Hollywood, Health & Society Announces Call for Entries for 2018 Sentinel Awards

LOS ANGELES, May 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, has announced a call for entries for the 2018 Sentinel Awards, which since 1999 have honored exemplary achievements in television storylines that inform, educate and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and safer lives.

Entries from broadcast, cable and streaming network shows are eligible. The awards are presented by HH&S, a resource for writers, producers and others in search of accurate information on health, safety and security topics. Eligible topics include: HIV/AIDS, reproductive and maternal health, aging, chronic illness, the threat of nuclear weapons, cyber security, clinical trials, disability and more.

Storylines will be recognized in the following categories: Drama, Comedy, Reality, Children's Programming, and Spanish Language. The deadline for this year's entries is June 1, 2018. Honorees will be announced in fall 2018.

"TV writers and producers not only entertain audiences, but they affect them as well," said Martin Kaplan, director of the Lear Center. "We know this both from our research, and from stories that viewers tell. This award recognizes the responsible and creative use of that power by television writers and producers."

HH&S Director Kate Folb added that "writers know that accurate and realistic portrayals make for more compelling stories. They also know that strong health or safety topics can serve their audiences with useful information. We want to highlight shows that do just that–entertain and inform."

The 2018 winners will be selected through two rounds of judging. Subject matter experts from the CDC and other partner organizations will review entries for accuracy. Judges from the entertainment industry will review finalists in each category for entertainment value and benefit to the viewing audience. Information for applicants can be found at www.usc.edu/hhs.

Among the winners last year, the ABC hit medical series Grey's Anatomy was honored in the Drama category for a multiple-episode storyline on inflammatory breast cancer, along with NBC's This Is Us for a narrative on mental health. In the Comedy category, black-ish on ABC won for a look at preeclampsia during pregnancy. HBO's Sesame Street was recognized in the Children's Programming category for its portrayal of Julia, a character with autism.

Funded by the CDC, The SCAN Foundation, N Square, and the California Health Care Foundation, among others, HH&S is a free resource that provides consultations and briefings with experts for entertainment industry professionals, along with panel discussions, screenings and custom research trips.

The Norman Lear Center is a multidisciplinary research and public policy center studying and shaping the impact of entertainment and media on society. From its base in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the Lear Center builds bridges among faculty who study aspects of entertainment, media and culture. Beyond campus, it bridges the gap between the entertainment industry and academia, and between them and the public. For more information, visit www.learcenter.org.

Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is among the nation's leading institutions devoted to the study of journalism and communication, and their impact on politics, culture and society. USC Annenberg offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in journalism, communication, public diplomacy and public relations. For more information, visit www.annenberg.usc.edu.

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SOURCE Hollywood, Health & Society / USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center