The 48th Annual Telly Awards Is Now Open for Entries
Announcing new judges from Lionsgate, FOX Creator Studios, Laika, and more; Microseries as an entirely new competition track; new season partners, ReelShort and Nonfiction Hotlist; and a season launch event in LA co-hosted by ReelShort featuring an exclusive sneak peak of its upcoming Tessa Bailey adaptation.
Early Entry Deadline: December 11, 2026
New York, NY (October 13, 2026) — The Telly Awards, the world’s largest award honoring excellence in video and television across all screens, today opens entries for its 48th Annual competition. This season’s theme is Made to Move.
“Great stories move you regardless of format — whether it’s a documentary, a brand campaign, or a new vertical series,” says Amanda Needham, Managing Director of The Telly Awards. “We’re including Microseries and Generative AI this season because formats evolve – but what makes a great story doesn’t.”
The 48th season opens on the heels of a record-breaking year for the Telly Awards. Last season saw nearly 14,000 entries from 55 countries — the most entries in the program’s history.
Season 48 introduces a number of new and expanded categories. For the first time, Microseries gets its own dedicated competition track — with dozens of award opportunities spanning Telenovela and Romantasy to Documentary and Branded Entertainment, and craft categories such as Vertical Cinematography. The TV Series track will include Virtual Production and Sports Documentary, and expanded Generative AI, Vertical Video, and Creator & Host categories reflect the continued growth of such formats and technologies in production.
The Telly Awards Judging Council is also growing, reflecting the diverse and global nature of creativity. Among this year’s new judges are Christina Richardson, Creator of “Besties”, FOX Creator Studios; Kerry Easter, Head of Marketing, Fremantle UK; Nathan Isherwood, Head of Whalar Studios, Whalar Group; Joel Meyer, EVP, Lionsgate Television; and Sabrina Telle, Creative Strategy Director, Laika.
The Telly Awards announces two season partners for Season 48: ReelShort, the vertical streaming platform from Crazy Maple Studio, and The Nonfiction Hotlist, the curatorial platform championing independent nonfiction storytelling.
ReelShort will also co-host Season 48’s Los Angeles launch event on November 10th at the historic Montalbán Theater featuring an exclusive screening of its upcoming book adaptation.
“Vertical video isn’t the future of storytelling. It’s the present,” said Sophie Xiong, Global Head of Content at ReelShort. “We’re seeing the format evolve across genres, talent and established IP, creating new ways for audiences to experience stories they already love and discover new ones. Partnering with the Telly Awards is an opportunity to celebrate that evolution and recognize the creators and stories moving the format forward.”
Adam Neuhaus of the Nonfiction Hotlist said: “Independent, nonfiction storytelling has never been more powerful. The Telly Awards has always recognized that a sharp vision and a compelling story capture something beyond the bounds of a high production budget.”
The 48th Annual Telly Awards is now open for entries at tellyawards.com/enter. The Early Entry Deadline is December 11, and the final deadline will be announced shortly after.
Upcoming Resources and Programming for the Video Community
Season 48 will also introduce new resources for video professionals and creators at every level:
- October 28: The Throughlines conversation series returns with a virtual event featuring music video director Warren Fu, who goes behind the scenes on Laufey’s Madwoman music video starring Alysa Liu and Hudson Williams.
- November 9: The organization will release a cutting-edge video trends report that draws on insights from Season 47 to surface lessons from global innovators in video.
- And beyond: Season 48 will see the return of the Hot Takes interview series, to feature experts from American Picture Company and the NY Mets. The season’s screening series will also tour to LA, Chicago, DC, Miami, Atlanta and NYC
Learn more at tellyawards.com.
About The Telly Awards
The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives entries across continents and all 50 U.S. states. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council — an industry body of over 250 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks, reflective of the multi-screen industry The Telly Awards celebrates. For more info visit our press page: https://tlly.co/press
Media Contacts:
Sarah Jackson, Sundaze PR
Email: sarah@sundazepr.com
Tel: +44 7306 256 148
Ryan Hatoum, Sundaze PR
Email: ryan@sundazepr.com
Tel: +1 (202) 340-8675
Rachel Bencosme, ReelShort
Email: rachelbencosme@crazymaplestudio.com
Tel: +1 (908) 636-8831
