International Emmy Founders Award


The International Emmy Founders Award is given by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to individuals whose creative accomplishments have contributed in some way to the quality of global television production. The awards ceremony has taken place in New York City since 1980.

Winners

YearWinnerCountryNote
1980Jim HensonCreator of The Muppets
1981Shaun SuttonHead of BBC-TV's Drama Group
1981Roone ArledgeExecutive producer, ABC's Wide World of Sports
1982Michael LandonExecutive producer, director, writer and performer
1983Herbert BrodkinProducer, co-founder of Titus Productions
1984David L. WolperProducer and television executive
1985David AttenboroughCreator, writer, producer and TV host
1986Donald L. TaffnerPresident, D.L. Taffner Ltd
1987Jacques-Yves CousteauPresident, Cousteau Society
1988Goar MestreLatin American Broadcasting Pioneer
1989Paul FoxManaging director, BBC Television
1990Joan Ganz CooneyAmerican television producer
1991Adrian CowellFilm Maker, ITV Central
1992Bill Cosby56th Governor of New York
2021---
2022Ava DuVernayFilmmaker
2023Jesse ArmstrongScreenwriter and producer
2024David E. KelleyTelevision writer, producer
2025Dana WaldenCo-chairman of Disney Entertainment

Rescinded awards

Kevin Spacey (2017)

Actor and producer Kevin Spacey was chosen to be the recipient of the award for 2017, but the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences later tweeted a reversal of their decision, following accusations of sexual misconduct by Spacey in 1986 towards a then-14-year-old Anthony Rapp.

Andrew Cuomo (2020)

Andrew Cuomo, who was the Governor of New York at the time, received the award during the 2020 ceremony for his daily briefings during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, which the International Academy said "effectively created television shows, with characters, plot lines, and stories of success and failure". However, shortly after Cuomo's resignation on August 24, 2021, following a report by the state attorney general into allegations of sexual harassment, the academy rescinded his award.