MIPCOM CANNES has  announced the nominations for the 2023 Diversify TV Awards along with further details of this year’s Awards Ceremony, to be held on day two of the 39th International Co-Production & Entertainment Content Market (16-19 Oct) in Cannes.

The only awards to recognise the promotion of Diversity and Inclusion in television internationally, 165 submissions were this year received from 27 countries. A total of nine winners will be announced live in Cannes including the ‘Behind The Scenes Impact’ award – honouring a person or team whose influence, actions and vision from behind the scenes stands as an inspiration in the field of Diversity and Inclusion – which this year will be presented to the CEO of the UK’s Creative Diversity Network (CDN) Deborah Williams OBE, in recognition of a three decade career driving change in perceptions of disability and increased inclusion across television, film and theatrical industries as an artist, activist and latterly an influential policy maker and executive.

The 7th Diversify TV Awards are organised by MIPCOM CANNES in collaboration with founding partner Diversify TV and in association with Founding Presenting Partner A+E Networks and Data Presenting Partner Gracenote. 2023 Awards Partners also include All3Media International, Iron Mountain, Telefilm Canada and The Canada Media Fund, OUTtv, The United Nations Media Compact, D.I.M.E.S., and Lightboat Media among other supporting partner companies and organisations. The Diversify TV Awards will be presented during a new prime time slot on the MIPCOM CANNES programme on Tuesday 17 October from 12.00 – 1:00 pm and will again be hosted by international anchor and diversity advocate Femi Oke.

Open to all MIPCOM delegates, the awards ceremony will be staged in the Grand Auditorium of the world-renowned Palais des Festivals in Cannes and followed by a cocktail reception. “Progress in Diversity and Inclusion will come from showing not telling.” said Lucy Smith, Director of MIPCOM CANNES and MIPJUNIOR. “These awards showcase an amazing breadth of programmes and people that have furthered authentic representation across the world over the last year, (and in Deborah Williams’ case the last thirty years), to an influential industry audience from over 100 countries. To be shortlisted is a significant accolade, but as important, is how this may inspire those attending to emulate this in their own way.”

Deborah Williams’ work as a disabled artist has spanned work in front of and behind the scenes, in television, film and theatre and as the architect of influential policies across the wider creative industries; including advising the UN and UNICEF on the rights of disabled people within cultural activities and drawing up the British Film Institute (BFI)’s diversity standards, which have since adopted widely by organisations including BAFTA and AMPAS. As CEO of the UK’s CDN, Williams has led the non-profit broadcaster-funded organisation to support the country’s television industry in promoting, celebrating and sharing best practice around diversity since 2016.

Deborah Williams OBE said: “I am honoured to be presented with this award by Diversify TV and MIPCOM CANNES. As someone who has fought long and hard to highlight how attracting the best talent from the widest range of backgrounds can only make our industry more creative and more successful, it means a great deal to see this work recognised with an incredible award. Increasing diversity on and off-screen is a global challenge, so I take great pleasure in this first international recognition of work that is having an international impact.” Femi Oke, who returns for a second year as host, has reported, produced and presented for broadcasters including CNN International, Sky, National Geographic, NPR, Al Jazeera English and the BBC. A regular moderator at global forums and conferences, Oke has facilitated on behalf of the United Nations, World Bank and European Commission and is the Co-Founder of Moderate The Panel, an agency dedicated to sourcing diverse event hosts, a collective of diverse international moderators.

Finalists were short-listed by the MIP Markets Diversity Advisory Board and Short List Jury, composed of a peer group of international industry professionals, with winners to be chosen by a Final Round Jury of leading advocacy organisations and specialised publications within Diversity and Inclusion including The ADHD Foundation, APF France Handicap, GADIM, GLAAD, Minority Rights Group International, ODA, Scope, Show Racism the Red Card and True Colors United. The 2023 Diversify TV nominations are: Representation of Disability – Non-Scripted Inside our Autistic Minds (UK) Original Broadcaster: BBC Two Distributor: BBC Studios Production Company: BBC Studios

The Roads of Ae-rin and Woo-ryeong (South Korea) Original Broadcaster: KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) Distributor: KBS Media Production Company: KBS Disability & Abortion: The Hardest Choice (UK) Original Broadcaster: Channel 4 Distributor: Banijay Rights Production Companies: RFD Television and Hey Sonny Representation of Disability – Scripted About Antoine (Canada) Original Broadcaster: Club illico, TVA Distributor: Amuz Distribution Production Company: ComediHa! Aspergirl (France) Original Broadcaster: OCS Distributor: France tv distribution Production Company: Patafilm Simple (Spain) Original Broadcaster: Movistar Plus+ Distributor: Beta Film Production Companies: Movistar Plus+ in collaboration with Destrucción y Salvación Representation of Diversity in Kids Programming – Older Children Phoenix Rise (UK) Original Broadcaster: BBC iPlayer Distributor: Sinking Ship Production Company: BBC Studios Kids & Family Supa Team 4 (South Africa) Original Broadcaster: Netflix Distributor: Netflix Production Companies: Triggerfish Animation Studios and Cake Entertainment Ghostwriter (Canada) Original Broadcaster: Apple TV+ Distributor: Apple TV+ Production Companies: Sinking Ship Entertainment, Sesame Workshop Representation of Diversity in Kids Programming – Pre-School Dog Squad (UK) Original Broadcaster: BBC Distributor: BBC Production Company: Hello Halo Kids for BBC Reu and Harper’s Wonder World (UK)

Original Broadcaster: Channel 5 Distributor: Channel 5 and Doc Hearts Ltd Production Company: Doc Hearts Ltd Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes (USA) Original Broadcaster: Disney Jr and Disney+ Distributor: eOne Production Company(ies): Frog Box, Disney EMEA, France Televisions, Triggerfish Animation Studio Representation of LGBTQIA+ – Non-Scripted Queerstralia (Australia) Original Broadcaster: Australian Broadcasting Corporation Distributor: ABC Commercial Production Company: Guesswork Television Lotus Sports Club (Cambodia) Original Broadcaster: TVK National Television of Cambodia Distributor: Dutch CORE Production Company: Document Our History NOW and RoCK Naked Education (UK) Original Broadcaster: Channel 4 Distributor: All3Media International Production Company: Betty TV Representation of LGBTQIA+ – Scripted Nights in Tefía (Spain) Original Broadcaster: ATRESplayer Distributor: Buendia Estudios Canarias Production Companies: Buendia Estudios Canarias with the participation of Atresmedia TV About Sasha (France) Original Broadcaster: france tv slash and France 5 Distributor: France tv distribution Production Companies: Jerico TV & Big Band Story She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (Japan) Original Broadcaster: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) Distributor: NHK Enterprises Production Companies: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)/MMJ Representation of Race and Ethnicity – Non-Scripted The Swap (Australia) Original Broadcaster: SBS Australia Distributor: No Distributor Production Company: Southern Pictures Folau (Australia) Original Broadcaster: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Distributor: ABC Commercial Production Company: In Films Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World (UK) Original Broadcaster: BBC 2 Distributor: BBC Studios Production Company: BBC Studios Representation of Race and Ethnicity – Scripted Riches (UK) Original Broadcasters: Amazon Prime Video and ITV Distributor: Banijay Rights Production Company: Greenacre Films Little Bird (Canada) Original Broadcaster: Crave and APTN lumi Distributor: Fremantle Production Companies: Rezolution Pictures, OP Little Bird Sam – A Saxon (Germany) Original Broadcaster: Disney+ Distributor: Disney Production Company: Big Window Productions (An UFA Fiction Productions GmbH Label) To be eligible, programmes submitted were required to provide a fair and balanced representation of Race & Ethnicity, LGBTQIA+ and Disabled communities; show a positive impact; stand out in originality and excellence in terms of storytelling, casting and production values; challenge stereotypes and to have aired the past year.