China TV Golden Eagle Awards


The China TV Golden Eagle Award, is one of three most prestigious national awards recognizing excellence in the Chinese television industry, alongside the Feitian Awards and Magnolia Awards. It is known as the "national-level television art award uniquely determined primarily by audience voting". The award is presented by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Television Artists Association to honor outstanding television professionals and works across China.
Established in 1983, the China TV Golden Eagle Award was originally named the Popular Television Golden Eagle Award. In 1996, it was elevated to a national-level award. In 2000, it was upgraded to the China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival, with Changsha, Hunan designated as its permanent host city. Since 2005, the festival has been held biennially, with awards presented in even-numbered years.

History

Originally known as the Popular Television Golden Eagle Award established in 1983 by Zhejiang's Popular Television magazine, the award was founded by the magazine's editorial department to symbolize the soaring development of China's television industry like an eagle spreading its wings. The initiator was Lin Chenfu, then director of. The first awards ceremony was held in Kunming in March 1983, with winners selected through reader votes from Popular Television magazine. The ceremony was held annually thereafter.
Starting from the 15th ceremony in 1997, the award was jointly organized by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Television Artists Association. It was therefore renamed the China TV Golden Eagle Award, becoming a national comprehensive television art award. Initially focused on TV drama categories, it later expanded to include TV entertainment programs, documentaries, art films, and commercials. Each category comprises two main types of awards: "Best Work" and "Individual Achievement". The selection process shifted to a combination of expert evaluations, votes from CTAA members, and audience participation. Final rankings are determined by aggregated scores from these three groups, with audience votes fixed at 40% of the total weight. In case of ties, TV drama awards prioritize audience vote counts.
In 2000, the 18th ceremony marked a major transition when signed an agreement with CTAA and the. The company invested CN¥10 million to secure permanent hosting and commercial rights for the award, along with an annual payment of CN¥2.8 million to CTAA for expert evaluation fees. The award was upgraded to the China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival, aiming to become "China's premier cultural festival brand." Changsha became the permanent host city, with Hunan Television as the official broadcaster. The original rotating annual awards ceremony evolved into a three-day festival, held at the Hunan International Convention and Exhibition Center from 2000 to 2020 and at Hunan Broadcasting System's "Colourful Box" production base in 2022.
From 2005 onward, the Golden Eagle Award shifted to a biennial schedule. Beginning with the 30th ceremony in 2020, the award expanded eligibility to include "online audiovisual programs" such as web dramas, variety shows, documentaries, and animations.

Eligibility Criteria

Works submitted for consideration must be produced by production units approved by National Radio and Television Administration, hold valid distribution licenses, and meet one of the following broadcast requirements:
  • TV Series
  1. Aired on China Central Television within the specified timeframe;
  2. Aired on at least two provincial satellite TV channels within the specified timeframe;
  3. Aired on at least four provincial terrestrial channels within the specified timeframe;
  4. Released on national key video platforms within the specified timeframe.
  • TV Documentaries, Variety/Artistic Programs, and Animations
  1. Aired on China Central Television or provincial satellite TV channels within the specified timeframe;
  2. Aired on at least two provincial terrestrial channels within the specified timeframe;
  3. Aired on at least three municipal terrestrial channels within the specified timeframe;
  4. Released on national key video platforms within the specified timeframe.

Current Award Categories

Defunct categories

Major Awards Selection

In 2020, it was announced that a separate Best Actor award was created, and will be awarded based on polling from a panel of judges. Audience's Choice for Actor will be awarded based solely on three rounds of internet voting. For the first time, web dramas were also included in the list of nominations.

Golden Eagle Goddess

The Golden Eagle Goddess is a special symbolic figure established after the China TV Golden Eagle Awards was upgraded to the "China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival." The goddess, depicted with hands lifting a soaring golden eagle, represents the rapid rise of Chinese television dramas. Starting from the 6th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival and the 23rd China TV Golden Eagle Award in 2006, the organizers materialized the image of the "Golden Eagle Goddess" by selecting a new-generation female star with outstanding representative TV drama works in the past two years to serve as the festival's spokesperson. The first actress to hold the title was Liu Yifei.
On the opening day of each Golden Eagle TV Art Festival, the chosen "Golden Eagle Goddess" performs a dance at the ceremony wearing a full-body golden gown. For the first three editions, the goddess was directly appointed by the organizers. Beginning with the 9th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival and the 26th China TV Golden Eagle Award in 2012, the selection shifted to public online voting. Liu Shishi ultimately won the title of the fourth "Golden Eagle Goddess" with 2.78 million votes. For the 11th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival and the 28th China TV Golden Eagle Award, the organizers resumed directly appointing the goddess. Starting from the 12th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival and the 29th China TV Golden Eagle Award, the title was again determined by online voting.
Since 2022, the Golden Eagle Goddess was officially discontinued.
YearActressAgeRepresentative works
2006Liu Yifei19Chinese Paladin, The [Return of the Condor Heroes (2006 TV series)|The Return of the Condor Heroes]
2008Li Xiaolu26All the Misfortunes Caused by the Angel, Struggle, We Love You, Mr. Jin
2010Wang Luodan26My Youthfulness, Struggle, An Xiang
2012Liu Shishi25Chinese Paladin 3, Scarlet Heart, Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky
2014Zhao Liying27Legend of Lu Zhen, Boss & Me, The Journey of Flower
2016Tiffany Tang33My Sunshine, Lady & Liar, Legend of Fragrance, Diamond Lover
2018Dilraba Dilmurat26Pretty Li Hui Zhen, The Flame's Daughter, Sweet Dreams
2020Victoria Song33Find Yourself, Ice Fantasy, Moonshine and Valentine