Arkansas TV is honored to be recognized by the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for exemplary work that supports our mission of informing, entertaining and educating Arkansans with four Emmy Awards. Winners were announced Saturday, Oct. 24, during the 50th Mid-America Emmy Awards Ceremony in Overland Park, Kansas. Arkansas TV also won one NETA Award. Thank you for your support!
You can watch compilation videos of the winning and nominated projects at go.arkansastv.gov/awardwinning and go.arkansastv.gov/awardnominated.
The Arkansas TV original production “Taste Buds” was honored with two regional Emmy Awards.
From tasty tamales to sizzling steaks, Arkansans love to eat, and food is a major part of what it means to be from The Natural State. Host Brett Ihler brings home some of the most-loved restaurants across The Natural State. Arkansas TV has visited The Dixie Pig BBQ in Blytheville, Mud Street Cafe in Eureka Springs and Star of India Restaurant in Little Rock in the network’s new, original series “Taste Buds.” Produced by Tanisha Joe-Conway, Eric White, Kevin Clark, Shotaro Kanari and Corey Womack.
Awards for the production included:
- Lifestyle – Short Form or Long Form Content. Produced by Tanisha Joe-Conway, Eric White, Kevin Clark, Shotaro Kanari and Corey Womack.
- Brett Ihler, Host – Program Host/Moderator/Correspondent.
Arkansas TV won the following Mid-America Regional Emmy Awards:
“Blueberry’s Clubhouse: Blueberry’s New Neighbors” received the award for Entertainment – Short or Long Form.
Spring of 2026 saw the return of Arkansas TV’s original children’s puppet series, Blueberry’s Clubhouse for her fifth season. The premiere introduced a lot of changes to Camp Onomatopoeia. When a flying saucer falls from the sky over Camp, Blueberry meets the extraterrestrial brothers, Benji and Bart. Agreeing to help fix the ship and get the boys home before summer’s end — Blueberry kicks off an out-of-this-world adventure of spelling and friendship. As an educational series, season five sees Blueberry’s focus shift from soft skills to The Science of Reading. Produced by Eric White, Terrell Case, Corey Womack, Tracy Prince, Rivka Kuperman and Sajni Kumpuris.
“Faux Ball: The Legend of Village Academy” received the award for Historical – Short Form Content.
Two high school instructors pull one of the greatest pranks in Arkansas history. Garry Crowder and Bob Sivlis with Jessieville High School grew frustrated with the newspaper coverage of small sports programs and decided to take matters into their own hands. One Friday night, they called in a fake score for a nonexistent team, and surprisingly, it made the paper the next day, with no one the wiser. What started as a one-off joke grew and grew, developing a cult following and spreading throughout the state. Produced by Eric White.
“Swinging For the Fences” received the award for Human Interest – Short Form.
High school sophomore Dallas Cathey has always been one to meet and exceed any challenge he encounters. That’s why no one at home or at the Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind was surprised when he became a color commentator for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Trojans alongside play-by-play announcer Max Coltrane, even though Dallas is completely blind. Learn how Dallas uses braille sheets, his impressive stats knowledge and listening to the sounds of the game to swing for the fences in this Arkansas TV Sports feature. Produced by Terrell Case.
Arkansas TV also received the following Emmy nominations:
- “Blueberry’s Clubhouse: Blueberry’s New Neighbors” – Writer – Short or Long Form. Written by Corey Womack.
- “Blueberry’s Clubhouse: Blueberry’s New Neighbors” – Directors – Director Short or Long Form. Directed by Eric White and Verda Davenport.
- “Blueberry’s Clubhouse: Blueberry’s New Neighbors” – Sound Designer – Audio Recording, Mixing and Design — Live or Postproduction. Designed by Tracy Prince.
- “Faux Ball: The Legend of Village Academy” – Animator – Graphic Arts. Animated by Eric White.
- “Arkansas Treasures: Season 2” – Lifestyle – Short Form or Long Form Content. Produced by Tanisha Joe-Conway and Kevin Clark.
- Special Achievement – Overall Excellence.
Arkansas TV also received the following National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) Public Media Award:
“Unveiled: Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash” – Teacher Professional Learning.
“Unveiled: Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash” explores Arkansas’s five-year journey to replace its statues in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall, culminating in the 2024 unveiling of statues honoring civil rights leader Daisy Bates and musician Johnny Cash. The documentary examines the lives and legacies of Bates and Cash, including how poverty, loss and injustice shaped their paths and inspired their contributions to Arkansas and the nation. Based on the documentary, the ArkansasIDEAS history course uses video content, interactive timelines, maps and assessments to help educators explore the significance of both figures and their impact on American history. Teachers who complete the final assessment with a score of 80% or higher earn professional development credit in Arkansas history.
All nominated productions may be viewed in a playlist at go.arkansastv.gov/awardnominated. The complete list of nominees and winners may be viewed here.
HOW TO WATCH
You can watch these award-nominated Arkansas TV original productions at go.arkansastv.gov/awardwinning.