The Hollywood office of The HSUS is looking for a few good news stories. And television shows. And documentaries. And feature films.

The Hollywood office is currently calling for entries to the 23rd Genesis Awards, which honors outstanding individuals in the major news and entertainment media whose creativity and/or journalistic integrity have increased the public’s understanding of animal protection issues. Awards are given to individuals from the television, film, print, and music industries, as well to those producing more specialized works.

Works are considered on a calendar year basis. Submissions are made by our members, the public, and the media industry itself. Entries are accepted throughout the year, but must be submitted no later than December 5, unless by special request. Works that air or are released in December must be submitted by December 19. Candidates are selected from works submitted and must meet the following criteria:

• Recipients must be members of the major media or arts community, producing works of general public interest.
• The works must examine issues central to animal-welfare or animal-protection.
• The works must reach the widest possible audience. Decisions of the Genesis Awards Committee may be influenced by such factors as viewership, circulation, market share or ratings.

Also, please note that works produced by animal-protection groups whose primary focus is animal advocacy are not eligible.

Specific works are judged solely on their own merits. A nominee’s previous works or personal lifestyle are not taken into account for the purpose of voting.

There are generally 20 categories each year, including two international categories. The categories include but are not limited to dramatic TV series, comedy TV series, feature film, network newsmagazine, network news series, local news series, cable documentary, network documentary, periodical, series of newspaper articles, music, and artistic achievement. Each year, the specific categories are determined by the strength of the winning works.

To submit a work, use the Genesis Awards submission form. 

Updated Oct. 6, 2008