Winners is an Australian children's television anthology series conceived and produced for the ACTF by its founding director, Patricia Edgar.Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1991). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1990-1991. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. It first screened on Network 10 in 1985 as part of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal's newly implemented C classified drama quota. It featured eight self-contained telemovies and stories. Patricia Edgar was confident that Winners would be a landmark in the development of quality children's television and that it would go on to set the standard nationally and internationally for future children's productions.Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1983). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 6, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727 More Winners is the second season of the series, first screened on ABC in 1990. It featured six self-contained telemovies and stories.
At the forefront of the creators' minds when making the shows was the importance of Australian children having access to a rich and diverse choice of programs that reflected their own society and were appropriate to their particular stage of development.Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1984). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 7, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727 The different episodes dealt with themes of aspirations, friendship, competition, conflict, jealousy, family, lifestyles, independence, decision making, and personal growth. The series had a general theme of young people winning over their circumstances, accepting challenges, gaining confidence, making their own decisions, coming to terms with life, and growing up.Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1987). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 20, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
Winners broke new ground for television and for the classroom.Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1986). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 17, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727 Each telemovie was accompanied by a novel, written by the scriptwriter, along with teaching materials to assist classroom teachers. The series was screened in 82 countries around the world and won awards that drew attention to the Australian children's production industry.
Background In the 1980s, Australian adolescents were a much-neglected television audience.Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1983). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1983-1984. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. Despite their television viewing increasing at the time, there were few programs that catered to their particular needs and interests, such as relationships, problems, and joys.
Patricia Edgar, director of the ACTF, in association with the Victorian Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation, commissioned a major research project to develop a format, characters, and series concept for a serial aimed specifically at Australian teenagers.
Researchers conducted preliminary work in 1983 on case studies and recent survey data with assistance from the Institute of Family Studies. The foundation wanted to provide a realistic representation of Australian life in the telemovies and to move away from stereotypes. The writers then undertook extensive interviews with police social workers, youth workers, government departments, educators, parents, and naturally, many young people in the projected age range. Don Edgar, foundation director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, briefed writers on the nature of real Australian families and what actually went on in Australian homes in the mid-1980s.
Winners attracted not only Australia's best writers, producers, and directors at the time, but also one of the nation's leading business identities, Robert Holmes à Court, who provided a worldwide distribution guarantee for the series and agreed to invest in the show.Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1984). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 8, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
The show was designed as an anthology that challenged contemporary social issues. It incorporated comedy, science fiction, historical drama, adventure, fantasy, and social realism. It showcased the struggles young children have in growing up and learning to make their own decisions.Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1986). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1985-1986. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited. ISSN: 0864211929 The series asked parents to consider the pressures on their children as well as those on themselves. Each of the eight films was written about and for children in Australia and raised issues important to children: parents and family life, friendship, independence, authority, peer-group pressure, education, employment, recreation, and the threat of nuclear war.Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1987). Care for kids: Television News, The newsletter of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Issue No. 19, p. 1-4. ISSN: 0813-3727
More Winners was designed as a series of six hour-long tales aimed primarily at the 9-13 age group.Australian Children's Television Foundation, (1989). Australian Children's Television Foundation Annual Report 1988-1989. A.C.T.F. Productions Limited.
Episodes Winners (1985–1986)
More Winners (1990)
Production Winners Work on the scripts for Winners commenced in 1983 and included the input of writers such as Anne Brooksbank, John Duigan, Bob Ellis, Morris Gleitzman, Cliff Green, Tom Hegarty, Terry Larsen, Tony Morphett, Maurice Murphy, Jan Sardi, and Roger Simpson. Series script editing was done by Roger Le Mesurier and Sandra Levy. The supervising production manager was Geoff Pollock. Scripting was completed in October 1983 and went into pre-production in May 1984.
As an eight-part anthology series of one television-hour dramas, six episodes were produced in Sydney and two in Melbourne. Episodes commenced production at different times between July 1984 and January 1985, with answer prints of all eight episodes being delivered by 31 March 1985. The series was successfully completed within its budgeted cost of $3.82 million and delivered to the distributor on time and in accordance with its distribution agreement. To assist in marketing and to make the series available to as wide a viewing audience as possible, a decision was made during production to have the series captioned for the hard-of-hearing.
More Winners The story concepts for More Winners were commissioned in March 1985. The second installment of the show involved such writers as Morris Gleitzman, Roger Simpson, Steve Spears, Mac Gudgeon, Paul Cox, Michael Cove, Ken Cameron, and Jane Oehr. Sandra Levy was the script consultant. Directors attached to the project included Esben Storm, Ken Cameron, Mario Andreacchio, and Michael Pattinson. Production began in early 1990, and the show was launched in June by then-prime minister, Bob Hawke. The foundation produced study kits to accompany the series, and tie-in novels were published as well.
Reception, accolades, and legacy Selected awards and nominations
Winners YearNominated workAward EventCategoryResultReference1985"The Other Facts of Life" and "Quest Beyond Time"11th International Kinderfilm Festival, FrankfurtSelection for final screeningChosen1986"The Other Facts of Life" and "Top Kid"Banff World Television Festival, CanadaChildren's programAward finalist1985"The Other Facts of Life"AWGIE Awards, SydneyChildren–Original WorkWinner1986"Top Kid"Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards, MelbourneGeneral Award–NarrativeWinner1986"On Loan"Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards, MelbourneChildren's Award–Social IssuesSpecial commendation1986"On Loan"Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Awards, MelbourneGeneral Award–Social IssuesWinner1986Quang Chinh Dinh in "On Loan"St Kilda Film Festival, MelbourneActingCertificate of merit1986"On Loan"United Nations Association Media Peace Awards, Sydney -Citation1986"Top Kid"Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United StatesLive ActionFirst prize1986"The Paper Boy"Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United StatesLive ActionHonourable mention1986"The Other Facts of Life"Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United StatesCinematic ImpactSpecial jury prize1986"Just Friends"Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United StatesMost Popular Video – voted by the children's audienceFirst prize1986 -Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United StatesA special award was created by the jury as a result of the response to "Winners" at the festival that recognised the ACTF's outstanding achievements in producing top-quality films for children -1986"Top Kid"Penguin Awards, MelbourneBest Children's DramaWinner
More Winners YearNominated workAward EventCategoryResultReference1990Cliff Green, writer of "Boy Soldiers"AWGIE Awards, MelbourneChildren's AwardWinner1990"Boy Soldiers"Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United StatesLiv Ullman Peace PrizeWinner1990"The Big Wish"Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United StatesFestival Award for Outstanding HumourWinner1991"The Big Wish"ATOM AwardsChildren's Award–Narrative SectionWinner1991"Boy Soldiers"ATOM AwardsGeneral Award–Narrative SectionHighly commended1991"The Big Wish"Banff World Television Festival, CanadaSelection for screening in children's program categorySelected1991"The Big Wish"AFI Awards, melbourneBest Children's Television DramaNominated1991"Mr Edmund"AFI Awards, melbourneBest Children's Television DramaNominated1991Cameron Nugent in "The Big Wish"AFI Awards, MelbourneTop Television Actor AwardNominated1991Steve J. Spears in "The Big Wish"AFI Awards, MelbourneBest Screenplay in a Television DramaNominated1991Esben Storm in "The Big Wish"AFI Awards, MelbourneCameraquip Award for Best Achievement in Direction in a Television DramaNominated1991"Boy Soldiers"International Emmy Awards, New YorkChildren's and Young People's SectionFinalist1993More Winners seriesCableAce Awards, Los Angeles, United StatesBest International Children's SeriesNominated1994"Boy Soldiers"Moscow International Festival of Film and Television for Children and Youth, Russia -Finalist
Reviews Both Winners and More Winners received praise from a variety of publications, including Perth's West Australian, who called Winners "...everything children's television should be". West Australia's Wanneroo Times called it "...some of the finest television yet seen in this country", and Melbourne's Herald TV Extra wrote, "Winners proves that learning and being entertained can go hand-in-hand." Other outlets that praised the series included Perth's Weekend News and Sunday Times, Mildura's Sunraysia Daily, The Canberra Times, the Sydney Morning Herald, and Launceston's Sunday Examiner. More Winners was greeted with reviews such as "If you think quality Australian children's programming is a thing of the past—don't just think again, think More Winners", from Adelaide's The News and "The joy of this series so far has been its desire to have children put in situations where they stretch themselves creatively, intellectually and imaginatively", published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Other positive reviews came from Melbourne's The Sun, Perth's Daily News, and a variety of others.
Screenings and sales Selected screenings Melbourne International Film Festival: "The Big Wish", "His Master's Ghost", and "Boy Soldiers" were screened as part of the Children's and Youth Section of the Melbourne International Film Festival in 1990.