Five WVPB Projects Are Finalists For NETA Public Media Awards

West Virginia Public Broadcasting has finalists in five categories of the 53rd Annual Public Media Awards, which celebrate the work of National Educational Telecommunications Association members. Winners will be announced in January.

Butch Antolini, WVPB’s interim executive director, said he’s proud of the WVPB team. “I’ve been with West Virginia Public Broadcasting only a short time, but I am impressed with the level of work I see being done here in service to West Virginians, and now a national educational organization recognizes it, too,” Antolini said. “To be finalists in categories that reward community initiatives and excellence in innovation is outstanding.”

West Virginia Public Broadcasting finalists include —

EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION
WVPB’s Above And Beyond Award recognizes excellence and creativity in Mountain State teachers every month when a deserving teacher is rewarded with a host of prizes including cash and a signature Blenko glass blue apple paperweight. It was born from the extra effort we saw teachers putting in to help students during the pandemic.

WVPB

TOPICAL DOCUMENTARY
Rosemary profiles the campaign of the first openly transgender person to be elected to public office in West Virginia. With the pandemic as the backdrop, the film follows Rosemary Ketchum’s campaign and election to Wheeling’s City Council in June 2020. It premiered in late October 2020 and can be viewed here.

Harrison Evans

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WVPB

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Library Pathfinders was an initiative for grades PreK-5 designed to give students in lockdown during the pandemic the opportunity to visit a handful of West Virginia libraries virtually. They could download the Pathfinder Journal to participate. Inaugural libraries include Burnsville Public Library, Mason County Library, Webster-Addison Public Library, Clay County Public Library and Boone-Madison Public Library.

COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
Read for the Record is an annual event created to engage elementary children throughout the nation on the same day each year. WVPB provided this national event on a local level to children across the Mountain State. More than 200 volunteers read the book, “Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away” by Meg Medina, to children in schools, libraries and youth organizations in all 55 counties.

NATIONAL PROJECT
THE PBS Writers Contest invites budding storytellers, avid writers and talented young illustrators to write stories for the annual contest, which kicked off during a time of lockdown for many students in the state. The contest was open to all students in grades K-5, including those in public and private schools, as well as those who are home schooled. First-, second- and third-place prizes were awarded at each grade level, and one winner had his story animated by WVPB’s television production team.

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Category winners will be announced during the 53rd Annual Public Media Awards Gala presented by Georgia Public Broadcasting on January 25, 2022, as part of the NETA Conference and CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum. Awards were judged by a group of expert panelists from within the public media system, as well as industry professionals working outside of public media. Except for the overall excellence categories, stations competed within their appropriate divisions based on their station size.

A gallery of all finalists can be found here.