The Western Association of Broadcasters (WAB) and the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters (BCAB) are inviting submissions for their newly-combined awards program.

Set to be handed out during the inaugural FWD Conference, happening June 3-4 in Kelowna, the awards are open to submissions until April 15.

BCAB President Kevin Gemmell, General Manager at Pattison Media in Prince George, said the combined awards program will see the conference “showcase the best in the west,” with the FWD Awards to “unify” excellence across WAB and BCAB member stations.

The new program also presented an opportunity to “refine” the award categories, according to Gemmell, streamlining the categories to six, including Lifetime Achievement, Creative Excellence, Community Impact, Emerging Leader, Digital Innovation, and the News & Storytelling Excellence Award.

“From impacting the communities we serve, to creative and news/storytelling excellence, and of course, innovation in the digital arena, every member in every market should be able to find a submission for each of the available categories,” Gemmell told Broadcast Dialgoue. “Add to that the opportunity to highlight both emerging leaders and those that have committed a lifetime to their broadcasting and digital media career through the Lifetime Achievement Award, all areas have been covered to honour excellence and commitment to our member stations and companies.”

Organizers are hoping to see a record number of award submissions this year.

“From Manitoba to B.C., we have amazing talent in radio, television and digital spheres that deserve to be recognized for their innovation, storytelling and creativity,” he added.

Both BCAB and WAB will also continue to hand out their respective service awards via the BCAB Quarter and Half Century Club designations, along with the WAB Broadcast Order of Achievement.

Gemmell said the conference committee has been working hard to put together a strong lineup of speakers and presenters ahead of the conference.

“Couple that with the location on the lakeside of Kelowna and the 2026 FWD Conference will provide for the best networking, recognition and learning opportunity of any broadcasting and digital media conference in Canada. We look forward to having a full house of attendees,” said Gemmell.