The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation said Wednesday (March 4) that it has selected actress and activist Cicely Tyson to receive its Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Gracies Awards, which honor outstanding programming by, for and about women.
Tyson will receive the award, acknowledging her "groundbreaking work giving a voice to women in film and television for more than 60 years," at AWMF's 40th Anniversary Gracies Awards Gala on May 19 in Beverly Hills. The evening event will "showcase the strides women have made in media throughout the past 40 years and celebrate the bold new trails women are blazing for tomorrow," AWMF said. In addition to presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2015 Gracies will honor a diverse array of actresses, journalists and producers, as well as shows and networks, for their contributions last year to women's programming in radio, broadcast TV, cable and Web-based media.
Among the 2015 honorees from the cable ecosphere are more than 25 individuals, shows and networks. Individuals include Julia Roberts, the Grand Award, Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role-Drama, for HBO's The Normal Heart; Maggie Gyllenhaal, Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role-Drama, for Sundance TV's The Honorable Woman; Jane Anderson, Outstanding Producer-Entertainment, for HBO's Olive Kitteridge; Ann Druyan, Outstanding Producer-Documentary/Reality, for National Geographic Channel's Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey; CNN's Rachel Nichols, Outstanding On-Air Talent-Sports, for her reporting on CNN; and Alicia Menendez, Outstanding Talk Show-Entertainment/Information, for Fusion Network's AM Tonight.
Cable shows and networks to be honored include MTV's Girl Code: The Race Episode, Outstanding Reality Show; Al Jazeera America's Gloria Steinem Talks to Al Jazeera, Outstanding Interview Program or Feature; espnW's espnW Presents: The State of the NFL, Outstanding Interview Program or Feature; and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network's Iyanla: Fix My Life, Outstanding Lifestyle/Health Program.
MTV's "Look Different" campaign was selected as Outstanding Public Service Announcement. From the online programming world, Netflix's Orange Is the New Black was named Best Comedy.
AWMF will host a Gracies Awards Luncheon in New York on June 22 to honor local-market, public, digital and student award winners.
The Gracies Awards, established in 1975, support AWMF's educational programs, charitable activities, and public service and scholarship campaigns that benefit women in media.
