The Gracie Awards are awards presented by the
Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM) in the United States, to celebrate and honor programming created for women, by women, and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contributions in
electronic media
Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical means for the audience to access the content. This is in contrast to static media (mainly print media), which today are most often created digitally, but do not require el ...
and affiliates. Presented annually, the Gracie Awards recognize national, local, and student works.
History
The Gracie Awards ceremony is presented by the
Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM), since 1975.
The awards are named after radio and television star
Gracie Allen
Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian, singer, actress, and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, ...
. Allen was a successful comedian, entertainer, entrepreneur and activist. As half of the
Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen was an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen. They worked together as a successful comedy team that entertained vaudeville, film, radio, and television audiences for over forty years.
The duo ...
act, one of the most prominent comedy teams in American history, with husband
George Burns
George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...
, Allen has been a role model for women in media and entertainment.
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
describes the awards as follows:
The Gracie Awards are held on two days, known as the gala and the luncheon. The Gracie Awards Gala is a
black tie
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element fo ...
evening affair and awards individuals in the national and mainstream arena. The Gracie Awards Gala has been regularly held at the
Beverly Hilton Hotel
The Beverly Hilton is a hotel located on an property at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards in Beverly Hills, California. The Beverly Hilton has hosted many awards shows, charity benefits, and entertainment and motion pic ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The Gracie Awards Luncheon, a more casual affair, honors local, public, online, and student works and has been held in New York.
The 2019 ceremony took place on May 21, with the "local and student award winners," honored on June 26.
The 2020 ceremony was held virtually on September 10, 2020, and honorees included
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
for the Gracies Impact Award,
Gayle King
Gayle King (born December 28, 1954) is an American television personality, author and broadcast journalist for CBS News, co-hosting its flagship morning program, '' CBS Mornings'', and before that its predecessor ''CBS This Morning''. She is ...
,
Michelle Williams,
Niecy Nash
Carol Denise Betts (née Ensley; born February 23, 1970), known professionally as Niecy Nash-Betts (), is an American actress, comedian and television host, best known for her performances on television.
Nash hosted the Style Network show '' C ...
,
Trisha Yearwood
Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...
,
Ginger Zee
Ginger Renee Colonomos (née Zuidgeest; born January 13, 1981), known by her pseudonym Ginger Zee, is an American television personality. She is the chief meteorologist for ABC News, after having been the network's weekend meteorologist.
Early ...
, Alex Duda and Izzie Pick Ibarra.
Categories
The following were the categories as of the 2014 ceremony:
* Outstanding Anchor – News or News Magazine
* Outstanding Comedy
* Outstanding Director – Entertainment
* Outstanding Director – News
* Outstanding Documentary
* Outstanding Drama
* Outstanding Ensemble Cast – Comedy
* Outstanding Ensemble Cast – Drama
* Outstanding Family Programming
* Outstanding Female Actor in a Breakthrough Role
* Outstanding Female Actor in a Featured or Guest Role
* Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy
* Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama
* Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy or Musical
* Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama
* Outstanding Hard News Feature
* Outstanding Host – Entertainment/Information
* Outstanding Host – Lifestyle/Health Program
* Outstanding Host – News/Non-Fiction
* Outstanding Interview Program or Feature
* Outstanding Investigative Program or Feature
* Outstanding Lifestyle/Health Program
* Outstanding Morning/Afternoon Drive Personality
* Outstanding On-Air Talent: Sports Program
* Outstanding Online Host or Correspondent
* Outstanding Online Producer
* Outstanding Original Online Programming – Audio
* Outstanding Original Online Programming – News/Documentary
* Outstanding Original Online Programming – Series
* Outstanding Original Online Programming – Standalone Video
* Outstanding Producer – Documentary/Reality
* Outstanding Producer – Entertainment
* Outstanding Producer – News
* Outstanding Reality Show
* Outstanding Reporter/Correspondent
* Outstanding Series
* Outstanding Soft News Feature
* Outstanding Special or Variety
* Outstanding Sports Program
* Outstanding Talk Show – Entertainment/Information
* Outstanding Talk Show – News
Participants
Gala Hosts from 2005–2014
Paula Zahn
Paula Ann Zahn (; born February 24, 1956) is an American journalist and newscaster who has been an anchor at ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, and CNN. She currently produces and hosts the true crime documentary series '' On the Case with Paula Zahn' ...
,
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for playing Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award no ...
,
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser (born September 11, 1953) is an American sportscaster, television and radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history who has worked on Final Four, ...
,
Giuliana Rancic
Giuliana Rancic (; ; born August 17, 1974) is an Italian-American entertainment reporter and television personality. She is a co-anchor of ''E! News'' and resides in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Early life
Rancic was born in Naples, Italy and immigra ...
,
Niecy Nash
Carol Denise Betts (née Ensley; born February 23, 1970), known professionally as Niecy Nash-Betts (), is an American actress, comedian and television host, best known for her performances on television.
Nash hosted the Style Network show '' C ...
,
Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos (, gr, Μαρία Μενούνος ; born June 8, 1978) is an American journalist, television presenter and actress. She has hosted ''Extra'' and ''E! News''; she was a TV correspondent for ''Today'', ''Access Hollywood'', and co- ...
,
Patricia Heaton
Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her work on sitcoms, having played Debra Barone on ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005) as well as Frances "Frankie" Heck on '' The Middl ...
,
Angela Kinsey
Angela Faye Kinsey (born June 25, 1971) is an American actress. She played Angela Martin in the sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2013) and appeared in the sitcoms '' Your Family or Mine'' (2015) and ''Haters Back Off'' (2016–2017). Since ''The ...
,
Lana Parrilla
Lana Parrilla (born July 15, 1977) is an American actress. She was a regular cast member in the fifth season of the ABC sitcom ''Spin City'' (2000–2001) and in the fourth season of '' 24'' (2005), and starred in ''Boomtown'' (2002–2003), ' ...
,
Aisha Tyler
Aisha Nilaja Tyler (born September 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, director, and talk show host. She is known for playing Andrea Marino in the first season of ''Ghost Whisperer'', Tara Lewis (Criminal Minds), Dr. Tara Lewis in ''Crimi ...
Gala Performers from 2005–2014
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor ( née Fowles; born September 7, 1943) is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), " Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), " I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" ( ...
,
Miri Ben-Ari
Miri Ben-Ari ( he, מירי בן-ארי; born December 4, 1978) is an American–Israeli musician, producer, and humanitarian, known as "the hip-hop violinist".
Life and career
Ben-Ari was born in Tel Aviv District, Israel. She grew up playing ...
, Dance Times Square, Onyx,
Elisabeth Withers-Mendez
Elisabeth Withers is an American neo soul and R&B singer-songwriter.
Biography
Withers was born in Joliet, Illinois, and studied at the Berklee College of Music and then at New York University. She sang as a backup vocalist for Celine Dion ...
, Dwana Smallwood, Girl Scouts Chorus of Nassau County,
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
,
Dianne Reeves
Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American jazz singer.
Biography
Dianne Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a musical family. Her father sang, her mother played trumpet, her uncle is bassist Charles Burrell, and h ...
, Melissa Pabon Dancers, Darlin Garcia,
The Stunners
The Stunners was an American pop girl group, formed in Los Angeles, California in 2007. Originally the members were Allie Gonino, Hayley Kiyoko, Marisol Esparza, Kelsey Sanders, and Tinashe. In July 2009, after the debut single "Bubblegum", San ...
,
Macy Gray
Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday.
Gray ha ...
,
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and its lead ...
,
Deniece Williams
Deniece Williams (born June Deniece Chandler; June 3, 1951) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs " Free", " Silly", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and two ''Bil ...
,
Kimberley Locke
Kimberley Dawn Locke (born January 3, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She has recorded in the dance and pop genres, and has targeted the adult contemporary radio format. She was the cohost of the daytime talk ...
Luncheon Hosts from 2005–2014
Rene Syler
René Syler (born February 17, 1963), is an American broadcast television journalist and author. Syler co-hosted CBS News' ''The Early Show'' from October 2002, when it debuted in its four-anchor format, until she left the program in December 2 ...
,
Roz Abrams
Roslyn Maria Abrams (born September 7, 1948) is a former American television news journalist.
She had a long career as an anchor on ''Eyewitness News'', which is broadcast by WABC-TV, working in Manhattan. More recently she worked for WCBS-TV, al ...
,
Nancy Giles
Nancy Giles (born July 17, 1960) is an American actress and commentator, perhaps best known for her appearances in the series ''China Beach'' and on ''CBS News Sunday Morning''.
Early life
Nancy Giles was born in New York City, the daughter of ...
, Kim Guthrie,
Deborah Norville
Deborah Anne Norville (born August 8, 1958) is an American television journalist and businesswoman. Norville is the anchor of ''Inside Edition'', a syndicated television news magazine, a position she has held since March 6, 1995. She markets and ...
,
Moll Anderson
Caring Is Sexy Award
Angie Harmon
Angela Michelle Harmon (born August 10, 1972) is an American actress and model. She won ''Seventeens modeling contest in 1987 at age 15, signed with IMG Models, and appeared on covers for magazines such as ''Cosmopolitan'' and ''Esquire''. ...
,
Giuliana Rancic
Giuliana Rancic (; ; born August 17, 1974) is an Italian-American entertainment reporter and television personality. She is a co-anchor of ''E! News'' and resides in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Early life
Rancic was born in Naples, Italy and immigra ...
Dove Real Beauty Award
Shaun Robinson
Shaun Robinson (born July 12, 1962) is an American television host, author, producer, philanthropist, television personality and actress. She is perhaps best known for hosting ''Access Hollywood'' (1999–2015) and ''90 Day Fiancé'' and its spin ...
,
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, '' Swe ...
,
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy tro ...
,
Lisa Ling
Lisa J. Ling (born August 30, 1973) is an American journalist, television personality, and author. She is currently the host of '' This Is Life with Lisa Ling '' on CNN. Previously, she was a reporter on Channel One News, a co-host on the ABC da ...
,
Joy Behar,
Linda Ellerbee
Linda Ellerbee (born Linda Jane Smith; August 15, 1944) is an American journalist, anchor, producer, reporter, author, speaker and commentator, noted as longtime Washington correspondent for NBC News and host of NBC News Overnight. She is widel ...
,
Gayle King
Gayle King (born December 28, 1954) is an American television personality, author and broadcast journalist for CBS News, co-hosting its flagship morning program, '' CBS Mornings'', and before that its predecessor ''CBS This Morning''. She is ...
See also
*
List of media awards honoring women
This list of media awards honoring women is an index to articles about notable awards honoring women.
The list includes general, literary and music awards for women.
It excludes awards for actresses, including film awards for lead actress and ...
*
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...
*
George Burns
George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
The Gracies,
Alliance for Women in Media
Mass media awards honoring women
American television awards
American radio awards
Award shows by Associated Television International
Awards established in 1975
1975 establishments in the United States
Gracie Allen