News release - For immediate release

NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2015 YMA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE!

Montreal, April 1, 2015 – The Youth Media Alliance (YMA) is excited to announce the TV programs and digital productions nominated for a 2015 Award of Excellence! Winners will be revealed at the gala on Wednesday, May 27th at the CBC's Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.

We received a great number of high-quality productions as entries! Based on the YMA's statement of quality, jury members selected the following nominees:

Award of Excellence for Best Television Program, All Genres, Ages 3–5 Category

 Gisele’s Big Backyard (Sticks is Afraid of the Dark) – produced by: TVO, aired on: TVO  Hi Opie! (Not Ms. Doney) – produced by: marblemedia in association with TVO and The Jim Henson Company, aired on: TVO, City Saskatchewan (Rogers Broadcasting Limited), Knowledge Network  The Adventures of Napkin Man (Try-Share-A-Tops - Just Me in the Tree) – produced by: Breakthrough Entertainment and Little Airplane, aired on: Kids' CBC  The Moblees (Uffle Shuffle Kerfuffle) – produced by: Shaftesbury and Boulevard Productions, aired on: Kids' CBC  You & Me (The Adventure of Mountain Pete) – produced by: DHX Media, aired on: Kids' CBC

Award of Excellence for Best Television Program, All Genres, Ages 6–8 Category

 Annedroids (New Pals) – produced by: Sinking Ship Entertainment, aired on: TVO  Finding Stuff Out, season 2 (Senses: Sight) – produced by: Apartment 11 Productions, aired on: TVO  Finding Stuff Out, season 3 (Poop) – produced by: Apartment 11 Productions, aired on: TVO  Odd Squad (Zero Effect/Bad Luck Bears) – produced by: Sinking Ship Entertainment with The Fred Rogers Company and PBS Kids, aired on: TVO

Award of Excellence for Best Television Program, All Genres, Ages 9–12 Category

 Bunks – produced by: Fresh TV and Inferno Pictures, aired on: Disney XD Canada / Family  Japanizi: Going, Going, Gong! (Episode 110) – produced by: marblemedia, aired on: YTV, Disney XD, .TV

Award of Excellence for Best Television Program, All Genres, Teen Category

 Degrassi (Unbelievable) – produced by: Epitome Pictures, aired on: MTV  Max & Shred (The Lien Air Love Triangle) – produced by: Breakthrough Entertainment, aired on: YTV, Nickelodeon  Some Assembly Required (Ricky Van Felt) – produced by: Thunderbird Films, aired on: YTV

Award of Excellence for Best Television Program, Animation, Ages 3–5 Category

 Dinopaws (The Thing That Fell Down) – produced by: , Kindle Entertainment, Laughing Gravy Media, aired on: Treehouse, CBeebies  Kate & Mim-Mim (Teenie Genie) – produced by: and DHX Media, aired on: BBC Kids, Knowledge Network  My Big Big Friend (Love Potion/The Pink Princess Nightgown) – produced by: Breakthrough Entertainment and 2D Lab, aired on: Treehouse, Discovery Kids Latin America  Peg+Cat (The Arch Villain Problem) – produced by: , aired on: Treehouse  Trucktown (Super Hero Trucks) – produced by: Limited, aired on Treehouse

Award of Excellence for Best Television Program, Animation, Ages 6–8 Category

 Camp Lakebottom (It Came From My Nose) – produced by: 9 Story Media Group, aired on:  The Day My Butt Went Psycho (I Dream of Deucie/Planet of the Butt Monkeys) – produced by: Nelvana Limited and Studio Moshi, aired on: Teletoon  The Legend of Sarila – produced by: CarpeDiem Film & TV and 10e Ave productions, aired on: TMN, Movie Central, SRC, Super Écran  TVOKids - It Matters (Banafsha, Jones & Maya) – produced by: TVO, aired on: TVO

Award of Excellence for Best Television Program, Animation, Ages 9–14 Category

 Fangbone! (The Warbrute of Friendship) – produced by: Radical Sheep Productions, aired on: Disney XD Canada  Rocket Monkeys (The Doctor is Out/Destroy All Bananas) – produced by: Breakthrough Entertainment and , aired on: Teletoon, Nickelodeon  Total Drama Pahkitew Island (Scarlett Fever) – produced by: Fresh TV, aired on: Teletoon

Award of Excellence for Best Television Program, Interstitial, All Ages Category

 Big Block Singsong (Move It/Underwater/Waiting/Try/Astronaut) – produced by: Goddard/Brown, aired on: Kids' CBC  Gisele’s Big Backyard – produced by: TVO, aired on: TVO  The Space – produced by: TVO, aired on: TVO

Award of Excellence, Best Original Digital Content

 CosmoCamp: Color Hunt – produced by: Frima  Slice Fractions – produced by: Ululab  The Toothsavers – produced by: Tobo  tvokids.com – produced by: TVO

Award of Excellence, Best Convergent Website

 Annedroids Appisodes – produced by Sinking Ship Interactive  Finding Stuff Out Online (season 3) – produced by Apartment 11 Productions & Smiley Guy Studios  Hi Opie! Interactive – produced by marblemedia with TVO  Odd Squad Interactive – produced by Sinking Ship Interactive

Award of Excellence, Best Convergent App

 Mamma Yamma Photo Adventure – produced by Kids' CBC  Yup Yups Toy Box – produced by Industrial Brothers Canada

On gala night, the YMA will also be presenting the Grand Prize for Best Production, as well as the Outstanding Achievement Award (Andra Sheffer) and Emerging Talent Award (Mike Geiger).

The English-Language Awards of Excellence Gala is made possible thanks to generous support from our sponsors: CBC/Kids’ CBC, Shaw Rocket Fund, the Canada Media Fund, the Independent Production Fund, the Bell Fund, 9 Story Media Group, Corus Entertainment, Sinking Ship Entertainment, Thunderbird, TVO, Guru Studio, Fresh TV, Radical Sheep, Sardine Productions and J.S.T. Productions.

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Contact: Genevieve Brault Special Events and Communications Coordinator [email protected] | 514-597-6809