Press Release Embargo: May 26 11:00 p.m. (after the gala)

Winners of the 2021 Awards of Excellence

Toronto, May 26, 2021 – The Youth Media Alliance has announced the winners of the 2021 Awards of Excellence during a virtual gala streamed live from the Globe and Mail Centre. The event was hosted by Kara Harun and Jadiel Dowlin, who delighted attendees with their playful repartee, and directed by Aidan Cosgrave. The YMA celebrates the best in Canadian children’s and youth media.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Awards of Excellence:

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Live Action Non-Scripted, Ages 6-9 • Backyard Beats (Indigenous Hand Drum) – Produced by BGM Inc.; aired on TVOkids

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Live Action Non-Scripted, Ages 9+ • It’s My Party! (Pride) – Produced by BGM Inc.; aired on TVOkids

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Live Action Scripted, Preschool • Dino Dana (Sounds of Dinosaurs) – Produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment; aired on TVOkids and Amazon Prime

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Live Action Scripted, Ages 6-9 • Endlings (The End is the Beginning, Part 2) – Produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment; aired on CBC and Hulu

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Live Action Scripted, Ages 9+ • About Sex (Sexual Orientation) – Produced by Écho Média; streamed on CBC Gem

Outstanding Achievement Award: Michelle Melanson Cuperus Given for a distinguished career in youth production in Canada, this prestigious prize salutes the individual’s contributions to the industry, leadership skills, ability to innovate and inspire, and career-long commitment to young Canadians.

Michelle Melanson Cuperus has 30 years experience in the production business with hundreds of episodes produced and over 50 awards and nominations, including both Emmy and BAFTA nominations. She is also the founder of Women Drawn Together - a free organization that fosters learning, networking, and mentorship for Women in the animation community, and the co-founder of Headspinner Productions.

Award of Excellence for Best Gaming or Interactive Experience, All Age Groups • CBC Kids News – Produced by CBC Kids

Award of Excellence for Best Podcast • The Story Store (Bee the Tea) – Produced by CBC Kids

Emerging Talent Award: Rennata and Georgina Lopez (Lopii Productions) This award is given to a promising professional whose achievements have made them a rising star in children’s programming. This award encourages young creators and broadcast professionals to outdo themselves and, more importantly, to pursue a career in youth production.

Identical twin sisters and award-winning TV Producers Georgina and Rennata López founded Lopii Productions Inc. in July 2018. After both working in the biz respectively as freelance producers, Georgina and Rennata decided to join forces to create and produce their own high- quality, inclusive, and diverse children’s programs where every child can see themselves on TV.

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Short Form Content, Preschool • 6 Seis Cumbia for Sesame Street – Produced by Lopii Productions; aired on Treehouse TV, PBS Kids and HBO Max

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Short Form Content, Ages 6-9 • Space Kids (Storybook in the Sky / What is a Nebula) – Produced by Imagine Create Media; aired on TVOkids

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Short Form Content, Ages 9+ • STEAM Stars (Astronaut Dr. Jenni Sidey-Gibbons Meets the STEAM Sisters) – Produced by Shaftesbury; streamed on the Shaftesbury Kids YouTube Channel

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Animation, Preschool • Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum (I am Harriet Tubman) – Produced by 9 Story Media Group Inc. and Brown Bag Films; aired on PBS Kids

Award of Excellence for Best Program, Animation, Ages 6-9 and 9+ • Molly of Denali (Molly and the Great One) – Produced by Atomic Cartoons and WGBH; aired on PBS and CBC

Outstanding Youth Performer • Millie Davis

Millie Davis has been acting since age four. She is known for her roles on Odd Squad, Esme & Roy, Dino Dana, Orphan Black, Wonder, and Good Boys. Outside of acting she works with the Make a Wish Foundation, the Children’s Cranial Association, and the We Charity.

The 2021 Awards of Excellence are made possible through the participation of our sponsors: Principal – CBC Kids; Prestige – Sinking Ship Entertainment, Bell Fund, Canada Media Fund, 9 Story Media Group, Independent Production Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund; Excellence - Guru Studio, Fresh TV, Apartment 11 Productions, Little Engine Moving Pictures, APTN, eOne, Nelvana, CMPA, Landslide Entertainment, marblemedia, Atomic Cartoons, and Sphère Média