BAFTA Archive/Phil Fisk
1996
Young Love: Children's Awards Go Solo
BAFTA has always recognised the cultural value of children’s television, as witnessed in 1969 by the creation of awards categories for children’s entertainment and educational programming. That respect was underlined in 1996, when a specific ceremony was launched to reward those working in children’s film and television and to acknowledge the creativity at work in children’s programming.
Hosted by beloved children’s presenter Floella Benjamin, the first awards were held at 195 Piccadilly, BAFTA's headquarters, with the prizes including drama, entertainment, factual, pre-school, schools-documentary and schools-drama. Since then the awards have become a key date in the BAFTA calendar, with awards in film, TV and games marking the Academy’s support for the agility and breadth of this vital sector.
Image: Jay Grace of Aardman Animations at work. This portrait is taken from the BAFTA commissioned exhibition: For the Love of Film, celebrating the craft of filmmaking.
Video: Floella Benjamin, presenter of the first Children's Awards in 1996, talks about the importance of having an awards ceremony that celebrates excellence in children's television (Source: BAFTA).
