Sandford St Martin Trust Awards – Call for Entries

January 14, 2016 , 0

It's the second year the Sandford St Martin Trust has celebrated Children's Content. The deadline for entries is Friday February 5^th 2016.

2016 Sandford St Martin Trust Awards
Lambeth Palace,
Wednesday June 8^th 2016

The Sandford St Martin Trust is now calling for entries to the UK’s most prestigious annual broadcast awards for radio, TV and online content exploring religious, spiritual or ethical themes.

Writer and script consultant Jayne Kirkham was a judge on the inaugural children's award last year.

The BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, winner of the 2015 Sandford St Martin Trustee’s award said, “Religion and belief in general, is one of the most important threads in some of the big issues of our time.  The Awards recognise the growing importance of understanding all faiths and people of no faith.  They highlight the most compelling stories to ensure they reach the widest audiences possible.”

In 2015 the Trust introduced a new category for children’s content.   On behalf of the CMF, I served as judge along with independent producer and children’s author Hilary Robinson, National Geographic Kids editor Tim Herbert and Senior Lecturer in Media Practice at Salford University Beth Hewitt.  A wide range of programmes, from international broadcasters as well as small charitable outfits, was considered.  We were looking for programmes that found bold, innovative and age appropriate ways to explore the religious, spiritual, ethical and moral situations that children face.  The award was finally given to Fettle Animation for “Children of the Holocaust”.  A 45 minute mix of animation and live testimony, commissioned and transmitted by BBC2, that explored the lives of young survivors of the Holocaust with great depth and sensitivity.

The 2016 Awards, worth around £20,000 will be presented at Lambeth Palace on Wednesday June 8^th 2016 at a ceremony attended by leading broadcasters, journalists and programme makers as well as representatives of different faiths.

Previous Sanford St Martin's winners have included Simon Schama, Danny Boyle, Ian Hislop, Howard Jacobson, David Suchet, Rageh Omaar, Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander, Sally Magnusson, Tony Robinson and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.

Jayne Kirkham

Jackanory – a Fund of Stories Ideas Wanted for the BBC Animation Scheme