The Roddenberry Foundation announces $100,000 in awards aimed at promoting diversity in television storytelling

The Roddenberry Impact Awards presented by The Roddenberry Foundation with A Day of Unreasonable Conversation

The Roddenberry Foundation has announced a new initiative aimed at supporting creators driving diversity in television storytelling. In a press release yesterday, the Foundation said it’s teaming up with A Day of Unreasonable Conversation to offer the Roddenberry Impact Awards, 10 grants of $10,000 each, to television content creators committed to writing and telling stories that represent the diversity of our society. Actor and activist George Takei also helped make the announcement, with a video message inviting creators to apply.

A Day of Unreasonable Conversation is a program of the social impact agency Propper Daley. It’s an annual gathering of television writers, producers, executives and more, which aims to share knowledge of ideas for developing more nuanced characters and storylines, with the ultimate goal of inspiring a more tolerant and informed audience. Sounds more than a little like Star Trek.

Rod Roddenberry, Star Trek executive producer and Roddenberry Foundation board member, emphasised the role of storytelling in shaping people’s experiences of their worlds. “The world would be more inclusive and fair if everyone saw themselves in it,” he said. “If we change who we place in stories and how we tell them, we change the way we experience the world, and ultimately we change the story of our future.”

Submissions for the Roddenberry Impact Awards will be judged by industry leaders including Daniel Dae Kim, Sara Gilbert and Sameer Gardezi. All Writers Guild of America West, Writers Guild of America East, Producers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, and SAG-AFTRA members in active status are invited to submit. The application period is open through May 8th and winners will be announced on June 9th.