LOS ANGELES, April 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Television Academy Foundation announced last night the winners at the 35^th College Television Awards, which were held on Wednesday, April 23 at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre. Presented by a number of celebrities and entertainment influencers, awards were conferred to students who demonstrated excellence in entertainment content production. One of the Foundation's seminal programs, the College Television Awards is a national competition in the tradition of the Emmy® Awards that provides undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to submit and showcase their work in front of industry leaders and professionals.

This year's gala was among the final events to be hosted on the Television Academy's North Hollywood campus, which will soon be rebuilt as part of the Foundation's "New Look – New Vision – New Destination" campaign.

"The students who participate in the College Television Awards program continue to amaze us with their innovative spirit and quality of work," said Norma Provencio Pichardo, Executive Director of the Television Academy Foundation. "We applaud the winners of this year's competition for their dedication and truly believe they will pave the way for the future of our industry."

More than 1,100 students participated in the competition from 500 schools across United States, including American University; Brigham Young University; Carnegie Mellon University; College of Motion Picture Art; Florida State University; Ithaca College; University of Pennsylvania and many others.

The awards gala, which was hosted by Playing House's Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair, was attended by numerous celebrities including Key & Peele's Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, The New Girl's Max Greenfield, White Collar's Matt Bomer, Scandal's Darby Stanchfield, Revenge's Nick Wechsler and many more.

The College Television Awards featured awards in 13 categories: Alternative, Animation, Children's Program, Comedy, Commercial, Directing, Documentary, Drama, Magazine, Music (Best Use), Music (Composition), Newscasts and Series. This year's first place winners in each category are:

Alternative: "Lake Night with Jack Carpenter," Jack Carpenter, Champlain College
Animation: "Owned," Daniel Clark, Brigham Young University
Children's Program: "Lemonopolis," Hyungjik Lee, Florida State University
Comedy: "In Passing," Emily Ferenbach and Alan Miller, USC School of Cinematic Arts
Commercial: "San Pellegrino-Natural," Greta Kahlitz, Art Center College of Design
Directing Award: "Kush," Shubhashish Bhutiani, School of Visual Arts
Documentary: "Backyard," Deia Schlosberg, Montana State University
Drama: "Kush," Shubhashish Bhutiani, School of Visual Arts
Magazine: "alt.news 26:46 #1504," Marcus Odom and Matt Sloan, Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
Music – Best Use: "Chasm," Richard Williams, Brigham Young University
Music – Best Composition: "The Mutable Life of Oscar Clark," Alexander Thomas, Northern Arizona University
Newscast: "Brooklyn College News Show 1," Michael Gomez, Nickesha Johnson and Anthony Tart, Brooklyn College
Series: "One of the Guys," Michael Busza, Jen Parmer and Jaime Sweet, Temple University

First place winners were awarded $2,000, second place winners took home $1,000 and third place winners received $500. In addition to the cash award, winners were invited to a private mentoring brunch and panel discussion with industry professionals, as well as a Nominee Summit. A selection of winning pieces will also be featured on CollegeTelevisionAwards.mtvU.com.

Additional awards were presented at the gala, including the Mister Rogers Memorial Scholarship, Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship and SUBWAY FRESH ARTIST™ Award.

The Mister Rogers Memorial Scholarships are granted to graduate students who are passionate about pursuing a career in children's media and further the values and principles of Fred Rogers' work. This year, four students were each awarded $10,000 scholarships: Kristian Higgins of American University, Cathy Tran of the University of California – Irvine, Nesra Yannier of Carnegie Mellon University and Debora Lui of the University of Pennsylvania. Three $10,000 Fred Rogers Memorial scholarships are provided by Ernst & Young LLP, a global leader in providing professional services to media and entertainment companies; one is funded by the Grable Foundation.

The Loreen Arbus Focus on Disability Scholarship, which recognizes student filmmakers whose work sheds light on people with disabilities, was awarded to Kristin Leffler of Ithaca College for her piece titled, "Following Flame." The SUBWAY FRESH ARTIST™ Award was presented to Aaron Davis of Oxnard Community College for his creative piece, "The Sandwich," which adhered to the theme, "In life, the best things are always made to order." The Bricker Humanitarian Award was presented to Deia Schlosberg of Montana State University for her submission "Backyard."

MTV's Peabody and Emmy® Award-winning 24-hour college network, mtvU returned for their eighth year serving as the online media partner hosting online submissions and judging. Vimeo joined mtvU for the second year as a video partner for the College Television Awards, and students and judges used the platform for uploading and viewing submissions.

Previous College Television Award winners have gone on to achieve notable success in the industry, some even winning Primetime Emmy® Awards.

Additional details on the awards and winners can be found at TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.

About the Television Academy Foundation
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of the medium, and educating those who will impact its future. Some of the Foundation's programs include the Archive of American Television, its renowned student internship program and the College Television Awards.  For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.

For more information, please contact:

Alyssa King
Edelman PR
Alyssa.King@edelman.com 
323-202-1899

Laura Reeve
Edelman PR
Laura.Reeve@edelman.com 
323-202-1408

SOURCE Television Academy Foundation