askin served as chairman and CEO of the Television Academy from 2003-2005 and 2005-2007. During his term of leadership, Askin created the Academy’s Runaway Production Committee to address the relocation of television production from the U.S. to other countries. He focused on strengthening the Academy brand by developing a more collaborative relationship with the National Television Academy, and brought the International Television Academy under the aegis of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

He also supported, and the board voted, to amend the organization’s bylaws to include broadband eligibility in the Primetime Emmy Awards competition. He left a legacy of increased membership value by expanding the Academy’s slate of professional development events, networking programs and membership benefits.

Simultaneously, Askin served as chief executive officer and president at Tribune Entertainment Company, Inc., the Los Angeles-based entertainment unit of Tribune Company and leading provider of programming to the television marketplace.

Programming honors at this year's Creative Arts Emmys included Outstanding Animated Program, won by Nickelodeon for The Penguins of Madagascar: The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole.

Outstanding Short Form Animated Program went to Cartoon Network for the episode of Regular Show titled “Eggscellent.”

Outstanding Reality Program was presented to the CBS series Undercover Boss, a first for the show.

Outstanding Children’s Program went to Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place, in its final season. The award marked the show's second Emmy in the category — it previously won in 2009.

Outstanding Children’s Nonfiction, Reality or Reality-Competition Program was PBS’s Sesame Street: Growing Hope Against Hunger.

For the second year in a row, actor Maurice LaMarche was honored for Outstanding Voiceover Performance for his work on Comedy Central’s Futurama.

The winner for Outstanding Commercial was “Best Job,” a spot for Procter & Gamble. The production company was Anonymous Content, and for the fourth consecutive year the advertising agency was Wieden + Kennedy.

Outstanding Nonfiction Series went to Discovery’s Frozen Planet, about life and the environment in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking went to the PBS production Have You Heard from Johannesburg?, about the struggle against South African apartheid.

Among writing awards, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series went to Comedy Central for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The win was the show's second consecutive in this category, and the eighth writing Emmy in its history.

The award for Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming, which went to Geoffrey C. Ward for the “A Nation of Hypocrites” episode of the PBS production Prohibition.