Content Sections
55th Public Media Awards Finalists
NETA is proud to announce the finalists for the 55th Public Media Awards. Congratulations to all the nominees!
The Public Media Awards honor our members' finest work in community engagement, content, education, marketing/communications, independent productions, and overall excellence.
Awards were judged by a group of expert panelists from within the public media system, as well as industry professionals working outside of public media.
Join us at the annual NETA Conference when we celebrate the finest work in public media and announce the winners during the 55th Annual Public Media Awards Gala on September 10, 2023.
Press Release
Gallery of Finalists
List of Finalists:
| Educational Resources for the Community | |
| OETA Art Club | OETA |
| Everyday Writing with Coach Write | PBS Western Reserve |
| Welcome Neighbors | PBS Wisconsin |
| Read for the Record | West Virginia Public Broadcasting |
| Family Literacy: 3 Multilingual Video Series from Colorín Colorado | WETA |
| Albie's Elevator | WHYY |
| Careers That Work | WVIA Public Media |
| Educational Resources for the Classroom | |
| DIY Science Time | Alabama Public Television |
| Let's Go Enviro | Georgia Public Broadcasting |
| Montana State Parks Collection on PBS LearningMedia | Montana PBS |
| Then, Now and Always…The St. Joseph River Story: Teacher's Guide | PBS Michiana – WNIT |
| Northern Lights, Starry Skies PBS LearningMedia Collection | PBS North |
| Science in 60 Seconds | PBS North Carolina |
| Black Histories of the Northern Plains | Prairie Public |
| History in a Nutshell | South Carolina ETV |
| Writers Contest | West Virginia Public Broadcasting |
| Mission US: No Turning Back | WNET |
| Innovation in Education | |
| ECHO - Education, Community, Health, Opportunity | Blue Ridge PBS |
| Start It Up! | Georgia Public Broadcasting |
| My Planet, My Voice | NorCal Public Media |
| Reconstruction 360 | South Carolina ETV |
| Hero Elementary Gaming | Twin Cities PBS |
| Learning Events | |
| Georgia Pollinators Live Exploration | Georgia Public Broadcasting |
| SciGirls Outreach Campaign | Twin Cities PBS |
| The Legacy Project | WHUT - Howard University Television |
| Youth Collective Film Festival | WNET |
| Future Jobs | WQED |
| One-Minute Student Film Festival | WTCI PBS |
| Teacher Professional Learning | |
| Yellowhammer History Hunt: Immersive Professional Development | Alabama Public Television |
| Speak Up, Speak Out: Teen Suicide Awareness and Prevention | Arkansas PBS |
| Austin PBS Child Care Partnership Initiative | Austin PBS |
| Early Learning Social | Maryland Public Television |
| Hiding in Plain Sight Youth Mental Illness Teacher Professional Development | Montana PBS |
| Amplifying Student Voices | Prairie Public |
| Community Initiative | |
| Rise and Shine, Season 2 | Arkansas PBS |
| SCETV Safe Space | South Carolina ETV |
| Life in the Heart Land | VPM |
| Close to Home: Town Halls on Housing Equality | WNET |
| A State of Mind: Confronting Our Mental Health Crisis in Wyoming | Wyoming PBS |
| Kids & Family | |
| Building a Strong Community at a Steady PACE | Alaska Public Media |
| Arizona PBS to the Rescue: 5-year-olds transform to kindergartners! | Arizona PBS |
| Arkansas PBS Family Day 2022 | Arkansas PBS |
| Basin PBS Airport Kids Zone | Basin PBS |
| Basin PBS Back to School Festival | Basin PBS |
| Santa's Winter Wonderland | Blue Ridge PBS |
| KidVision Art Room Party | South Florida PBS |
| 2022 Vegas PBS Be My Neighbor Day | Vegas PBS |
| Local Project | |
| Positive Street Art Inspired by Series: Celebrating Hip Hop | New Hampshire PBS |
| Wisconsin Pride | PBS Wisconsin |
| Our Best Lives | Rhode Island PBS |
| SCETV Safe Space | South Carolina ETV |
| Not So Black and White: A community's divided history | WFSU |
| National Project | |
| COOKIES! In person and online learning for early childhood educators | Arizona PBS |
| Connecting "U.S. and the Holocaust" to Arkansas | Arkansas PBS |
| Facing Suicide: Exploring Nebraska Resources | Nebraska Public Media |
| The Great Minnesota Recipe Season 2 | PBS North |
| TPT NOW & Union Pacific Rail Safety Partnership | Twin Cities PBS |
| Cyberchase Mobile Adventures in STEM National Community Engagement Initiative | WNET |
| Education | |
| Infusing Language and Culture into Alaska Education | Alaska Insight | Alaska Public Media |
| Copper Queen Library | Arizona Public Media |
| The Career Center | Detroit Public Television |
| Flatland in Focus | Youth with Disabilities & the Resource Gap | Kansas City PBS |
| Teachers Share Video Diaries From Inside Their Classrooms | Milwaukee PBS |
| Rhode Island PBS Weekly - Media Literacy | Rhode Island PBS |
| Rhode Island PBS Weekly - Language Deprivation | Rhode Island PBS |
| Communities in Schools: Friends with Paws | West Virginia Public Broadcasting |
| Cartoon Academy | WQED |
| Cultural Feature | |
| Lehigh Valley Rising: "Designing Women" | Lehigh Valley Public Media |
| Why Louisiana Ain't Mississippi…Or Any Place Else! | Louisiana Public Broadcasting |
| Gallery America: Slow Ride | OETA |
| PBS Appalachia Hometowns of Central Appalachia | Blue Ridge PBS/PBS Appalachia |
| This is Utah - "Culture Craft" | PBS Utah |
| Greater Chattanooga: Before and After | WTCI PBS |
| It's More Than Hair | WVIA Public Media |
| Roar: The Story of Southern Columbia Football Tigers | WVIA Public Media |
| Digital Media | |
| Indie Alaska | Alaska Public Media |
| PBS Appalachia Hometowns of Central Appalachia | Blue Ridge PBS/PBS Appalachia |
| Ritual: Exploring the Revolutionary Legacy of Black River Baptisms | Louisiana Public Broadcasting |
| My Wisconsin Backyard Web First Series | Milwaukee PBS |
| The Little Things | Nashville Public Television |
| Minnesota Historia Season 2 | PBS North |
| SmartPath: Puppet Music Videos | Public Media Connect |
| Cash Money Marcus | WKU PBS |
| Cyber Fashion Challenge | WNET |
| Historical Feature | |
| AIDS in KC: Facing the Challenge | Kansas City PBS |
| Preserving Our Past: The Story Continues | Kansas City PBS |
| Facing the Laughter: Minnie Pearl | Nashville Public Television |
| A Century at The Morris | PBS Michiana - WNIT |
| Wisconsin Pride | PBS Wisconsin |
| Blue Demons: A West Virginia Legacy | West Virginia Public Broadcasting |
| Toledo Stories: The House That Love Built | WGTE Public Media |
| L'dor V'dor: An Eternal Tree | WGVU Public Media |
| By Parties Unknown | WKU PBS |
| Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts: A Local, USA Special | WORLD Channel/GBH |
| Freedom House Ambulance: The FIRST Responders | WQED |
| Dr. Norman C. Francis: A Legacy of Leadership | WYES |
| Military Chronicles | |
| USS Iowa | Iowa PBS |
| Kentucky Life: All Female Honor Flight | KET |
| Friends & Neighbors | Leon's Heroes Dare2tri | Lakeshore PBS |
| Founded on Friendship & Freedom: The National WWII Museum | WYES |
| News & Public Affairs | |
| Kinship Care | Arizona Public Media |
| Poisonous Ponds: Tackling Toxic Coal Ash | Detroit Public Television |
| Idaho Listens | Idaho Public Television |
| #HugsNotWalls 10th Annual Event | KRWG Public Media |
| Lehigh Valley Risings: "African-American Businesses" | Lehigh Valley Public Media |
| Louisiana Spotlight: The Cost of Coastal Restoration | Louisiana Public Broadcasting |
| Voces de la Frontera - May Day 2023 | Milwaukee PBS |
| "What If…" | Nebraska Public Media |
| The High Cost of Higher Education | PBS Charlotte WTVI |
| VPM News Focal Point: Gender and Identity | VPM |
| Performing Arts | |
| PBS Appalachia The Life of a Musician | Blue Ridge PBS/PBS Appalachia |
| Detroit Performs: Live from Marygrove | Detroit Public Television |
| Poetry Out Loud | KTWU |
| Eye On The Arts | Lannie Turner | Lakeshore PBS |
| Kids Jam – Fyutch | Lehigh Valley Public Media |
| Rhythm Café MKE | Milwaukee PBS |
| First Stage Theater Academy | Milwaukee PBS |
| How Singer/Songwriter Kathy Mattea Copes With an Aging Voice | Nashville Public Television |
| Secret Monkey: My Home, NC | PBS North Carolina |
| Art Elevated: The Governor's Mansion Artist Awards (Performing Arts Compilation) | PBS Utah |
| Michael Perry: On the Road | PBS Wisconsin |
| DMV The Beat | WHUT - Howard University Television |
| ROMP - Rhiannon Giddens | WKU PBS |
| Visual Arts | |
| Monograph: Thorton Dial Special | Alabama Public Television |
| Create ID: Closer to God | Idaho Public Television |
| Making #204 | KMOS |
| Portrait of a Landscape: Winds of Renewal | KTWU |
| Lehigh Valley Rising: "The Business of Creativity" | Lehigh Valley Public Media |
| Jose Vera: Day of the Dead Artist | Nashville Public Television |
| Gene Dillard's Mosaic House: My Home, NC | PBS North Carolina |
| Anagama Kiln, a feature segment from 'Making it Grow' | South Carolina ETV |
| Artico - Art & Activism | WHUT - Howard University Television |
| Podcast | |
| State Street: What a trans teen has to say about Utah's care ban | KUER |
| Speaking Of…Las Cronicas | Milwaukee PBS |
| Ghost Herd | Northwest Public Broadcasting |
| Indebted | South Carolina ETV |
| Admissible: Shreds of Evidence | VPM |
| Not So Black and White: A community's divided history | WFSU |
| The Last Ride | WGCU Public Media |
| Shakespeare Full Circle | WGTE Public Media |
| Off the Page - The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration | WSKG |
| Short Form | |
| RIO | Arizona Public Media |
| One and Only Canaan Sandy | Arkansas PBS |
| PBS Appalachia The Trout Farmer | Blue Ridge PBS/PBS Appalachia |
| Iowa Miss Amazing | Iowa PBS |
| Good Living Camp | Nebraska Public Media |
| Wisconsin Life: The Eau Claire Project | PBS Wisconsin |
| VPM News Focal Point: Prison Deaths | VPM |
| Greater Sarasota: Rising to the Occasion | WEDU PBS |
| Topical Feature | |
| Dirt | Arkansas PBS |
| Facing Suicide 30 min. Program | Iowa PBS |
| Higgins Ridge | Montana PBS |
| From Homeless to Housed: Labath Landing | NorCal Public Media |
| Northern Nights, Starry Skies | PBS North |
| The Ups and Downs of Herb and Jan Conn | South Dakota Public Broadcasting |
| VPM News Focal Point: Survivors | VPM |
| Last to Ask | WEDU PBS |
| Greater Ybor: Home of the Chicken | WEDU PBS |
| Greater Chattanooga: Unsheltered | WTCI PBS |
| A State of Mind: The Lone Wolf | Wyoming Public Television |
| Radio – Environment | |
| Hometown, Alaska: Dog Poop | Alaska Public Media |
| Ear to the Wild | NorCal Public Media |
| Crab Bank is back as a beacon for saving seabirds | South Carolina ETV and Public Radio |
| After taking over Fort Wool, seabird colony at Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel to get its own island | WHRO Public Media |
| Radio – Local Storytelling | |
| I SEE U, Episode 69: Black Men On The Cutting Edge | Houston Public Media |
| Roger Cooper's 'Classically Black' provided a showcase for Black musicians | Illinois Public Media |
| More older Americans become homeless as inflation rises and housing costs spike | Montana Public Radio |
| Palouse Gay Baseball: A queer space of one's own | Northwest Public Broadcasting |
| Mundi Moves In | WFSU |
| Working Virginia Series | WHRO Public Media |
| Mission Complete: Honor Flight Bluegrass | WKYU FM |
| Radio – News & Public Affairs | |
| Intermountain Health rethinks bottom surgeries for adult transgender patients | KUER |
| Voices of Recovery and Hope | WFYI |
| From recreational pontoons to the Cajun Navy, Pine Island evacuation draws strong, mixed emotions | WGCU Public Media |
| Another View: The Confederate Statue Debate | WHRO Public Media |
| Impacts of historic tornado outbreak still being felt one year later in Bowling Green | WKYU FM |
| Radio – Society & Culture | |
| Hometown, Alaska: Renaissance Fair Debate | Alaska Public Media |
| I SEE U, Episode 87: The Souls of Russell Hornsby | Houston Public Media |
| Black Americana is openly for sale in Nebraska antique stores. Should it be? | Nebraska Public Media |
| Reconnect Jackson Ward | VPM |
| Another Way: How one Virginia city reckons with gun violence | VPM |
| Us & Them: The Gun Divide | West Virginia Public Broadcasting |
| The Long Journey For The Right to Vote | WHRO Public Media |
| Crossing State Lines: Traveling for abortion care in post-Dobbs southern Kentucky | WKYU FM |
| One year after historic tornado, conversations turn to helping Bowling Green's international community weather next disaster | WKYU FM |
| Before They Take Us Away | Antonia Grace Glenn, Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Tim Becherer, Patrick Glenn - KVIE |
| Black Fire - The Documentary | Charvis Campbell, J. Plunky Branc - WHUT Howard University Television |
| Culture Quest: Ukraine | Ian Grant |
| Mariposas del Campo | Bill Yahraus |
| Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People | Jennifer Loren, Maggie Cunningham, Tim Rogers, Colby Luper, Danielle Culp |
| Annual Report | |
| FY 2022 Annual Report | Nebraska Public Media |
| 2022 Local Content and Service Report to the Community | NorCal Public Media |
| PBS Utah 2022 "Local Content & Service Report to the Community" | PBS Utah |
| Twin Cities PBS 2022 Report to the Community | Twin Cities PBS |
| WKU Public Media Local Content and Services Report | WKU PBS |
| WVIA Community Impact Report 2022 | WVIA Public Media |
| Integrated Media Campaign | |
| Shuttlesworth | Alabama Public Television |
| Arkansas PBS Sports Media Campaign | Arkansas PBS |
| Making Black America Marketing | Detroit Public Television |
| Promotion Campaign for the U.S. History Collection on PBS LearningMedia | GBH |
| 2022 MS Book Festival | Mississippi Public Broadcasting |
| PBS North Brand Launch | PBS North |
| Public Media Giving Days Campaign | PBS Utah |
| Time Machine Radio Network Campaign | WHRO Public Media |
| WILL Celebrates 100 Years | WILL |
| ROAR Documentary Marketing and Promotions Campaign | WVIA Public Media |
| Mind Over Matter, A Mental Health Initiative, Season 2 | WVIA Public Media |
| Promotion | |
| PBS Appalachia Pre-Launch Promo | Blue Ridge PBS/PBS Appalachia |
| Coming Soon from Idaho Public Television | Idaho Public Television |
| Eric Wiebe Testimonial | Nebraska Public Media |
| Made in Wisconsin | PBS Wisconsin |
| SCETV Safe Space PSA | South Carolina ETV |
| Strawberry Fields Gose Beer Branding | WHRO Public Media |
| Education Now - Poquoson High School Creates 'Giving Garden' | WHRO Public Media |
| ROAR Documentary: Official Trailer Release | WVIA Public Media |
| Social Media | |
| Monograph | Alabama Public Television |
| Celebrating Arkansas | Arkansas PBS |
| Iowa State Fair | Iowa PBS |
| 'After Action' Social Media Campaign | South Carolina ETV |
| SCETV Safe Space Social Media Campaign | South Carolina ETV |
| Illustration From Unique Perspectives | VPM |
| WUCF Florida Road Trip | WUCF |
| ROAR Documentary Launch: Social Media Campaign | WVIA Public Media |
| Special Events | |
| Ball State PBS's "Happy Little Fest" | Ball State PBS |
| Making Black Detroit | Detroit Public Television |
| Milwaukee PBS 65th Anniversary Exhibit | Milwaukee PBS |
| Health Channel Women's Health Fair | South Florida PBS |
| International Holocaust Remembrance Day Conversations | Twin Cities PBS |
| WHRO's Great Music Library Giveaway - 2023 | WHRO Public Media |
| WSRE PBS 32nd Wine and Food Classic | WSRE |
| Reflect and Remember | WTVP Peoria |
| Community Pep Rally: ROAR Documentary Launch | WVIA Public Media |
| Excellence in Marketing/Communications | |
| Arkansas PBS Excellence in Marketing/Communication | Arkansas PBS |
| PBS Appalachia New Station Launch | Blue Ridge PBS |
| Know Vape | Idaho Public Television |
| Get More Local Campaign | Lehigh Valley Public Media |
| Overall Excellence in Marketing & Communication | Nebraska Public Media |
| Excellence in Community Engagement | |
| Arkansas PBS Excellence in Community Engagement | Arkansas PBS |
| MPT's Harriet Tubman & Frederick Douglass Project | Maryland Public Television |
| Finding Your Roots Conversation Series | WETA |
| Excellence in Content | |
| Be Inspired | Maryland Public Television |
| OETA | OETA |
| PBS North Carolina Original Content | PBS North Carolina |
| LGBTQIA+ Youth: Finding Wellbeing and Community, a Town Hall Conversation | WETA |
| WGCU Hurricane Ian Lifeline | WGCU |
| Excellence in Innovation | |
| PBS Appalachia First All-Digital Public Television Station | Blue Ridge PBS |
| Nebraska Public Media Labs | Nebraska Public Media |
| WFSU Public Media | WFSU Public Media |
| Excellence in Education | |
| Arkansas PBS Education Division | Arkansas PBS |
| PBS Wisconsin Education | PBS Wisconsin |
| Making a Digital Difference | WHRO Public Media |