The GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming is an annual award that honors children's and family programming for excellence in the treatment of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) characters and themes. It is one of several categories of the annual GLAAD Media Awards, which are presented by GLAAD—an American non-governmentalmedia monitoring organization—at ceremonies held primarily in New York City and Los Angeles between March and May.[1]
The award was first given at the 29th GLAAD Media Awards in 2018 to Andi Mack, a comedy-drama television series that aired on Disney Channel. Concerning the creation of this category, GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis stated that it was added to "raise the bar for current and future LGBTQ inclusion in this hugely popular and impactful genre", arguing about the importance of younger individuals, that are "coming out earlier and in greater numbers, [to] see their lives and experiences reflected in thoughtful, loving, and affirming ways".[2] Throughout the award's history, there have only been two instances where a tie occurred, both between animated and live-action works: in 2020 where Hulu's The Bravest Knight and Disney+'s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series won, and again the following year with Hulu's First Day and Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power winning. At the 34th GLAAD Media Awards in 2023, the award was formally split into Animated and Live Action categories.
For a program to be eligible, it must be family-oriented and made for children, tweens, teenagers, and their parents.[3] Furthermore, programs must include at least one LGBT character in a leading, supporting, or recurring capacity; in the absence of a regular LGBT character, the show must feature an LGBT-inclusive episode or story arc.[4] Programs are judged based on the tone of the narrative and the "storytelling techniques required for the age of the intended audience".[4] Children's and family programming selected by GLAAD are evaluated based on four criteria: "Fair, Accurate, and Inclusive Representations" of the LGBT community, "Boldness and Originality" of the project, significant "Impact" on mainstream culture, and "Overall Quality" of the project.[5] GLAAD monitors mainstream media to identify which children's and family programs will be nominated, while also issuing a call for entries that encourages media outlets to submit youth-oriented programming for consideration. By contrast, in order for family programming created by and for LGBT audiences to be considered for nomination, they must be submitted after the call for entries.[5] Winners are determined by a plurality vote by GLAAD staff and its board, Shareholders Circle members,[a] volunteers and affiliated individuals.[5]
