Arkansas TV is proud to share the stories of many Arkansans. Because we’re able to share these stories, we’re excited to announce that we’ve earned 11 regional Emmy Awards nominations from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for original, local productions. Regional Emmy Award winners will be announced Saturday, Oct. 24. The network has also earned three nominations for the Public Media Awards from the National Educational Television Association (NETA). PMA winners will be announced Sunday, Sept. 13. Nominated productions may be viewed at go.arkansastv.gov/awardnominated.
Arkansas TV original productions receiving multiple nominations include:
“Blueberry’s Clubhouse: Blueberry’s New Neighbors”
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.
- Entertainment – Short or Long Form. Produced by Eric White, Terrell Case, Corey Womack, Tracy Prince and Rivka Kuperman.
- Corey Womack, Writer – Short or Long Form.
- Eric White and Verda Davenport, Directors – Director Short or Long Form.
- Tracy Prince, Sound Designer – Audio Recording, Mixing and Design — Live or Postproduction
“Faux Ball: The Legend of Village Academy”
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.
Historical/Cultural – Short Form Content. Produced by Eric White.
Eric White, Animator – Graphic Arts
“Taste Buds”
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.
Lifestyle – Short Form or Long Form Content. Produced by Tanisha Joe-Conway, Eric White, Kevin Clark, Shotaro Kanari and Corey Womack.
Brett Ilher, Host – Program Host/Moderator/Correspondent.
Arkansas TV also received the following Emmy nominations:
“Swinging For the Fences” – 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 Treasures: Season 2” – Lifestyle – Short Form or Long Form Content. The summer of 2025 saw the return of Arkansas TV’s hit send-up of “Antiques Roadshow,” “Arkansas Treasures.” One of the biggest events of the year for Arkansas TV, “Arkansas Treasures” opened its studio doors to a crew of 100, a team of more than a dozen expert evaluators and almost 400 Arkansans and their precious valuables. Produced by Tanisha Joe-Conway and Kevin Clark.
Special Achievement – Overall Excellence. This year was full of milestones for Arkansas TV, including a name change, the arrival of new CEO and longtime media professional Carlton Wing and a renewed focus on creating meaningful local content for Arkansans. New series “Taste Buds” and “Arkansas Taste Kitchen” highlighted Arkansas food and communities while “Arkansas Taste Kitchen” provided affordable, healthy recipes designed to help families facing food insecurity and food deserts. Arkansas TV also brought back popular programs, expanded educational programming and community events, welcomed more than 8,000 visitors to Family Day events, and livestreamed more than 120 government meetings through AR-CAN. ArkansasIDEAS surpassed 100,000 users, with participants earning more than 280,000 credit hours, while partnerships with organizations across the state supported literacy, STEM education, America 250 programming and other educational initiatives. The network also continued its commitment to Arkansas history and storytelling through locally produced documentaries, community screenings, educational events and statewide programming surrounding Ken Burns’ “The American Revolution.”
Arkansas TV also received the following National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) Public Media Award nominations:
“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.
Overall Excellence in Education. In 2025, the Arkansas TV education department continued serving Arkansas teachers, children and families through ArkansasIDEAS, the state’s most-used online teacher professional development platform, which reached 103,823 users across 610 courses and awarded more than 278,000 credit hours. The team, made up of licensed educators, television producers, support staff and IT specialists, added new courses focused on topics including Arkansas history, youth suicide prevention, family and community engagement, school safety and special education, while continuing to offer free resources and 15 micro-credentials to educators statewide. Education programming also expanded through nine Read to Succeed events across Arkansas, while “Blueberry’s Clubhouse” returned with a new focus on the Science of Reading and “Mystery League” completed its first year of national PBS KIDS programming. Arkansas TV also partnered with the Arkansas 250 Commission to publish and distribute “The Arkansas Capital History Hunt,” delivering 144,315 copies of the children’s book to every school district and cooperative across the state. Together, these efforts strengthened Arkansas TV’s commitment to education, literacy and accessible learning opportunities for Arkansas families and educators.
Overall Excellence in Content. Arkansas TV’s programming continued to fulfill its mission of educating, inspiring, informing and connecting Arkansans through original productions, community partnerships and digital storytelling that reached audiences of all ages. Educational programming supported Arkansas’s youngest learners through the return of “Blueberry’s Clubhouse,” dozens of Read to Succeed and Ready to Learn events, and new literacy-focused content, while “Arkansas Taste Kitchen” and “Taste Buds” celebrated Arkansas food and culture, and “Arkansas Week” continued providing trusted public affairs coverage. AR-CAN livestreamed 130 government events from July 2025 through June 2026. Through Arkansas Live, the network also brought 44 arts and culture events into homes statewide, while covering community events, including the Little Rock Touchdown Club and holiday celebrations.
HOW TO WATCH
You can watch these award-nominated Arkansas TV original productions at go.arkansastv.gov/awardnominated.