College Television Awards Frequently Asked Questions

In addition to recognizing excellence in student production, the College Television Awards program offers exciting networking and professional development opportunities on the ground in Los Angeles leading up to the Awards Ceremony. Nominees are also welcomed into the Television Academy Foundation alumni community, gaining access to additional opportunities to year-round events connecting you to the television industry as you launch your career.

All nominees are welcome to join the three-day College Television Awards professional development program in Los Angeles culminating in the Awards Ceremony. During this period, you will have the opportunity to meet and connect with industry insiders, network with your fellow nominees, and participate in interactive field trips and panel conversations. The Television Academy Foundation covers the costs of sending one nominee from each production to Los Angeles via one roundtrip flight and one hotel room.

The Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award is a special accolade awarded to one of the winning projects in a category. This award recognizes the winning production that best presents a humanitarian concern. This accolade is only presented if one of the winning projects meets the criteria.

The Online Entry Submission Deadline for the 45th College Television Awards is October 10, 2025, at 5:00 PM PT. Submissions open September 23, 2025. 

Eligible individuals must have been a full-time student and enrolled in an accredited college within the United States at the time of production and completion and during the eligibility period of between August 1, 2024 - July 31, 2025. Entrants must be enrolled in a course curriculum in which they are receiving class credit. Faculty verification is required. Full rules and eligibility criteria can be found here.

Yes. So long as the student was enrolled at the time of production and completion during the eligibility period of between August 1, 2024 - July 31, 2025.

Yes, however, for submissions made into Drama Series, Comedy Series, Animation Series, Nonfiction Series, Scripted Series, and Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability categories you will be asked to imagine your program/short film as an episode in a series and write short synopses of two additional episodes that are required and will be reviewed as part of your submission. 

These two "imagined" episodes need not be produced, nor intended to be produced. The judges want to see where you would take your story.

The Comedy Series and Drama Series categories are limited to projects produced by students while enrolled in an undergraduate degree program. Alternatively, the Scripted Series category is limited to projects produced while enrolled in a graduate degree program. Both Comedy and Drama projects produced while in a graduate program will be entered into the Scripted Series category. If you have questions about which category your piece is eligible for, please contact us at ctasupport@televisionacademy.com. 

A Public Service Announcement is a great way to raise awareness in the community about your non-profit's mission/cause. You can do a PSA on education, drug abuse, disaster relief, or anything that falls in the public benefit sector. Public service advertising (PSA) is advertising with a central focus on public welfare, and is generally sponsored by a non-profit institution, civic group, religious organization, trade association, or political group. A commercial is meant to sell products or services for companies whose intent is to promote their product/service to attract buyers. Commercial advertising is advertising that involves commercial interests rather than advocating a social or political cause.

Yes. Multiple individuals can be credited in each of these roles. Eligible credits are Director, Producer, and Writer, any of whom may make an entry. All eligible students listed as Director, Producer, and Writer on the production credits must be listed on the entry.

At this time, only Directors, Producers, and Writers are eligible to be included on a submission.

All materials must have full rights & clearances for promotion, including music. All owners of College Television Awards nominated projects (including all nominated producers, writers and directors) will need to sign an Exhibition Rights Release Form prior to the Submission Deadline of October 10. Your faculty advisor is responsible for submitting the Exhibition Rights Release Form and ensuring the proper individuals have signed.  

Yes, each project submitted is required to pay a $25 submission fee. If you are concerned about your ability to meet this requirement, please contact us at ctasupport@televisionacademy.com.

The 45th College Television Awards nominations will be announced on November 19, 2025, at TelevisionAcademy.com/foundation/cta.