BAFTA Children's Awards to return in 2022

London, UK, 23 June 2021: BAFTA has announced today that the British Academy Children’s Awards will return in November 2022 following a review that began in May last year. The Awards will have a greater focus on engaging young audiences, with revised categories and a ceremony that will be preceded by a weekend of BAFTA Kids activities.

BAFTA’s Children’s Review was conducted alongside members of the children’s media industry and the BAFTA Children’s committee that comprises representatives of major broadcasters and independent production companies. 

Entries for the BAFTA Children’s Awards will open in May 2022, with the eligibility period extended to ensure everything aired after 1 July 2019 has a chance to be recognised at the upcoming Awards. More information on the revised categories, eligibility and rules will be announced in due course.

The findings of the Children’s Review echo BAFTA’s recently announced investment in the creative future of film, games and television, enabled by the re-development of its headquarters, BAFTA 195 Piccadilly. Launching early 2022, the expanded learning programme will engage over 10 million learners online and equip 80,000 people a year with the tools to develop a career in film, games and television via events, competitions and initiatives. In addition, bespoke year-round support will be given to 4,000 talented individuals through initiatives including BAFTA Kids activity. 

BAFTA is also delighted to have been recognised alongside children’s mental health charity Place2Be by Action for Children’s Arts with an ACA Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Award. The Award recognises the two charities’ longstanding partnership and ongoing collaboration, which has included the ‘BAFTA Kids Roadshow with Place2Be’ at schools in England, Scotland and Wales and, during the pandemic, ‘BAFTA Kids at Home with Place2Be’.

Emma Baehr, Executive Director of Awards and Content, said: “We're delighted the British Academy Children’s Awards will take place as part of a weekend of dedicated children’s activity in 2022. In what has been a challenging year due to the pandemic we decided to make BAFTA Kids, our learning programme for children, our top priority - and for which we're honoured to have been recognised by Action for Children's Arts. Now, following a wide-ranging review into the awards and the children's media landscape, we look forward to returning with a new-look awards ceremony and a renewed focus on the industry and a greater engagement with children themselves. We can't wait to celebrate the very best in children’s media once again.”

Tim Hunter, Executive Director of Inclusion Policy & Membership said: “For BAFTA to be recognised for our work with Place2Be is a huge honour, and demonstrates the power of film, games and television to capture children’s imagination and help them to develop important life skills – something which lockdown has proved beyond doubt. Celebrating the impact of children’s media is front and centre of our plans for 2022 and beyond, and we’re looking forward to more opportunities to engage more children and young people in the celebration.”

BAFTA Kids and other children’s activity

BAFTA’s ongoing activity for young people includes the BAFTA Young Game Designers initiative (10-18 yrs) and the Young Presenter Competition (7-14 yrs).

Since 2017, BAFTA Kids and Place2Be have visited schools in England, Scotland and Wales delivering the ‘BAFTA Kids Roadshow with Place2Be’. The roadshow features assemblies and presenting masterclasses led by special guests from the world of children's television.

In 2020, as an immediate response to the national lockdown, the Roadshow became ‘BAFTA Kids at Home with Place2Be’ and published 18 films in three months fronted by actors and presenters familiar to young people.  The films encouraged recommendations for shared viewing and gaming experiences and provided messages of support and reassurance.  

Meanwhile, BAFTA Young Game Designers went digital and extended its audience whilst also offering exclusive masterclasses for finalists and digital mentorship, which featured finalists hailing from all four home nations in 2021 (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England). 

In December 2020, supported by BAFTA Kids partners, Cartoon Network and Sky Kids, a special Christmas short film package was made available to approximately 400 primary schools working with partner, Place2Be

During Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week in February 2021, BAFTA Kids partnered with Place2Be and online teaching platform, Oak National Academy.  The three organisations hosted a virtual assembly to launch the week along with a series of films that encouraged children’s creativity through acting, art, dancing, media creation and writing; the assembly had over 350,000 unique views and the ‘Express Myself’ films almost 100,000, which were also being used as valuable classroom resources.

Launched during Children’s Mental Health Week, the BAFTA Young Presenter Competition opened with the theme ‘Express Yourself’.  Eight finalists joined an online day of roundtables and auditions on 19 June. 

On 7 June, BAFTA, Place2Be and Oak National Academy joined forces once again to launch the 2021 Schools Time Capsule to encourage primary and secondary aged children to reflect on life during the pandemic using art & photography, media and writing.  All submissions will be digitally stored in a time capsule at BAFTA’s HQ and re-opened in 25 years' time to mark BAFTA’s centenary.  Selected highlights will feature in a short film to be published in the autumn. 

 

Notes to editors

Photography is available at https://bafta.thirdlight.com/link/BAFTAPressImages/  and Rex/Shutterstock

For further information, please contact: 

Nick Williams

Communications Manager, BAFTA

T 020 7292 5863

E [email protected]