Freesat awards 2011 open for entries

Freesat has opened up the nominations for the third annual Freesat awards, celebrating the choice and quality available on the subscription-free satellite platform.

Categories at the 2011 awards include a brand new prize, 'News Event Of The Year', designed to recognise the coverage provided by news channels such as Al Jazeera, NHK World, and BBC News.

All 14 award categories, including 'Best Entertainment Channel' and 'Best Themed Channel', are now open for entries before the closing date of May 13.

The judging panel will be made up of key individuals from the media industry, including Radio Times editor Ben Preston, Thinkbox chief executive Tess Alps, The Daily Telegraph's Neil Midgley and ex-GMTV chairman, Clive Jones. The panel is chaired by media analyst Kate Bulkley.

As in previous years, there will be two viewer-chosen categories for television and radio channels of the year. All winners will be announced at the Freesat Awards ceremony in London's Soho on July 12.

Emma Scott, Freesat managing director, said: "Our aim with the Freesat Awards is simple: to celebrate the wide range of output we have on the platform and to recognise excellence.

"It's exciting to now be in our third year, and see how the awards have grown with us. New categories this year include an 'Audience Impact Award' - looking at how channels extend their brand presence through different media, plus the 'Judges' Special Award' for 'Editor/Controller of the Year'.

"This is about us giving something back to our 150-plus channels and services, and the judges will be looking for examples of innovative, original, high quality programming that has particularly entertained, informed and impressed the Freesat audience."

The 2011 Freesat Awards categories in full are:

'Entertainment Channel of the Year'
'Best Small Entertainment Channel of the Year'
'Best Digital Radio Channel'
'News Channel of the Year'
'News Event Coverage of the Year'
'Best Themed Channel'
'Best Specialist Music Channel'
'Best Children's Channel'
'Best Shopping Channel'
'Best Programming Initiative'
'Audience Impact Award'
'Judges' Special Award - Editor/Controller of the Year'
'Viewers' Choice: Freesat TV Channel of the Year'
'Viewers' Choice Freesat Radio Channel of the Year'

Winners at last year's Freesat Awards included Al Jazeera taking home 'Best News Channel', E4 winning 'Best Entertainment Channel' and ITV1 HD scooping the 'Judges' Special Award', despite the channel's embarrassing transmission error for England's first goal at the 2010 World Cup.