INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES

2021 WINNERS REVEALED

All individual award winners will receive free passes for the Edinburgh TV Festival 2021 and the support of the Edinburgh TV Festival Talent Schemes team and selected partners for a full year.

DEBUT PRESENTER

Supported by ITN

For presenters who have received their first professional TV credit in 2020.

WINNER:

Yinka Bokinni, Damilola The Boy Next Door, Channel 4

Nominees:

Chanté Joseph, How Not To Be Racist, Channel 4

Chris Arnold, BBC Politics West – Cancel Culture, BBC One/ BBC West

Sophia Smith Galer, America’s TikTok Election, BBC World News

Layla Wright, False Hope? Alternative Cancer Cures, BBC Three

Kash Jones, Panorama: Has Covid Stolen My Future?, BBC One

Joice Etutu, BBC Africa Eye – Turkey’s Ghost Ships, BBC World

ALL3MEDIA NEW DRAMA SCRIPT

Supported by All3Media

Awarded to a TV drama script by an unproduced, unrepresented writer.

WINNER:

Rachel Clark, The Godstone Girls

Nominees:

Victoria Morris, The Max Theory

Tomi Sunmonu, The Veil: University of Cravenhill

Shyam Popat, Exodus

Tobias Hussey, The Truth

Sarah Louise Madden, Children of the State

All3Media New Comedy Script Award

Supported by All3Media

Awarded to a TV comedy script by an unproduced, unrepresented writer.

WINNER:

Lucie Brownlee, Wife After Death

Nominees:

Anna Costello, Dead Canny

Maatin Patel, Unholy

Mitra Djalili, Losing It.

Jessica Riches, Saturnine

Isaac Burnett, Forque Hall

Debut Writer Award

Supported by Sky

For writers who have received their first professional TV credit in 2020.

WINNER:

Yolanda Mercy, BBW, Channel 4

Nominees:

Liz Taylor, Doctors, BBC One

Ali Taylor, River City, BBC One Scotland

Sophia Al-Maria, Little Birds, Sky Atlantic

Tom Wentworth, CripTales: The Real Deal, BBC Four

Mandy Redvers-Rowe, Moving On: Second Sight, BBC One

Victor Adebodun Debut Director Award

This award is for directors who have received their first professional TV credit in 2020.

WINNER:

Ashley Francis-Roy, The Real Eastenders, Channel 4

Nominees:

Jemma Gander, How To Stay Out of Jail, Channel 4

Laura Scrivano, McDonald & Dodds Film 2: A Wilderness of Mirrors, ITV

Rosie Baldwin, Disabled not Defeated: The Rock Band with Learning Disabilities – Delta 7, Vice (Noisey)

Ben Bryant, Catch Her If You Can, BBC Three

Georgi Banks-Davis, I Hate Suzie, Sky Atlantic

Nicole Charles, Hair Power: Me & My Afro, Channel 4

The Debut Director Award is named in honour of the late Victor Adebodun. Victor was an alumnus of the Festival’s Ones to Watch Scheme and presented the 2018 Debut Director Award. Victor was a talented director, creative leader and managing director of Purple Geko, an award-winning production company.

Test Card Pilot Award

Supported by The Farm

Awarded to an individual or team for an un-commissioned, non-TX pilot or webseries completed in 2020. Submissions can be scripted or unscripted.

WINNER:

This Abled Dancer

Nominees:

phase two

Flavours Without Borders

Munchclub

Films of Fury

News At Kate

Future Presenter Award

Awarded to an aspiring presenter with strong potential.

WINNER:

Anna-Marie Descartes

Nominees:

Kayah Hazell and Vanilla

Nyasha Sakutukwa

Miray Özdoğan

Jack Gleadow

Saski

Muinat Abdul

Mentors of the Year

The Mentor of the Year award celebrates three mentors from the most recent completed cohort of Ones to Watch who have gone above and beyond in their commitment to helping new entrants navigate the first year of their career with connections, guidance and support.

WINNERS:

Katie Hindley

Zoe McGivern

James Gandhi