29th May, 2024: Award for the world’s best children’s and youth television programs. The winners of the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2024 have been announced

The winners of the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2024 were announced this evening. At the world’s oldest and largest festival for children’s and youth television programmes, over 300 international children’s television professionals came together at the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation in Munich/Germany, to view the competition programmes from all over the world, discuss quality standards and select the best productions. The coveted trophies have now been awarded at a festive gala in the Old Town Hall of Munich.

A total of 406 TV programmes from 51 countries were submitted to the competition by television broadcasters and production companies. Back in January, an international pre-selection jury had chosen 84 entries for the final round. The range of programmes in the six main categories Fiction/Non-Fiction up to 6 years, Fiction/Non-Fiction 7-10 years and Fiction/Non-Fiction 11-15 years covers all genres that children’s television has to offer: From comedy formats over drama and animated action series to documentaries and knowledge shows. And this year’s final programmes were also particularly diverse in terms of subject matter: exclusion, racism, abuse of power, violence, and death are addressed as well as friendship, cohesion, gender identity, physical disability, activism, and cultural exchange.

The award ceremony is the crowning glory of an inspiring week. What makes the PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL so special is that there are no juries that meet behind closed doors. The festival participants from all over the world vote together on the winning programmes in the six main categories.

Norwegian children’s television won two of the coveted main prizes: One in the 11 – 15 Years/Fiction category for an episode of the series Like Me, that deals with the pressure many young people feel when facing their sexual debut. Another Norwegian drama production was successful in the 7 – 10 age category. The comedy series Superhero Academy is about first-graders at a boarding school for future superheroes. It soon becomes clear that even budding world saviours have to deal with the everyday challenges of life.

The Apple TV+ series Jane convinced the jury of the Theme Prize connected to this year’s PRIX JEUNESSE festival theme “For Us, No Planet B – Kids TV and Sustainabilty”. The jury regarded the series as outstanding example of how to foster climate literacy among children.

The Smeds and the Smoos, a production of Magic Lights Pictures in association with BBC and ZDF, did not only win in the Up to 6 Years/Fiction main category, but the UNESCO Special Prize, for successfully promoting in a child-friendly way how a better understanding of different cultures could work – all without feeling moralizing or lecturing.

The film Days of Thunder by Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica – Film Training Center – CCC from Mexico was another big winner of the evening: Both the Gender Equity Prize and UNICEF Special Jury found the short film to be taboo-breaking: To this day, menstruation is hidden, stigmatized, considered “dirty” and even dangerous in many societies. This programme however teaches girls and women not to be ashamed of their periods.

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These are the prize winners of PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL 2024:

Category 11-15 Years Non-Fiction

TIMMYLAND

VPRO, Netherlands

Category 11-15 Years Fiction

LIKE ME

Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), Norway

Category 7-10 Years Non-Fiction

HAVING FUN IN THE MOUNTAINS

Fubon Cultural & Educational Foundation, Taiwan

Category 7-10 Years Fiction

SUPERHERO ACADEMY

Seefood TV, Norway

Category Up to 6 Years Non-Fiction

MITATERU-PHOSE: LET’S CHANGE PERSPECTIVES!

Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), Japan

Category Up to 6 Years Fiction

THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS

Magic Lights Pictures (in association with BBC and ZDF), United Kingdom

UNESCO Special Prize

THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS

Magic Lights Pictures (in association with BBC and ZDF), United Kingdom

UNICEF Special Prize

DAYS OF THUNDER

Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica – Film Training Center – CCC, Mexico

Gender Equity Prize

DAYS OF THUNDER

Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica – Film Training Center – CCC, Mexico

PRIX JEUNESSE Theme Prize

JANE

Apple TV+, United States

Prize of the German Children’s Jury | 7-10 Years Non-Fiction

SAVE OUR WILDLIFE

Sky Kids, United Kingdom

Prize of the German Children’s Jury | 7-10 Years Fiction

FRAGGLE ROCK: BACK TO THE ROCK

The Jim Henson Company, United States

Prize of the International Youth Jury | 11-15 Jahre Non-Fiction

DEADLY MISSION SHARK

BBC Studios (Natural History Unit.), United Kingdom

Prize of the International Youth Jury | 11-15 Jahre Fiction

CRAZY FUN PARK

Werner Film Productions, Australia

Shorts Prize

ANIMANIMALS

KiKA – Der Kinderkanal von ARD und ZDF, Germany

Heart Prize

RUNAWAY GIRL

Japan Broadcasting Corporatio (NHK), Japan