Kate & Mim-Mim, Slugterra, Anne of Green Gables win prestigious Shaw Rocket Prize for best in kids and youth programming
OTTAWA, Nov. 23, 2016 /CNW/ - The Shaw Rocket Fund is pleased to announce the winners of the 11th annual Shaw Rocket Prize, with three Canadian programs earning the most votes by children from across the country to claim top honours.
Kate & Mim-Mim, Slugterra and Anne of Green Gables each won a $25,000 prize for the best in kids and youth programming as well as the best in digital experience.
The awards were given out at a gala event held in Ottawa and attended by cast and crew members, industry representatives, and members of the Ottawa and political community.
"On behalf of the Shaw Rocket Fund, we would like to congratulate Kate & Mim-Mim, Slugterra and Anne of Green Gables for producing quality kids and youth television shows which incorporate innovative digital experiences that Canadian children and children around the world can be proud of," says Agnes Augustin, President & CEO of the Shaw Rocket Fund. "Congratulations also to all the finalists. The entries this year were superb, demonstrating that the Canadian kids and youth television industry is one to be reckoned with in today's ever changing digital world."
Kate & Mim-Mim (DHX Media) brings a world to life where the only limits are a little girl's imagination. Kate is a feisty five-year-old who, together with her toy bunny best friend Mim-Mim, travels to a fantasy world, where Mim-Mim becomes a larger-than-life playmate!
Slugterra (DHX Media) is about 15-year-old Eli Shane, who's determined to be the greatest slug-slinging hero of Slugterra after his dad. He can do this only by collecting, training, and dueling little creatures called slugs.
L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables (Breakthrough Entertainment) is based on the iconic Canadian book of the same name. It is the late 1870s on beautiful Prince Edward Island. Anne Shirley is mistakenly sent there to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who had intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm. Anne must make her way with the Cuthberts, in school, and in the town of Avonlea to ensure she is never sent back to the orphanage again.
The gala event, held at the Shaw Centre and featuring a stellar lineup of performances by The Next Step and Lost and Found Music Studios, was hosted by Degrassi: Next Class star Soma Bhatia. The Honourable Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly was also on hand to present the awards.
"As Canada gets ready to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation, I could not be more proud to celebrate the best in Canadian kids and youth programming," says Minister Joly. "The Shaw Rocket Fund showcases the best our country has to offer and the talents of professionals in Canada's television industry. This year's focus on the best digital experience is timely and illustrates how our kids and youth programs are innovative and unique. Congratulations to this year's winners!"
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his capacity as Minister of Youth, along with his wife Sophie Grégoire, also sent congratulations via video. "Quality programming exposes children to diversity and teaches them valuable lessons from learning the alphabet to the meaning of integrity. Today's finalists reflect everything we look for in quality children's programming and best of all, they're made right here in Canada," Trudeau says. "Thank you Shaw Rocket Fund for supporting the Canadian children's media industry and for showcasing the calibre of kids shows made in this country and proudly exported around the world."
The Shaw Rocket Prize is presented annually to Canadian children's, youth, and family programs and their associated digital content. Finalists were selected by an international jury of industry experts and children from across Canada then voted online for their favourite program. By voting, three children won one of three $2,500 scholarships and the most creative child who made a video vote won an iPad and a trip to Ottawa to attend this special event.
About Shaw Rocket Fund
The Shaw Rocket Fund, working in partnership with youth, is dedicated to investing in the Canadian children's and youth production industry with a broader mission of championing Canadian children's programming in Canada and around the world. Since 2004, the Rocket Fund has awarded $550,000 in prize money to celebrate the very best of Canadian screen-based media for kids.
www.rocketfund.ca | t: @rocketfund | facebook.com/rocketfund
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SOURCE Shaw Rocket Fund
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Bea Vongdouangchanh, Compass Rose Group, [email protected], 613-299-1807
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