The Television Academy Foundation announced the winners of the 45th College Television Awards, which recognize and reward excellence in student-produced programs from colleges nationwide, tonight at a star-studded awards presentation at the Saban Media Center in North Hollywood, California.
The 2026 winners were presented awards by top television stars including Samuel Arnold (Emily in Paris), Rhenzy Feliz (The Penguin), Ashby Florence (TikTok influencer), Ezra Frech (Two-Time track and field Paralympian), Robby Hoffman (Hacks), Jenn Lyon (Stumble), Billy Magnussen (The Audacity), Serena Page (Love Island USA / influencer), Dewayne Perkins (The Upshaws; The Studio), Caterina Scorsone (Grey's Anatomy), Sean Patrick Thomas (Gen V) and London Thor (Gen V).
"Congratulations to the winners whose work reflects the creativity, passion and originality that define the future of our industry," said Tina Perry, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. "Each year, these remarkable students demonstrate the power of storytelling and the impact of fresh perspectives in television and media. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and grateful for all the celebrities and sponsors who helped make this an unforgettable event for students."
Emulating the Emmy Awards selection process, entries for the College Television Awards were judged by Television Academy members. Top honors and a total of $45,000 in cash prizes went to winning teams in nine categories:
Animation Series
Love & Gold – Brigham Young University
Jaysen Duckworth, Producer
Connor Van Dyke, Director and Writer
Comedy Series/Chance Perdomo Legacy Scholarship
Thanksgiving – Brigham Young University
Ryan Jones, Producer
Austin Lawrence, Director Abigail Tolley, Writer
Commercial, PSA or Promo
Ink Up. Wash Out. – Brigham Young University
Mia Shumway, Writer
Eli Rothas, Producer
Kyle Gilmour, Director
Drama Series
Óménàlà – Savannah College of Art & Design - Atlanta
Sydney Brooks, Producer
Stephanie AdaEze Byron-Ene, Director and Writer
News
San Francisco: On the Edge – Montclair State University
Adam Acoff, Writer
Emily Chavarria, Producer and Writer
Izzy Conklin, Director, Producer and Writer
Andrew Cooper, Director, Producer and Writer
Shannon Daly, Producer and Writer
Nino DeNino, Producer and Writer
Peter Guziejewski, Producer and Writer
Bryan Jaimes, Producer and Writer
Brandon Lang, Producer and Writer
Sophia Lazaridis, Producer and Writer
Dani Mazariegos, Producer and Writer
Ivana Ragusa, Producer and Writer
Jennifer Sanchez, Writer
Julia Slevin, Writer
Victoria Smith, Director, Producer and Writer
Sean Thrunk, Director, Producer and Writer
Nonfiction Series
Unbroken Spirits – New York University
Paulina Ruiz, Director, Producer and Writer
Scripted Series
Trife – University of Southern California
Christian Yosef, Director and Writer
Neil Zafar Haeems, Producer
Shandaeya Caldwell, Producer
Sports
SportsDesk | The Magazine Edition | 2024 – University of Miami
Taryn Jacobs, Producer and Writer
Delanie Haddad, Director and Producer
Jacob Lyons, Producer and Writer
Jadyn Cohee, Producer and Writer
Regina Potenza, Producer and Writer
Shea McDonald, Writer
Wrigley Kordt, Writer
Two special awards were also announced during the program:
The Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Award was presented to Savannah College of Art and Design students Danzheng Chen (producer) and Yangshiyi Liu (director/writer) for their production titled Step Forward. The $10,000 award celebrates student storytellers whose work sheds light on people with disabilities and is underwritten by The Loreen Arbus Foundation.
The Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award, a $4,000 cash prize given to a College Television Award-winning project that best highlights a humanitarian concern, was awarded to New York University student Paulina Ruiz for Unbroken Spirits. This award was created over 20 years ago by the late entertainment attorney Seymour Bricker.
The 2026 College Television Awards winners will also have the opportunity to screen their projects at SeriesFest, May 6–10, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.
The 45th College Television Awards show will be available for video-on-demand viewing at TelevisionAcademy.com/CTA.
The 45th College Television Awards is supported by philanthropists and corporate partners including Amazon MGM Studios, Disney Entertainment, The Johnny Carson Foundation, The Loreen Arbus Foundation, NBCUniversal, PEOPLE, Sony Pictures Television and United Airlines.
Download the press release here.
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Contact:
Jane Sparango
breakwhitelight (for the Television Academy Foundation)
jane@breakwhitelight.com
310.339.1214
