The Television Academy Foundation today announced nominees for the 45th College Television Awards, which recognizes and rewards excellence in student-produced programs from colleges and universities nationwide, and revealed the recipients of the $10,000 Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Award.
Open to undergraduate and graduate students, the annual College Television Awards are regarded as one of the most distinguished and high-profile steppingstones for careers in television and media.
Twenty-four student-produced programs have been nominated, selected from 186 entries representing 44 colleges nationwide. Emulating the Emmy Awards selection process, College Television Awards entries are judged by Television Academy members. Criteria for the awards reflect industry standards of excellence, imagination and innovation.
"The College Television Awards celebrate the extraordinary creativity and talent emerging from campuses across the country," said Tina Perry, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. "With nominees selected by Television Academy members, these honors not only recognize excellence in student-produced content but also offer aspiring professionals invaluable exposure and connections within the Hollywood creative community and a meaningful step toward building lasting careers in entertainment."
New for the 2026 awards program is the "Chance Perdomo Legacy Scholarship," a $10,000 award to the winning college team in the Comedy Series category. Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios created the scholarship as a tribute to the late Gen V actor Chance Perdomo who passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2024. In addition, a category solely for graduate students has been added to the competition with this year's establishment of a Scripted Series award.
Trophies and over $45,000 in cash prizes will be presented to the winning teams by television stars at the red carpet awards ceremony on March 28, 2026, in North Hollywood, California, for Animation Series; Comedy Series; Commercial, PSA or Promo; Drama Series; News; Nonfiction Series; Scripted Series; Sports; and the Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Award.
The nominees for the 45th College Television Awards are:
ANIMATION SERIES:
Beautify - Ringling College of Art and Design
Elizaveta Makarenko, Director, Producer, Writer
Blooky: The Book Who Wanted to be Read - University of Southern California
Pablo Diaz De Leon Hicks, Director, Writer
Shagun Kanwar, Producer
Nathania Djuhar, Producer
Love & Gold - Brigham Young University
Jaysen Duckworth, Producer
Connor Van Dyke, Director, Writer
COMEDY SERIES/CHANCE PERDOMO LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP:
Dandelion - American Film Institute
Fiona Obertinca, Director
Corey Pinchoff, Writer
Tori Ichikowitz, Producer
Rex - Florida State University
Olivia Andrade, Director, Writer
Alex Taylor, Producer
Thanksgiving - Brigham Young University
Ryan Jones, Producer
Austin Lawrence, Director
Abigail Tolley, Writer
COMMERCIAL, PSA OR PROMO:
Gap: Wear With Care - Brigham Young University
Porter Christensen, Director
Maren Edwards, Writer
Jill Jackson, Producer
Taylor Slade, Producer
Ink Up. Wash Out. - Brigham Young University
Mia Shumway, Writer
Eli Rothas, Producer
Kyle Gilmour, Director
Never Leave Home - Brigham Young University
Mia Shumway, Writer
Joseph Larsen, Director
Carly Garrett, Producer
Abe Tullis, Producer
Jeff Yi, Producer
DRAMA SERIES:
Halfway - Biola University
Ariana Molina, Producer
Markus Kashouh, Director, Writer
Óménàlà - Savannah College of Art and Design (Atlanta)
Sydney Brooks, Producer
Stephanie AdaEze Byron-Ene, Director, Writer
Song of Silence - American Film Institute
Vasilisa Kuzmina, Director, Writer
Qiuping Han, Producer
Daisy Anderson, Writer
LOREEN ARBUS FOCUS ON DISABILITY:
Step Forward • Savannah College of Art & Design – Savannah
Danzheng Chen, Producer
Yangshiyi Liu, Director, Writer
NEWS:
FOCUS: Our Mental Health - Montclair State University
Dani Mazariegos, Director, Producer, Writer
Sophia Lazaridis, Director, Producer, Writer
Victoria Smith, Producer, Writer
Luciana Martinez, Director, Producer
Ava Scott, Director, Producer, Writer
Santi Calle Cifuentes, Director, Producer, Writer
Andrew Cooper, Producer
Peter Guziejewski, Writer
Nicole Passero, Producer
Izzy Conklin, Producer
Isabella Alvarez, Producer, Writer
Thomas Johnson, Writer
Monique Dzaba, Producer
Giuliana Degrazio, Writer
Rash Vinakota, Producer
Heidy Carranza Alvarado, Writer
Michal Pitynski, Producer
NewsVision (March 6, 2025) - University of Miami
Katelyn Kucharski, Producer
Delanie Haddad, Director
Chris Perez, Producer
Emma Balleste, Writer
Ximena Hidalgo, Producer
Taryn Jacobs, Writer
Lauren Harrington, Writer
Shea McDonald, Writer
Kayla Butter, Writer
Jordyn Minnis, Producer
John Stanley, Writer
Christopher Perez, Writer
San Francisco: On the Edge - Montclair State University
Adam Acoff, Writer
Emily Chavarria, Producer, Writer
Izzy Conklin, Director, Producer, Writer
Andrew Cooper, Director, Producer, Writer
Shannon Daly, Producer, Writer
Nino DeNino, Producer, Writer
Peter Guziejewski, Producer, Writer
Bryan Jaimes, Producer, Writer
Brandon Lang, Producer, Writer
Sophia Lazaridis, Producer, Writer
Dani Mazariegos, Producer, Writer
Ivana Ragusa, Producer, Writer
Jennifer Sanchez, Writer
Julia Slevin, Writer
Victoria Smith, Director, Producer, Writer
Sean Thrunk, Director, Producer, Writer
NONFICTION SERIES:
Cornellskop: Freedom From Fear - Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah)
Jack Bart, Producer
Nathan Oliva, Director, Writer
Strangers on Our Land - University of California, Berkeley
Zane Karram, Director, Producer, Writer
Kelsey Oliver, Director, Producer, Writer
Unbroken Spirits - New York University
Paulina Ruiz, Director, Producer, Writer
SCRIPTED SERIES:
¡Que Suene La Banda! - University of California, Los Angeles
Jorge Parra Jr., Director, Producer, Writer
Patakha - American Film Institute
Tiffany Wu, Producer
Rohit Relan, Director
Umut Ipek, Writer
Trife - University of Southern California
Christian Yosef, Director, Writer
Neil Zafar Haeems, Producer
Shandaeya Caldwell, Producer
SPORTS:
Cronkite Sports Live - Season 22 Finale - Arizona State University
Ronan Heykoop, Director, Producer, Writer
Ryan Sykora, Director, Producer
Justin Carter, Director, Producer
Luke Galindo, Director, Producer
Justin Lacertosa, Writer
Gabby Chernoff, Writer
SportsDesk - University of Miami
Taryn Jacobs, Producer
Delanie Haddad, Producer
Jacob Lyons, Director
Manny Naccarato, Writer
Jake Baum, Writer
Johnny Mustion, Writer
Max Keller, Writer
Ashley Freedland, Writer
Jordyn Cerullo, Writer
Penelope Gilbert, Writer
SportsDesk | The Magazine Edition | 2024 - University of Miami
Taryn Jacobs, Producer, Writer
Delanie Haddad, Director, Producer
Jacob Lyons, Producer, Writer
Jadyn Cohee, Producer, Writer
Regina Potenza, Producer, Writer
Shea McDonald, Writer
Wrigley Kordt, Writer
The recipients of the $10,000 Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Award, which rewards a student-produced project that best portrays disability issues or helps emerging artists with a disability gain recognition, are Savannah College of Art and Design students Danzheng Chen (producer) and Yangshiyi Liu (director and writer) for their project titled Step Forward. The animated piece tells the story of "Ollie" who falls into despair after losing his leg in a car accident. Everything changes when he discovers a mysterious book that opens the door to a magical dream world in which he can journey through his inner struggles and confront his deepest fears. In the end, Ollie realizes that he, alone, holds the power to change his situation and finds the strength to take a first brave step toward a new beginning.
Loreen Arbus is a two-time Emmy nominee who holds the trailblazing distinction of being the first woman to head programming for a U.S. network, both at Showtime and Cable Health Network/Lifetime, and is a leading advocate for people with disabilities. This is the 14th year for this award, provided by The Loreen Arbus Foundation, which has established and funds scholarships that enhance and elevate social consciousness around key societal issues.
Yet to be revealed is the Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award, a $4,000 cash prize awarded to a College Television Award-winning project that best highlights a humanitarian concern, announced during the ceremony.
In addition, nominees attending will participate in three days of professional development events, March 26-28, with media-industry leaders prior to the awards show and a special screening of their projects for Television Academy members.
Winners in the competition will be announced by celebrity presenters at the awards ceremony Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the Television Academy's North Hollywood campus. Tickets to the ceremony are $25 for students with ID and $50 for general admission. To purchase tickets, visit TelevisionAcademy.com/cta/tickets.
The Foundation has also established a College Television Awards Honorary Committee composed of industry talent who will serve as ambassadors for the program. Along with the Foundation's board of directors, the Honorary Committee will serve as jury members for the Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award. Members of the Honorary Committee for the 2026 ceremony include: Carlacia Grant (Outer Banks), Timothy Omundson (This Is Us), Chris Perfetti (Abbott Elementary), Melissa Peterman (Happy's Place) and Rebecca Wisocky (Ghosts).
Sponsors of the 45th College Television Awards include The Loreen Arbus Foundation, Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios.
ERRORS OR OMISSIONS: The deadline for correcting errors in the listing of nominations is Nov. 25, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. PST. Omissions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Contact CTASupport@televisionacademy.com.
For the complete press release, click here.
For the full list of nominees, click here.
Media Contact:
Jane Sparango
breakwhitelight (for the Television Academy Foundation)
jane@breakwhitelight.com
310.339.1214
