The 57th Golden Bell Awards will usher in a new era for the annual Taiwanese small-screen celebration, with new award categories and the separation of the awards ceremonies for television shows and variety programs, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) said Thursday.
Deputy Minister of Culture Lee Ching-hwi (???) made the announcement at a press conference, saying that the two ceremonies would take place back-to-back on a Friday and Saturday near the end of October 2022.
She was joined by Taiwanese director Tsao Jui-yuan (???), who also serves as the general coordinator of the awards, as well as local producer Phil Tang (???), who is a member on the “Special Award” committee for the awards.
For the tentatively named “TV Series and Short Series Awards Ceremony,” Best Make-up, Best Visual Effects, Best Score, and Best Main Theme are set to be added as new categories, increasing the amount of awards from 23 in the previous year to 27, she said.
As children and youth have different preferences in terms of variety television programs, and the production styles for these shows are also different, the MOC has split the two groups apart to create the provisionally named “Children’s Variety Programs Awards” and the “Youths’ Variety Programs Awards.” There will be a total of 21 awards presented for variety television programs.
Tsao said “having the awards on two separate days may make it more vibrant, and the audience will look forward to it more.”
According to Lee, the Golden Bell Awards this year will introduce audience voting, where viewers can participate to crown the “Most Popular TV Series” and the “Most Popular Variety Program.”
Lee also added that to encourage the entertainment industry to cultivate more talent, a “Special Award” and a cash prize of NT$100,000 (US$3,572) have also been added to the awards to recognize outstanding industry talent.
Regarding the possibility of Mandarin shows from other countries being able to enter the awards, MOC’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development Director-General Hsu Yi-chun (???) said that plans are already in the works to make the awards more international.
She went on to add that the inclusion of international productions had been discussed by the MOC, but the first priority would be to solidify “Golden Bell” as a renowned brand.
The annual Golden Bell Awards recognize outstanding TV and radio productions, with the radio and TV awards being held in separate ceremonies.
With the further separation of the TV awards, the Golden Bell will feature three ceremonies on three different days.
Nominations for the 57th Golden Bell Awards for TV will be accepted between April 1 and May 3, while the nomination period for the “Special Award” will run from April 1 until June 2.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel