The 'George Foster Peabody Awards', more commonly referred to as the 'Peabody Awards', are annual international awards given for excellence in
radio and
television broadcasting. First awarded in
1941 for programs from the previous year, they are considered the oldest honors in electronic media. The awards are administered by the
Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the
University of Georgia (UGA). The awards are named after the businessperson and philanthropist
George Foster Peabody. As part of his philanthropic activities, Peabody donated the funds that created the awards. Lambdin Kay, public-service director for
WSB radio in
Atlanta, Georgia at the time, is credited for creating the award.
The Peabody Awards are generally regarded as the most prestigious awards honoring distinction and achievement within the fields of
broadcast journalism,
documentary making, educational programming, children's programming, and entertainment.
The Peabody Awards were originally only for radio, but in
1948 television awards were introduced. In the late
1990s additional categories for material distributed via the
World Wide Web were added. Materials created for theatrical motion picture release are not eligible.
See also
★
List of Peabody Award winners
References
★
'New Order of Merit', ''Time Magazine'',
April 7 1941
External links
★
The Official Peabody Award site