The British Academy Children’s and Young People Awards returns

BAFTA has announced the return of the British Academy Children’s and Young People’s Awards on Sunday 27 November as part of a weekend festival, marking a renewed focus on children, young people and families.

The Awards ceremony, a celebration of the best in children’s television, film and games, will be the culmination of a weekend of events at BAFTA’s newly renovated London headquarters 195 Piccadilly.  Industry and public audiences can look forward to masterclasses, workshops, screenings and Q&As with nominated talent from Saturday 26 to Sunday 27 November.

14 awards categories will include Animation, Content for Change, Director, Feature Film, Game, International, Non-Scripted, Performer, Pre-School Live Action, Pre-School Animation, Presenter, Scripted, Writer and Young Performer.

Emma Baehr, executive director of awards and content, said: “Our Awards recognise the very best in children’s media industries, which BAFTA has done since 1996, and we are very excited to bring them back in a new and fresh format. Since the review in 2020, we have consulted with our committee members and have revised our categories to reflect their feedback and the growing landscape of the children’s media industries. We hope to celebrate the impact of the content that young people love and enjoy, as well as the hard work of the craftspeople and creatives that make them. By combining the Awards into a weekend festival BAFTA is able to spotlight this community and we are really looking forward to showcasing what has been achieved on Sunday November 27 in our dedicated new talent and learning spaces at BAFTA 195.”

Faraz Osman, chair of the children’s committee at BAFTA, added: “We are delighted that our renewed focus for the children’s industries includes the return of the BAFTA Kids’ roadshow with Place2Be, which continues to have tremendous impact by directly reaching schools across the UK. Also, brand new for this year is our BAFTA Young Creators scheme which has imagination and innovation at its core and I couldn’t be more excited to see the breadth of ideas that will come through from the next generation. Topping it all off is the return of YGD, our industry recognised programme which gives young people an insight into the incredible world of game making, as well as once-in-a-lifetime experiences with the top British game studios who might bring their amazing ideas to life.”

The Awards and festival weekend will include a host of activities to recognise and celebrate the significant contributions made across children’s media. This will include year-round programmes and standalone activities set to take place in schools, as well as film festivals and other creative hubs across the UK, with a focus on some of the most disadvantaged areas in the UK.

BAFTA Kids Roadshow

Since 2017, BAFTA has partnered with children’s mental health charity Place2Be, taking the BAFTA Kids Roadshow activities to primary schools in some of the most disadvantaged areas in the UK. The BAFTA Kids Roadshow is the foundation of BAFTA’s children’s activities aimed at school groups and families aged 7-12.  BAFTA works all over the UK and brings unforgettable experiences to children who usually wouldn’t have access to BAFTA events.

Young Creators Open Day

The Young Creators initiative will be officially launched with an open day on April 23 at BAFTA’s newly redeveloped headquarters. Young Creators will focus on the craft skills in the screen industries: art & design, content creation and writing.  Open to 10-18 year olds, finalists will be supported by industry professionals and will develop projects over 12 months, returning to 195 Piccadilly to showcase their talents.

Young Game Designers Open Weekend

Young Game Designers (YGD) is the annual competition for 10–18-year-olds, which helps talented participants discover their love of coding, drawing or story writing for games. The YGD open weekend will take place July 9-10 at 195 Piccadilly. Further details are available at ygd.bafta.org

SUMMARY OF KEY DATES

• Thursday 12 May – BAFTA Awards entry site opens (http://entry.bafta.org)
• Friday 2 July – Entry deadline (17:00 GMT)
• Tuesday 26 October – Nominations announced
• Sunday 27 November – British Academy Children and Young People’s Awards

The full list of rules and guidelines will be available in May.