Kidscreen Awards Announces 2015 Nominees

TORONTO -- Shortlisted entries for the upcoming Kidscreen Awards have been announced. On the preschool side, projects that will be continuing through a final round of judging include Factory’s Clangers, The Fred Rogers Co.’s Peg + Cat and Cartoon Saloon’s Puffin Rock, while DreamWorks Animation’s All Hail King Julien, Chocolate Liberation Front’s The New Adventures of Figaro Pho and Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe are competing in the kids category.

See below for the full list of nominees:

PRESCHOOL

Best New Series

• Hey Duggee (Studio AKA)
• PJ Masks (Frog Box, Entertainment One UK, France Television, Disney Junior, CNC, Rhôdes-Alpes Region, Procirep, Angoa)
• Puffin Rock (Cartoon Saloon, Dog Ears, Penguin Children's Books)

Best Animated Series

• Clangers (Coolabi/Sprout/CBeebies/Factory)  
• Peg + Cat (The Fred Rogers Company, 9 Story Entertainment)
• Puffin Rock (Cartoon Saloon, Dog Ears, Penguin Children's Books)

Best Non-Animated or Mixed Series

• Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures (Sinking Ship Entertainment)
• Hi Opie! (marblemedia in association with TVO and The Jim Henson Company)
  Sesame Street (Sesame Workshop)

Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie

• Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots (Entertainment One, Astley Baker Davies)
• Ruby’s Studio: The Siblings Show (The Mother Company)  
• Sesame Street: The Cookie Thief (Sesame Workshop)

KIDS

Best New Series

• The Adventures of Puss in Boots (DreamWorks Animation Television, Netflix)
• All Hail King Julien (DreamWorks Animation Television, Netflix)
• We Bare Bears (Cartoon Network Studios)

Best Animated Series

• All Hail King Julien (DreamWorks Animation Television, Netflix)
• The New Adventures of Figaro Pho (Chocolate Liberation Front, Luma Toons)
• Steven Universe (Cartoon Network Studios)

Best Non-Animated or Mixed Series

• Hank Zipzer (Kindle Entertainment, DHX Media, Walker Productions, Screen Yorkshire)
• Horrible Histories (Lion Television)
• Odd Squad (The Fred Rogers Company, Sinking Ship Entertainment)

Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie

• Monster Beach (Bogan Entertainment Solutions)  
• Monster High: Freaky Fusion (Mattel Playground Productions)
• Ten Pieces (Somethin' Else, BBC Music)

TWEENS/TEENS

Best New Series

• Dragons: Race to the Edge (DreamWorks Animation Television, Netflix)
• Hetty Feather (CBBC In-House Productions)
• Wild But True (Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, Beyond Screen Productions)

Best Animated Series

• Dragons: Race to the Edge (DreamWorks Animation Television, Netflix)
• Bob’s Burgers (Bento Box Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Television)

Best Non-Animated or Mixed Series

• 4 O’Clock Club Series 4 (CBBC In-House Productions)
• Nowhere Boys Series 2 (Matchbox Pictures)
• Trio: Cybergold (Nordicstories, Fabelaktiv)

Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie

• Lost Treasure Hunt (Argosy Film Group)  
• Pirate’s Passage (Mahon Pictures)  

These shortlisted entries will be reviewed and assessed by a fresh panel of judges, including the following execs: Andy Yeatman (Netflix), Emily Hart (Disney Junior), Tara Sorensen (Amazon Studios), Jamie Piekarz (Corus Kids), Jennifer Dodge (Nickelodeon), Alison Stewart (BBC Children’s), Andrew Thomas (Hulu) and Deirdre Brennan (ABC Australia).

The nominees in the Broadcasting Categories are:

Channel of the Year

• Cartoon Network (US)
• Gulli
• PBS KIDS

Best Channel Design

• Boomerang
• PBS KIDS

Best Programming Block

• Sunny Side Up (Sprout)
• Gulli Good (Gulli)

Best Channel Website

• Channel One News (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• PBS KIDS
• Tiny Pop (CSC Media Group, part of Sony Pictures Television)

Best On-Air Host or Hosting Team

• Louis-Philippe Deslauriers, Alexandra Janvier and Josée Leblanc (Groupe Média TFO)
• Channel One News—Azia Celestino, Tom Hanson, Arielle Hixson Keith Kocinski, Demetrius Pipkin and Maggie Rulli (Houghton Miffin Harcourt)
• Kidscreen's readers will now be invited to review these shortlisted entries, and vote for their favorite in each category. Their votes will determine the final winners

The nominees in the Digital Categories are:

PRESCHOOL

Best eBook

• Disney Story Central (Disney Publishing Worldwide)
• Little Emily (Ever After Tales)
• My Little Pony: Twilight's Kingdom Storybook Deluxe (PlayDate Digital)

Best Game App—Smartphone

• Monkey See Monkey Dance (Smartoonz Entertainment)
• Sesame Street Video Maker (Sesame Workshop, IDEO Toy Lab)

Best Game App—Tablet

• My Very Hungry Caterpillar (StoryToys)
• Peppa Pig: Golden Boots (Entertainment One and Kids Industries)
• Sesame Street Art Maker (Sesame Workshop)

Best Learning App—Smartphone

• Blaze and the Monster Machines (Nickelodeon Digital/CHEWY)
• Sesame Street—Let's Get Ready! (Sesame Workshop)
• Sunny's Hootenanny (Loudcrow Interactive/Twofold Films)

Best Learning App—Tablet

• Elmo's Animals: A Sesame Street S'More App (Sesame Workshop)
• Mickey’s Magical Math World by Disney Imagicademy (Disney Publishing Worldwide)

Tiggly Tales (Tiggly)

Best Streaming Video Platform

• Hopster (Hopster)
• Nick Jr. (Nickelodeon Digital)
• PlayKids (Movile)

Best Web/App Series

• The Adventures of Annie & Ben (HooplaKidz) 
• Fanny Foozle (Aether Entertainment, Cosmic Toast Studios)
• Lalaloopsy Kitchen (MGA Entertainment)

Best Website

• ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy (Age of Learning)
• Nickjr.com (Nickelodeon Digital)
• Peep and the Big Wide World/El Mundo Divertido de Peep (WGBH Educational Foundation)

KIDS

Best Game App—Smartphone

• Adventure Time: Magic Man's Head Games (Cartoon Network Digital)
• Crayola Color Alive! (DAQRI)
• Mix+Smash: Marvel Super Hero Mashers (Disney Publishing Worldwide)

Best Game App—Tablet

• Adventure Time Game Wizard (Cartoon Network Digital)
• Toca Life: City (Toca Boca)
• Weirdwood Manor (All Play, No Work)

Best Learning App—Smartphone

• The Centsables Dash for Cash (DNA Creative)
• Plum's Creaturizer (WGBH)
• Safari Tales (Kuato Studios)

Best Learning App—Tablet

• The Foos Coding 5+ (codeSpark)
• Weirdwood Manor (All Play, No Work)
• Zoombinis (TERC and FableVision Studios)

Best Streaming Video Platform

• Cartoon Network app (Cartoon Network Digital)
• Nick.com (Nickelodeon Digital)

Toon Goggles (Toon Goggles)

Best Web/App Series

• Life Hacks for Kids (DreamWorksTV)
• Talking Tom and Friends: The Animated Series (Outfit7 Limited, arx anima Animation Studio)
• Wonder Quest (Maker Studios)

Best Website

• Design Squad (WGBH Educational Foundation)
• The Next Step: Make a Scene (Secret Location/DHX Media/Temple Street Productions/Bell Fund)
• Nick.com (Nickelodeon Digital)

These shortlisted entries will now be reviewed and assessed by panels of professional judges, including the following execs: Rachel Bardel (CBeebies Interactive), Sara Berliner (Night & Day Studios), Noemie Dupuy (Budge Studios), Matthew Evans (Nickelodeon), Robin Raskin (Living in Digital Times), Josephine Tsay (GlassLab Games), Amy Kraft (Monkey Bar Collective) and Anne Richards (Cracking Wise Interactive).

All Kidscreen Awards winners will be announced and celebrated at a special presentation event and after-party during Kidscreen Summit, on the evening of Tuesday, February 9.

Kidscreen Summit 2016, which takes place February 8-11 at the InterContinental Miami, offers an unparalleled opportunity to keep abreast of important issues and trends in the fast-moving international kids entertainment industry, generate business and revenue opportunities, and network with leading decision-makers. Last year, Kidscreen Summit welcomed more than 1,700 attendees, representing 1,000+ companies from 54 countries around the world. And more than 450 buyers and investors were at the event looking for new content and partners.

Source: Kidscreen Awards

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.