Daytime Emmy Awards

The Daytime Emmy Awards celebrate excellence in American daytime television programming. These awards recognize the artistic and technical skill required to create television for daytime audiences. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presents these honors. NATAS is an organization based in New York that manages these prestigious awards. Winning a Daytime Emmy is a major achievement for professionals in the industry. It signifies that their peers have recognized their high level of talent.

To understand how the awards work, one must look at the eligibility rules. A show must originally air on American television during a specific period. This period runs from January 1 to December 31 each year. Historically, a national daytime show had to air between 2 a.m. and 6 p.m. It also had to reach at least 50 percent of the country. Today, the rules are more complex. They now focus on the themes and the frequency of the programming. For example, only daytime serial dramas are eligible for drama awards at this ceremony. Other scripted shows may move to the Primetime Emmy Awards instead.

The selection process relies on peer judging. This means that people who work in the industry vote for the winners. To be a judge, an Academy member must have national credits for at least two years. They must also have worked within the last five years. Voting can happen in two different ways depending on the category. Some categories use a ratings score criteria. Others use a preferential scoring system to determine the winner. In 2003, the Academy added a "pre-nomination" round for drama acting. This was done to prevent bloc voting by shows with very large casts. One or two actors from each show are selected first. These actors then move on to be considered for the primary nominations.

The history of the Daytime Emmys shows a long evolution. The very first Emmy Award ceremony took place on January 25, 1949. However, daytime-themed awards were originally part of the Primetime Emmy ceremony. In 1972, the show *The Doctors* won the first Best Show Daytime Emmy. The first separate ceremony just for daytime programming happened in 1974. This event was broadcast from the Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center in New York. Barbara Walters and Peter Marshall served as the hosts for that inaugural show. For many years, the gala was held in New York at venues like Radio City Music Hall.

As the television industry changed, so did the location of the awards. In 2006, the ceremony moved to the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. This was the first time the awards were held outside of New York. The ceremony moved to the Orpheum Theatre in 2009 and stayed in Los Angeles. It also spent time in Las Vegas during 2010 and 2011. The move to Los Angeles likely reflects changes in production. Many network soap operas that were once made in New York are now recorded in Los Angeles. The awards have also adapted to new technology. In 2013, NATAS began accepting nominations for web-only series. This change occurred after *All My Children* moved from broadcast to streaming television.

There are many notable moments and people in the history of these awards. In 2007, Danica Lee became the first Asian nominee in Daytime Emmy history. She was a child voice actress for the show *Wonder Pets!*. Eric Bauza also made history as the first adult Asian nominee. Another famous story involves Susan Lucci from *All My Children*. She was nominated 18 times without a win before she finally won in 1999. The awards also recognize special achievements through the Chairman's Crystal Pillar Award. In 2011, Oprah Winfrey received this honor for her syndicated talk show. In 2021, 16 professionals received this award for keeping production safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Daytime Emmys are constantly reorganizing to stay relevant. In 2021, the ATAS and NATAS announced major realignments. They decided to align categories based on themes rather than just the time of day. This caused many categories to move to different ceremonies. Programs for viewers aged 15 and younger moved to the Children's and Family Emmy Awards. Most game show categories also moved to the Primetime Emmys in 2023. Even the timing of the ceremony is changing. Starting in 2025, the ceremony will move from summer to October. This shift will allow the awards to highlight the timely nature of news and documentary content.