{"id":235921,"date":"2026-06-12T09:06:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T19:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=235921"},"modified":"2026-06-12T10:07:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T20:07:29","slug":"10-telly-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/12\/10-telly-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawaiʻi Sea Grant’s Voice of the Sea TV<\/abbr> series wins record 10 Telly Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"people
Marine debris technicians from PMDP<\/abbr> lift a large ghost net. (Photo credit: Andrew Sullivan-Haskins)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Voice of the Sea<\/em><\/a> television series, produced by the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> Sea Grant College Program<\/a> (Hawaiʻi<\/span> Sea Grant), took home 10 Telly Awards, the world\u2019s largest honor for video and television across all screens, including a gold Telly for Papahānaumokuākea<\/span> Marine Debris Project<\/a> (PMDP<\/abbr>). This year, the Telly Awards received more than 13,000 entries from across the globe.<\/p>\n

The 47th annual Telly Awards Judging Council, who select the winning entries, features more than 250 expert judges from Google, Home Box Office (HBO<\/abbr>), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC<\/abbr>), Netflix and more.<\/p>\n

“Papahānaumokuākea<\/span> is more than a protected area, it is a living ancestral and ecological system, connecting people, species, and place across the paeʻāina,”<\/span> said James Morioka, executive director of PMDP<\/abbr>. “Partnering with the Voice of the Sea<\/em> team on this special episode, sharing our work with the viewers, and being recognized with a Gold Telly helps us continue supporting vulnerable wildlife, restoring sensitive habitats, and perpetuating Hawaiian culture.”<\/p>\n

\"interview\"
Kanesa Duncan Seraphin interviewing for the Oral Histories episode.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The level of competition is so high, I\u2019m incredibly excited to win a Gold Telly Awards with our partners and show off the amazing footage PMDP<\/abbr> collected,” said Kanesa Duncan Seraphin, Voice of the Sea<\/em> host and co-producer. “Winning nine more awards is just spectacular!”<\/p>\n

Gold and silver winner<\/h2>\n

PMDP<\/abbr><\/a> shares what it is like to remove massive amounts of plastic pollution from Papahānaumokuākea,<\/span> the 582,570 square miles of coral reefs, atolls, and aquatic habitat of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The episode was awarded a gold Telly in the not-for-profit category, and a silver Telly in nature & wildlife.<\/p>\n

“Working as a storyteller in Papahānaumokuākea<\/span> means being trusted to share places and stories that most people will never experience firsthand,” said Andrew Sullivan-Haskins, Emmy-award winning conservation expedition photographer with PMDP<\/abbr>. “It’s not just about doing the work, it’s about helping people understand why these environments matter.”<\/p>\n

Silver and bronze winner<\/h2>\n
\"person
Division of Aquatic Resources scientist during the filming of Voice of the Sea<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Symphony of the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Seas<\/a> musically celebrates Hawaiʻi\u2019s<\/span> seas that combines science, art, culture and the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Symphony Orchestra. It was awarded a Silver Telly in the Culture & Lifestyle category, and a bronze Telly in music, dance & performance.<\/p>\n

Multiple bronze winner<\/h2>\n

Oral Histories of Waialeʻe<\/span<\/span><\/a> visits the north shore of Oʻahu,<\/span> where oral histories inform the revitalization of this rich community resource; the episode also visits the Center for Oral History at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> to learn about cataloging Hawaiʻi\u2019s<\/span> past. The episode took home bronze Tellys in the educational institution and history categories.<\/p>\n

Silver winners<\/h2>\n

Ciguatera Poisoning<\/a> shares information about ciguatera poisoning, the seafood illness that comes from toxins produced by microscopic algae in warm, nearshore waters, and the research that aims to help people eat safe seafood. It was awarded a silver Telly in public interest & awareness.<\/p>\n

Innovative Aquaculture<\/a> looks at the future of aquaculture at the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Ocean Science and Technology Park at Keāhole<\/span> Point, on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island—where unique seawater facilities support more than 50 cutting-edge tenants, including Blue Ocean Mariculture, Symbrosia and Cyanotech. The episode was awarded a silver Telly in sustainability.<\/p>\n

Bronze winners<\/h2>\n

Aquaculture Internships<\/a> reviews aquaculture jobs and internships, from innovative fish mariculture and traditional fishponds in Hawaiʻi,<\/span> to village-level aquaponics in American Samoa. The episode was awarded a bronze Telly in education & training.<\/p>\n

Estuary Team<\/a> shares information on the different types of estuary systems in Hawaiʻi,<\/span> how the Division of Aquatic Resources Estuary Team monitors estuaries, the importance of estuaries for protecting critical fisheries habitat, and why Waimea River on the west side of Kauaʻi<\/span> is such a special place. The episode was awarded a bronze Telly in sustainability.<\/p>\n

–By Cindy Knapman<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 47th annual Telly Awards Judging Council, who select the winning entries, features more than 250 expert judges from Google, HBO<\/abbr>, BBC<\/abbr>, Netflix and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":235930,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1246,142,635,73,438],"class_list":["post-235921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-aquaculture","tag-award","tag-sea-grant-college-program","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-sea-grant","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/manoa-voice-of-the-sea-awards.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235921"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235951,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235921\/revisions\/235951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}