22nd Annual NAMIC Vision Awards Nominations Announced

NEW YORK, March 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), has announced the nominees for the 2016 NAMIC Vision Awards presented in partnership with NAMIC - Southern California. Now in its 22nd year, the awards honor original and digital programming content that depicts the lives, spirit and contributions of people of color and best reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of the viewing audience.

Leading all contenders vying for this year's NAMIC Vision Awards is HBO with nine nominations. BET Networks and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network garnered eight nominations each with ESPN earning seven nods. Overall, 29 networks/distributors generated 83 nominations for NAMIC Vision Awards presented in 18 categories: Animation, Awards & Honors, Children's, Comedy, Daytime, Documentary, Drama,  Foreign Language, Lifestyle, News/Informational, Original Movie or Special, Reality,  Reality - Social Issues, Sports, Variety/Talk Show, Best Performance – Comedy, Best Performance – Drama and Digital Media – Short Form.  Original programs having aired from November 1, 2014 to November 30, 2015 were eligible for consideration. 

"At a time when diversity is at the forefront of our consciousness such as the case with the Oscars, NAMIC remains committed to recognizing achievements in ethnically and culturally relevant programming," said Eglon E. Simons, president and CEO, NAMIC. "We applaud this year's nominees and encourage them to continue advancing diversity on screen and behind-the-scenes."

HBO's "Bessie" and Lifetime's "Devious Maids" tied for this year's top nominated programs, both earning  three nominations. Queen Latifah and Michael Kenneth Williams received Best Performance – Drama nods for "Bessie." Danía Ramirez and Judy Reyes garnered Best Performance - Comedy nominations for "Devious Maids." "Bessie" received its third nomination in the Original Movie or Special category. "Devious Maids" was also recognized for Comedy.

Additional nominations for Best Performance - Drama went to Naturi Naughton and Omari Hardwick for the Starz original series "Power," and David Oyelowo for "Nightingale".  In addition to "Bessie," programs nominated for Original Movie or Special category include: Nickelodeon's "Halo Awards," BET Networks "The Book of Negroes," National Geographic Channel's "Saints & Strangers" and Lifetime's "With This Ring." The nominees joining Ramirez and Reyes in the Best Performance - Comedy category are: Frankie J. Alvarez and Raúl Castillo for HBO's "Looking" and Mindy Kaling for Universal Television's "The Mindy Project." Original series nominated for Comedy in addition to Lifetime's "Devious Maids" include ABC's "black-ish," BET Networks "Real Husbands of Hollywood," and Universal Television's "Master of None" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

ABC dominated the Drama category with nominations for its primetime series, "How To Get Away with Murder," "Scandal" and "Grey's Anatomy." Original series BET Network's "Being Mary Jane" and Cinemax's "The Knick" also garnered nominations.  

The NAMIC Vision Awards competition extends eligibility to national broadcast and cable networks; local affiliates; local origination programs from cable operators; and VOD content produced for digital platforms.  Entries were judged by a distinguished panel of entertainment industry executives.  Judging is focused on overall imagery (creative merit, originality, and presentation quality), sensitivity (the consideration given to cultural nuances), writing (the depiction of issues relevant to people of color) and the quality of acting in the performance categories.

A complete list of 2016 NAMIC Vision Awards nominees follows.  For more information, visit www.namic.com or contact Sandra Girado, vice president, Events and Partner Relations, at NAMIC National, 212-594-5985.

2016 NAMIC Vision Awards Nominees

Animation 
Doc McStuffins - Disney Junior   
Miles From Tomorrowland - Disney Junior  
NINA'S WORLD - Sprout 
Sanjay & Craig - Nickelodeon 
The Legend of Korra - Nickelodeon

Awards & Honors 
46th NAACP Image Awards - TV One 
BET Honors - BET Networks  
Black Girls Rock - BET Networks 
Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network  
Oprah Winfrey Presents: Legends Who Paved The Way - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Best Performance - Comedy           
Danía Ramirez, Devious Maids - Lifetime  
Frankie J. Alvarez, Looking - HBO 
Raúl Castillo, Looking - HBO 
Judy Reyes, Devious Maids - Lifetime 
Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project - Universal Television

Best Performance - Drama  
Omari Hardwick, Power - Starz  
Queen Latifah, Bessie - HBO 
Naturi Naughton, Power - Starz 
David Oyelowo, Nightingale - HBO 
Michael Kenneth Williams, Bessie - HBO

Children's      
Dora and Friends - Nickelodeon 
Game Shakers - Nickelodeon 
Nick News with Linda Ellerbee - Nickelodeon 
Talia in the Kitchen - Nickelodeon

Comedy         
black-ish - ABC  
Devious Maids - ABC Studios 
Master of None - Universal Television 
Real Husbands of Hollywood - BET Networks  
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Universal Television

Daytime           
Oprah Winfrey Network - SuperSoul Sunday - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network  
The Talk - CBS

Digital Media - Short Form   
#BLX - BET Networks 
Ángel o Demonio - ESPN  
HelloBeautiful InterludesLIVE! - Interactive One 
The Doll Life - Myx TV 
Wise Words with DJ Khaled - Music Choice

Documentary   
"AFROPUNK Presents The Triptych" from AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange - WGBH, Boston 
Breakthrough "Water Apocalypse" - National Geographic Channel  
Emmett Till - Al Jazeera America 
Fault Lines: Baltimore Rising - Al Jazeera America 
Fresh Dressed - CNN

Drama 
Being Mary Jane - BET Networks 
Grey's Anatomy - ABC  
How to Get Away with Murder - ABC  
Scandal - ABC  
The Knick - Cinemax

Foreign Language     
Mexicánicos - Discovery Networks Latin America 
Viernes Futbolero Tiempo Extra - Kaza Azteca America, Inc.

Lifestyle         
BBQ Blitz - Food Network 
Home Away from Home - GMA Pinoy TV  
Rev Run's Sunday Suppers - Cooking Channel  
Tia Mowry at Home - Cooking Channel 
Taco Trip - Cooking Channel

News/Informational   
Katrina: 10 Years After the Storm with Robin Roberts - ABC News and Rock'n Robin Productions 
Katrina 10 Years Later: Through Hell and High Water - BET Networks 
Muhammad Ali: The People's Champ - BET Networks 
Oprah's Master Class - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network 
Shining a Light: Conversations on Race in America - A&E 

Original Movie or Special   
Bessie - HBO 
Book of Negroes - BET Networks 
HALO Awards - Nickelodeon 
Saints & Strangers - National Geographic Channel 
With This Ring - Lifetime

Reality            
Raising Whitley - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network 
Welcome to Sweetie Pie's - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network 
Project Runway - Lifetime 
SC Featured: Life on the Streets - ESPN 
SC Featured: No Excuses - ESPN

Reality - Social Issues          
LHH: "Out In Hip Hop" - VH1  
SC Featured: Her Voice - ESPN  
This is Life with Lisa Ling - CNN 
Vice Special Report: Fixing the System - HBO 
Women of Honor - Lifetime

Sports            
Countdown to the Special Olympics World Games with Robin Roberts - ESPN and Rock'n Robin Productions  
E:60 Love Is Stronger - ESPN 
E:60 Silent Night Lights - ESPN 
Mayweather/Pacquiao: At Last - HBO 
The Offseason: Kevin Durant - HBO

Variety/Talk Show    
Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America - A&E 
Oprah Prime - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network  
OWN at the Apollo - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network  
Talk to Al Jazeera Misty Copeland Interviewed by Richelle Carey - Al Jazeera America  
Talk to Al Jazeera Spike Lee Interviewed by Sarah Hoye - Al Jazeera America

ABOUT NAMIC

NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is the premier organization focusing on multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit trade association, today NAMIC comprises 2,700 professionals belonging to a network of 16 chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that focus on education, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC champions equity and inclusion in the workforce, with special attention given to ensuring that the leadership cadres of our nation's communications industry giants reflect the multi-ethnic richness of the populations they serve. Comcast | NBCUniversal, Time Warner Cable and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. are NAMIC's Platinum Annual Corporate Sponsors. For more information, please visit www.namic.com and stay connected to NAMIC on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

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