The National YWCA of Korea held the ’26th YWCA-selected Good Media Content Award’ ceremony on December 23rd at Seoul YWCA Hall. The grand prize went to the EBS Documentary Prime, ‘Women’s Centennial History – Wrong Then, Wrong Now.’
The winners of the ’26th YWCA-selected Good Media Content Award’ this year include:
– Grand Prize: EBS Documentary Prime ‘Women’s Centennial History – Wrong Then, Wrong Now’
– Best Excellence Award: ENA/Astory ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’
– Excellence Award (Gender Equality Category): Hankook Ilbo PRANX Herstory ‘Women Helping Women’
– Excellence Award (Life Category): TBS Climate Crisis Special Project ‘The Four Seasons 2050, Seoul’
– Excellence Award (Justice and Peace Category): MBC ‘Video Records, Miracle Odyssey of the North-South Railway’
– Excellence Award (Youth Category): MBC Chungbuk ‘Us on Earth’
Starting from October 7th, recommendations for candidates were accepted through the website and broadcast production company recommendations. A total of 47 entries were received under the categories of Gender Equality (15), Life (11), Justice and Peace (12), and Youth (9). The evaluation process involved a first-round document review by a judging committee consisting of seven professional judges and four youth judges, followed by a YWCA audience text vote. The final selection of six winning works was made through a second-round evaluation.
– Excellence Award (Gender Equality Category): Hankook Ilbo PRANX Herstory ‘Women Helping Women’
The recipient of the Excellence Award in the Gender Equality category, ‘Women Helping Women’ by Hankook Ilbo PRANX Herstory, is an interview series highlighting pioneering women. The program aimed to reveal solidarity among women, explaining its planning intention through women’s collective experiences remembered in life, thus increasing viewer empathy. The series also addressed the complexity of women’s lives by portraying incidents related to family life and the intersection of women’s occupational expertise. Co-producer Lee Soo-yeon PD expressed gratitude for the award, emphasizing the supportive collaboration among colleagues in creating the program.
– Excellence Award (Life Category): TBS ‘The Four Seasons 2050, Seoul’
TBS ‘Four Seasons 2050, Seoul,’ which received the Excellence Award in the Life category, presented a fresh approach to the climate crisis issue. The program, combining classical music with the reality of climate disaster, received praise for bringing together musicians and climate experts. Director Kang Min-a stated her commitment to preserving the beautiful harmony of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons before industrialization. She urged collective efforts to overcome the climate crisis, emphasizing the need for societal awareness and wise navigation through the challenges.
– Excellence Award (Justice and Peace Category): MBC ‘Video Records, Miracle Odyssey of the North-South Railway’
The Outstanding Award in the Justice and Peace category was granted to MBC’s ‘Video Records, Miracle Odyssey of the North-South Railway.’ The program allowed indirect experiences of train stations, cities, landmarks, and cuisine, creating a vision of a unified Korea by connecting the railways between South and North Korea, as well as China and Russia. Director Kim Myung-hwan conveyed the hope for a peaceful future, emphasizing the importance of overcoming the threats to the values of peace in contemporary society.
– Excellence Award (Youth Category): MBC Chungbuk ‘Us on Earth’
MBC Chungbuk’s ‘Us on Earth’ received the Excellence Award in the Youth category. The program expanded the values of the Earth generation, connecting diversity, coexistence, friendship, and hospitality through domestic and international travel. Kim Woo-rim PD expressed the team’s continuous growth and transformation, hoping that the audience also enjoys the program and receives it positively.
– Best Excellence Award: ENA/astory ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’
The Best Excellence Award was given to ENA/astory for ‘ Extraordinary Attorney Woo.’ The drama was praised for creating a public forum that advances discussions on social minorities. It established a new era for Korean dramas based on mainstream and normalcy, earning recognition for its profound and careful portrayal of autism spectrum disorder as a theme. Director Lee Se-won PD expressed gratitude for the award, acknowledging the effort to present a healthy and constructive discourse by the audience.
– Grand Prize: EBS Documentary Prime ‘Women’s Centennial History – Wrong Then, Wrong Now’
The Grand Prize-winning EBS Documentary Prime, ‘Women’s Centennial History – Wrong Then, Wrong Now,’ delved into the buried stories of women in history and their struggles against oppression in a male-centric society. The program portrayed, through various materials and reenactments, how women who aspired to live independently were suppressed and obscured in the male-dominated historical narrative. PD Lee Hye-jin expressed the significance of receiving the award on the 100th anniversary year of the founding of YWCA Korea. She wished to show the discrimination and violence that women faced 100 years ago, their efforts to overcome them as well as inspiring hope and change for the future through efforts and solidarity of the present.
The National YWCA of Korea established the ‘YWCA-selected Good TV Program Award’ in 1996 to actively recommend well-made programs to viewers and instill a sense of new challenges in broadcast production teams. Since the 24th edition in 2020, the award has been renamed ‘YWCA-selected Good Media Content Award,’ expanding its scope beyond TV programs.
