The TV Producer Indiescreen Award application
The deadline to apply is Friday, June 19, 2026
The Indiescreen TV Producer Award celebrates the achievements of a Canadian independent media production company, as well as its contribution to promoting unique storytelling and pushing the boundaries of creativity in Canadian television.
The award includes a $20,000 cash prize, presented in partnership with the Canada Media Fund, for the company and up to five (5) passes to the CMPA’s 2027 Prime Time conference.
Five nominees will be selected for the award by a jury consisting of three industry leaders, chaired by the previous year’s Indiescreen Award winner.
The jury will spend a significant amount of time reviewing answers to the questions posed in the application form. It is recommended that applicants take care and provide detailed, thoughtful responses. Your effort in writing up your answers can influence the jury’s evaluation of your submission.
Nominated producers are encouraged to attend the awards in person, in Toronto, ON, on September 10, 2026. The CMPA will provide a travel stipend to the production company for one representative to attend if the representative is based outside of the Greater Toronto Area.
Eligibility criteria
- Applicant must be the principal producer (owner or executive with signing authority) or an employee of the company and will be the lead contact for this application process. If the applicant is not the principal producer and/or owner of the production company, the applicant must obtain approval from the principal producer to apply for the award.
- Applicant must apply with one “qualifying episode” from a “qualifying series”:
- The qualifying series must be a CAVCO-certified Canadian production;
- The qualifying episode must have first aired or be slated to air through a Canadian broadcaster or any streaming service in the 2026 calendar year;
- Submit the qualifying episode that best represents your creative vision and producing capabilities;
- The qualifying episode must have a runtime of at least 22 minutes for live action programming and 10 minutes for animation;
- A qualifying series must have two or more episodes to be considered; and,
- Formats for consideration include kids and adult animation, unscripted/factual, lifestyle, game shows, comedy, drama and limited series.
- Only one submission per company will be accepted for this award; however, two separate companies may apply with the same project, if all other requirements are met.
- Previous winners of the TV Producer Indiescreen Award are welcome to reapply five years after their award win.
- Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
- Applicants are required to be employees, principals or owners of a CMPA member company.
Materials needed:
- Company logo
- Logline and synopsis of the qualifying series (number of episodes/seasons)
- Screener of one completed episode
- Broadcaster/Streamer service details, including release dates
- Additional series for consideration
- Applicant Statement
Please ensure headshot(s) and publicity still(s) are high-quality images, suitable for printing.
Apply:
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FAQs
The applicant must be the principal producer (owner or executive with signing authority) or an employee of the company and will be the lead contact for this application process. If the applicant is not the principal producer and/or owner of the production company, the applicant must obtain approval from the principal producer to apply for the award.
Yes, all applicant companies must be current CMPA members.
Only one application is permitted per company.
Yes, returning series are eligible so long as the episode submitted first aired or is slated to air in the 2026 calendar year. Producers will have a chance to submit earlier series in support of their application for the award.