Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy
The Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy is a British organization that raises awareness of discrimination through media campaigns and social networking.
The EMMA Awards was founded in 1997 by Bobby Syed and "seeks to promote diversity within the media industry by publicly recognising the levels of excellence achieved by the multicultural community, and the qualities that each ethnic group brings to the professional and commercial success of United Kingdom as a whole". The first award presentation took place in 1998 at The Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, London, and was hosted by TV presenter Lisa Aziz and journalist/broadcaster Darcus Howe.
Prominent recipients include Lord Richard Attenborough, who received the 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grosvenor House Hotel. In 2000, EMMA honoured Nelson Mandela. Mahatma Gandhi and Bruce Lee both received EMMA's Legend Award.
The UK EMMAs are screened on the internet and accompanied by an online voting system. The BBC broadcast the ceremony until 2004. The ceremony officially ended in 2005 after a legal dispute with the show's sponsor, NatWest.