The Telly Awards, the world’s largest honor for video and television across all screens, opens its 47th Annual Call for Entries with the theme “Capture the Original.” This year’s season celebrates what’s possible when authentic ideas intersect with the expanding potential of new tools and technologies. At a moment of rapid change across media, the Tellys invite creators to showcase how they transform inspiration into innovation while embracing the unprecedented possibilities of today’s creative landscape.
“Our industry is expanding faster than ever, from creators moving from niche platforms to streaming and Generative AI fast-tracking ideas from sketch to launch,” said Amanda Needham, Managing Director of The Telly Awards. “We’re creating categories for the work being made right now, because there should be meaningful recognition for the creativity defining this new era of video.”
To reflect the evolving landscape, the Telly Awards have introduced a suite of new categories across Generative AI, Creator, Animation, and Digital Out-of-Home spaces. Expansions across B2B, Documentary, and Branded Content include Brand Activation, Event Opener and Mental Health, further highlighting the depth and diversity of contemporary storytelling. This year’s additions include categories for Vertical Video, True Crime, Micro-Content, Performance Marketing, Pop Culture & Commentary, Crisis Communication, Union or Trade Organization, Creator & Host, and New Voices in Film & Shorts.
In a major development, the Tellys have integrated the Collision Awards into the global Telly Awardsfamily, broadening opportunities for animation and motion design and expanding the program’s presence in the animation and VFX community. To mark the launch of the new animation categories, The Tellys welcome Animation World Network (AWN), the internet’s most trusted animation and VFX resource for over 26 years, and Skwigly, the UK’s longest-running animation magazine, as new partners. They join returning collaborators Portrait, Kinema, Seed&Spark, RunwayML AI Film Festival, Film Fatales, NAB, Stash Media, ReelAbilities Film Festival, FWD-Doc, LAPPG, Production Hub, and The Gotham in supporting the Telly’s mission to connect and celebrate creative excellence across industries.
The Telly Awards Judging Council reflects the diverse and global nature of creativity. Among this year’s new judges are Tamara Kruger, Head of Creator Strategy and Content, YouTube, Alice Ma, Co-Founder and CEO, Mad Realities, Phil Cook, Chief Marketing Officer, WNBA, Janet Graham Borba, EVP of Production, HBO, David E. Cid, Head of Experiential Marketing, Remezcla, Steve Eddy, Director of Production, Netflix, Lauren Moraski, Senior Director, Content Studio & Creative, PepsiCo, Warren Cohen, VP and Head of Video and Audio, New York Post, Liz Biber, Head of Content PR, The Lede Company, Allyson West, Founder and Executive Director, Cindependent Festival, Paige Bright, Director of Brand Marketing, Gotham FC, Kate Pfetsch, VP of Brand Partnerships, Blink49, Farra Kober, VP of Content, BBC Storyworks, Eric Cunningham, Writer, Nickelodeon, Marielle Bob, VP of Content, Shoptalk, Carlton Jared Lockett, Head of Strategy, My Code, Natasha Louckevitch, Head of Production, Bully Pulpit, and Alexandra Roberts, Commissioning Editor of Documentaries, TVO, Greg Ciaccio, VP of Post Production, IMAX.
Returning this year are the Telly Awards’ acclaimed industry initiatives Throughlines and Hot Takes. Throughlines, the Telly’s in-person and virtual conversation series, explores the original blueprints that drive excellence in creative industries, connecting voices across brand, entertainment, and technology. This season’s discussions include topics such as “Building a Women’s Sports Brand” with Gotham FC and the UK Women’s Super League and “Creating an In-Demand Production Company” with Six Twenty Six, the producers behind “BOA,” Megan Thee Stallion’s award-winning music video.
Now entering its sixth season, Hot Takes, the Tellys’ original video series featuring unfiltered and unscripted conversations with industry leaders, returns with new episodes that dig into the evolving state of media. Season 6 features Warren Cohen, VP of Video and Audio at the New York Post, on how newsroom content is produced in real time, Alice Ma, CEO of Mad Realities, on how Generations Z and Alpha are reinventing television and Azza Cohen, Kamala Harris’s official videographer.
The Telly Awards’ annual Screening Series also returns this season, with in-person events showcasing exceptional short-form and branded work across major U.S. cities, continuing to serve as a creative hub for agencies, production companies, and independent filmmakers.
To enter work in the 47th Annual Telly Awards, visit www.TellyAwards.com. The deadline for early entries is December 12, 2025 and the winners will be announced in May 2026.
