‘Heartstopper,’ ‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,’ Among Inaugural Winners of The Velma Awards (Exclusive)

Liam James2 weeks agoLast Updated: 10 December 2024

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Heartstopper and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Netflix’s adaptation of Alice Oseman’s popular graphic novel Heartstopper, Disney and Marvel’s recently canceled Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and the Jim Henson Company’s musical Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock are among the linear, streaming, and indie series and creatives honored as part of the inaugural edition of The Velma Awards.

Launched this year as the first initiative from The Rainbow Project, and co-founded by industry veterans Chris Nee, Kristi Reed, and Jeremy Blacklow, The Velmas focuses on elevating and celebrating children’s media pushing the boundaries of LGBTQ-inclusive storytelling.

“Statistically, the number of characters who are LGBTQIA+ is incredibly small, but the feeling of it for people who are often, even in theory, allies is that there’s been so much material out there. It’s this world where a little bit more representation starts to feel like it’s everywhere — like there’s a lot — to people. But the dangers of losing this inclusive content are so clear,” says Nee. “LGBTQIA+ youth are not going away — they’re here as they’ve always been — and continuing to build shows where people who live in our world are baked into these universes is a deeply important part of continuing to make sure people are safe and welcome in this world.”

Fourteen winners were selected by Nee, Reed, and Blacklow based on recommendations from fellow LGBTQ+ industry members working in the kids and family space. Each honoree highlights achievements in storytelling that present positive mirroring and illustrate the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ youth and their families. Individual categories are distinctive and, at times, playful, to be more reflective of the nature of the representation produced versus the medium, audience, or platform of the work.

Winners span pre-school to young adult releases, along with series and specials. The live-action, animated, and puppetry titles were produced by studios such as DreamWorks Animation Television, Marvel Animation, Mattel Television, See-Saw Films, 9 Story Media Group, Wonderstorm, and Big Bad Boo Studios, and released on platforms like the Disney Channel, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Apple TV+, Hulu, Cartoon Network, and independently via YouTube.

“This brave and daring effort that kids programming creators are making across this industry is a uniquely challenging thing, especially in an era where there are so many people fighting to take away our community’s rights,” says Blacklow. “When trans people are under attack in this country every day and have become political pawns instead of human beings, yes, representation matters more than ever.”

This year’s winners also spanned unreleased content, with an honor going to an unaired Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur episode tackling the issue of trans children in sports, something Reed called “a courageous work.”

“We wanted a spotlight on these shows that manage to get LGBTQ+ representation out there in one way or another, and help raise these voices to show that there is an audience for this,” she says of the honors. “The Rainbow Project’s mission statement is all about spotlighting the courageous — the courage of an artist to create positive mirroring for a new generation.”

Below, The Hollywood Reporter shares the complete list of Velma Award winners.

Legacy Award

Steven Universe (Cartoon Network)

Most Impressive Indie Innovator

Queer Kid Stuff (YouTube)

Best Queer Show You Wish Existed When You Were Growing Up

Heartstopper, Season 3 (Netflix)

Best Old World Show With New World Thinking

Danny Joe’s Tree House (YouTube)

Best Episode (Period!) That Also Never Saw the Light of Day

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, “The Gatekeeper” (Disney Channel)

Best Episode for Storytime with Drag Queens