We are in the middle of awards season! British and American organizations give out awards for many types of popular media, including movies, TV, music, theater, and journalism. The events are often very formal, evening events that include extensive photography of famous people at the event. Celebrities often enter the event and walk down a long red carpet. For this reason, creating a fancy, expensive experience to show someone a lot of respect is called “rolling out the red carpet.”
The most famous awards ceremony is the Academy Awards ceremony, also known as the Oscars. The Oscars are held in March every year. But this ceremony is not the only major awards ceremony for entertainment media. For example, Rotten Tomatoes, a film rating website, offers a list of awards ceremonies for movies and television: https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/2023-2024-awards-season-calendar/
This post will introduce various major awards that are famous in America.
January 8, 2024: The Golden Globes
The Golden Globes were founded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which – until recently – was said to represent international journalists who reported on the American entertainment industry. After controversy over the lack of Black representation in voting members and claims of corruption in the membership process, the awards ceremony was sold to a private company called Dick Clark Productions in 2023 and HFPA was disbanded. Now, there is a more diverse international voting membership of 300 people. The Golden Globes are the third-most viewed awards ceremony in the USA, after the Oscars and the Grammys. Awards are given for various film and television categories, including best movie, television show, (lead) actor, (lead) actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, director, screenplay, and music. Learn more about the Golden Globes at https://goldenglobes.com/
January 15, 2024: The Emmy Awards
Emmy Awards are given for outstanding work on a television show, such as writing, costuming, makeup, direction, music, and performances. Candidates are nominated by other people in their area of specialty, and members of the academy vote for the best candidate in each category. The main televised awards are limited to the best shows, directing, writing, and acting, but an earlier ceremony called the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards covers technical categories such as makeup, hairstyling, choreography, casting, lighting, sound editing, and many more categories. The Emmy awards ceremony is usually held in September, but the 2023 awards were delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Learn more about the Emmys at https://www.emmys.com
February 4, 2024: The Grammy Awards
Grammy Awards are given for outstanding work in various genres of music and recordings, including recorded performances, live performances, albums, songwritings, music videos, and audiobooks. There are also awards for global impact, lifetime achievement, and legacy. (For a full list, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Grammy_Award_categories.) The Grammys are held in early February. Learn more about the Grammys at https://www.grammy.com
February 18, 2024: British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA)
BAFTA is the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and it has royal patronage: Prince William of the UK is the president of BAFTA, and he is the latest in a line of royal household members to be academy presidents. Although BAFTA gives out awards for films, games, television and television craft, young artists, and region-specific ceremonies for Scotland, Wales, and Brittania (the last of which oddly includes international contestants and is held in Los Angeles, CA, USA), it is most famous for its film awards, which are held a few weeks before the Oscars. Learn more at https://www.bafta.org
February 24, 2024: SAG Awards
SAG is the Screen Actor’s Guild, or the union that most Hollywood actors join. It is now known as SAG-AFTRA, with AFTRA representing the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. SAG Awards are given for outstanding performances in film (male or female, lead or supporting) and television (male or female, by genre). SAG awards are given to actors by a vote of a random selection of their fellow actors, recognizing outstanding work and achievement. Although this ceremony is not as famous as the Oscars, it is very familial and emotional for the nominees and awardees. Learn more about the SAG Awards at https://www.sagawards.org
Note: SAG-AFTRA was in the news last summer because of the union strikes due to contract negotiations. Union leaders wanted assurances from studio executives that actors would be fairly compensated for their work and would not be replaced by AI-generated models. Negotiations lasted for several months, delaying the Emmys ceremony as a result.
March 10, 2024: The Academy Awards (Oscars)
Most of these awards come from academies, but everyone knows that the Academy Awards refers to the Oscars, which are given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for various movie categories. The Oscars recognize actors and actresses, animated films (short or long), cinematography, costume design, directing, documentaries (short or long), film editing, international films, makeup and hairstyling, music (song or score), production design, live action short films, sound, visual effects, writing (adapted or original screenplay), and the most coveted of all: Best Picture. The Academy also distributes Governors Awards, Student Academy Awards, and Science and Technical Awards, but the Oscars are the most famous. Learn more about the Oscars at https://www.oscars.org
April 14th, 2024: Olivier Awards
Olivier Awards are given in the name of Laurence Olivier, a famous British stage and film actor in the 20th century. Before they were renamed in his honor, they were known as the Society of West End Theater Awards. They are given to directors, actors, and actresses for theater productions staged in the UK. Learn more about the Olivier Awards at https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/
May 6th, 2024: Pulitzer Awards
Pulitzer Awards are given by Columbia University and are named after Joseph Pulitzer, an entrepreneurial Central European Jewish immigrant to America who served in the Union troops of the American Civil War, became a U.S. Representative, and turned a New York newspaper into one of the two largest newspapers in the USA using tactics now known as yellow journalism. Although his own journalism methods were creatively manipulative in order to sell papers, he also sponsored truth-seeking investigative journalism through his hiring of Nellie Bly. Later in life, he encouraged the University of Missouri to create a journalism degree and also also left $2,000,000 to Columbia University to create its own journalism program. The Pulitzer Prizes recognize his legacy in journalism but also offer categories in books, music, and drama. Learn more about the Pulitzer Prizes at https://www.pulitzer.org
June 16th, 2024: Tony Awards
The name “Tony” is actually short for Antoinette, as in the “Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre”. As noted in the name, Tony awards are given to theater performances, specifically those that appear on Broadway (although there is one award for “regional theater”). The awards categories distinguish between musicals and standard theater, sometimes known as “straight plays.” Categories include best musical/play, best book of a play/musical, best leading actor/actress, best featured actor/actress, best direction, best revival, best original score, best orchestration, best choreography, best scenic design, best costume design, best lighting design, and best sound design. Learn more about the Tony Awards at https://www.tonyawards.com/
EGOT
The four most famous entertainment awards in the USA are the Emmys (TV), Grammys (Music), Oscars (Film) and Tonys (Theater). Someone who has won all four types of awards is known as an EGOT winner. As of spring 2024, only about 25 people have ever achieved EGOT status: List of EGOT Winners
Special Mention: Nobel Prize Ceremony, December 10, 2024
The Nobel Prize is not a British or American award, but it is very famous in the USA (as it is around the world). It is named after Alfred Nobel, who left money in his last will and testament to establish the prize. As dictated in his will, the Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine, economics, and literature are chosen by a committee in Sweden, while the peace prize is chosen by a committee in Norway. In each case, the country’s king presents the awards. The prize is always distributed on December 10th, the anniversary of his death. Learn more information about the Nobel Prizes at https://www.nobelprize.org
