SMU's Celebration of Story earns nine Telly Awards, including three Gold honors

The project earned awards across directing, editing, writing, visual effects and arts and culture categories, placing it among a select group of winners chosen from more than 13,000 entries submitted worldwide.

SMU English | Telly Award Winners
June 04, 2026

DALLAS (SMU) — Celebration of Story, the storytelling initiative created by SMU’s Department of English, has received nine honors in the 47th Annual Telly Awards, one of the world's premier competitions recognizing excellence in video and television across all screens.

The project earned awards across directing, editing, writing, visual effects and arts and culture categories, placing it among a select group of winners chosen from more than 13,000 entries submitted worldwide.

Originally launched in 2025 as a broadcast special and public arts campaign celebrating the power of storytelling across North Texas, Celebration of Story brought together nationally recognized writers, musicians, artists and community voices to explore how stories shape identity, memory and civic life.

"Celebration of Story was built on a simple idea: stories connect us," said Dr. Christopher González, Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Endowed Chair in English and chair of the Department of English at Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. "These awards affirm the value of bringing the humanities into public conversation and demonstrate how storytelling can engage audiences far beyond traditional academic spaces."

"These awards reflect the creativity, ambition and public impact of the humanities at SMU," said Janan Jayawickramarajah, Elisabeth Martin Armstrong Dean of Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. "Celebration of Story demonstrates how the humanities can engage broad audiences, foster meaningful connections and contribute to the cultural life of our region. We are proud to see this work recognized on a national stage."

Among the honors received were a Gold Telly Award for Celebration of Story in the Arts & Culture category, a Silver Telly Award for Editing, and Bronze Telly Awards for Directing and Writing. Additional recognition was awarded to companion pieces Stories Connect Us, Every Game Has a Story and A Conversation with 24th U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón.

The winning entries include:

The project was executive produced by Alan H. Rose, assistant director of marketing and communications in SMU's Department of English and a multiple Lone Star Emmy Award-winning producer. Rose developed the initiative as a public-facing humanities campaign designed to showcase the role of storytelling in communities, culture and civic life.

"What started as a way for the SMU Department of English to celebrate World Storytelling Day grew into a regional storytelling initiative that brought together nationally recognized artists, North Texas cultural leaders, Mustangs across the globe and communities throughout the region," Rose said. "We're honored that Celebration of Story has been recognized with nine Telly Awards. This recognition reflects the extraordinary collaboration behind the project and demonstrates how SMU can bring together artists, educators, civic leaders and community voices through the power of storytelling."

The original Celebration of Story broadcast featured appearances from former U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, acclaimed photographer Laura Wilson, Mike Eli of the Eli Young Band, Texas Rangers broadcaster Jared Sandler, Dallas Poet Laureate and SMU faculty member Mag Gabbert, and dozens of artists, alumni and community voices from across North Texas. The initiative also included the large-scale projection mapping event Stories Connect Us on Dallas Hall and proclamations from seven North Texas municipalities and the SMU Student Senate recognizing World Storytelling Day.

Beyond the broadcast, Celebration of Story serves as an ongoing platform for sharing stories from students, alumni, faculty and community members through SMU's Department of English, highlighting storytelling as both an artistic practice and a form of public engagement.

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June 04, 2026