The Coca-Cola HBCU Sports Production Grant Administered by NATAS Names 2026 Student Winners
New York (May 5, 2026) – The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced the Gold & Silver Circle Honor Society inductees and NATAS Foundation scholarship recipients who will be celebrated at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards and the 47th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards taking place May 26-28 in New York City. NATAS has again partnered with Coca-Cola to reward three winning student entries with the Coca-Cola HBCU Sports Production Grant at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards.
The NATAS Foundation, in partnership with Coca-Cola, is proud to announce the three winning entries for the 2026 Coca-Cola HBCU Sports Production Grant. The $40,000 grant program, now in its fifth year, recognizes outstanding student storytellers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are passionate about sports, storytelling and media production. These winners will help make up the next generation of sports media creators, bringing to life the voices, pride and impact of HBCU athletics.
View below a video of ceremony host Roy Wood Jr. surprising the deserving students
Winners were notified by ceremony host Roy Wood Jr. and NATAS Foundation Cochair Danielle Mannion, and will be flown to New York to receive recognition and connect with industry professionals at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards on May 26. This year saw a record number of submissions, up by 88%, driven by the efforts of a volunteer HBCU Advisory Committee made up of sports and media industry leaders including Roy Wood Jr., Drew Watkins (Warner Bros. Discovery), Howard Bryant (CBS Sports) and more.
Winners of the Coca-Cola HBCU Production Grant administered by the NATAS Foundation:
- First Place: Stevie Jackson, Mateo McIntosh, Makai Brown and Ian Chamberlin (Morehouse College)
- Second Place: Darnell Walker-Jones, Charmiana Delphonse and Rowan Mumford (Florida A&M University)
- Third Place: Sanaiyah Baines-Butler and Tia Jarvis (Delaware State University)
“The NATAS Scholarship Committee is proud to support tomorrow’s media professionals with this financial assistance and deserving platform,” said NATAS Foundation Cochair Barbara Williams Perry. Cochair Danielle Mannion added, “this year’s student submissions from across the country impressed our team of judges with their creativity and passion, and we’re excited to celebrate these bright minds together in May.”
NATAS Foundation Scholarship Recipients:
- Jim McKay Memorial Scholarship presented on May 26 at the Sports Emmys
- Thomas Gamba (Mineola, NY)
- Named for sportscaster Jim McKay (1921-2008), this scholarship is awarded to a student pursuing a career in sports television and is funded by ABC/ESPN, CBS, FOX, HBO, and NBC.
- Mike Wallace Memorial Scholarship presented on May 27, News Night of the 47th News & Documentary Emmys
- Santiago Campos (Washington, DC)
- Named for news correspondent Mike Wallace (1918-2012), this scholarship is awarded to a student pursuing a career in television journalism and is funded by a grant from CBS News.
- Doug W. Mummert Scholarship presented on May 28, Documentary Night of the 47th News & Documentary Emmys
- Cameron Kirkegaard (Grand Junction, CO)
- This scholarship is awarded to a student pursuing a career in the television industry who has made a positive impact through community service.
The Gold & Silver Circle Honor Society recognizes exceptional individuals who have made significant and impactful contributions to the television industry and their respective fields. Inductees to the Gold & Silver Circle have performed distinguished service and exhibited inspirational careers for 50 and 25 years respectively.
2026 Sports Inductees, Gold & Silver Circle
Gold
- Howard Katz (Former Senior Vice President, Broadcasting for the NFL)
Silver
- Kenny Albert (Play by Play Announcer, NBC Sports)
- Steve Anderson (Executive Vice President, ESPN – retired)
- Pete Macheska (Producer, FOX Sports)
- Suzanne Smith (Director, NFL on CBS; Coordinating Producer, “We Need To Talk”)
- Hannah Storm (Anchor and Host, ESPN)
2026 News Inductees, Gold & Silver Circle
Gold
- Mary Laurence Flynn (Senior Producer, NBC News)
- Fountain Jones (Sr. Technical Director/Vision Mixer/Audio Engineer, CBS; and, formerly Recording and Mixing Audio Engineer, ABC)
- Jim Murphy (Former Senior Vice President, CNN)
- David Sloan (Senior Executive Producer, ABC News)
- Kerry Smith (Senior Vice President, ABC News)
- Mary Walsh (Producer, CBS)
Silver
- Fredricka Whitfield (News Anchor and Journalist, CNN)
2026 Documentary Inductees, Gold & Silver Circle
Gold
- Susan Lacy (Documentary Film Director and Producer; Creator and Executive Producer of PBS American Masters)
Silver
- Patricia Aufderheide (University Professor, School of Communication, American University, Washington, D.C.)
- R.J. Cutler (Filmmaker / President and Founder of This Machine Filmworks)
- Sally Jo Fifer (Former President and CEO at Independent Television Service/ITVS)
- Vicente Franco Izquierdo (Cinematographer / Director, Franco Productions)
- Renee Tajima-Peña (Documentary filmmaker and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles/UCLA)
About the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy® Awards for News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime and Children’s & Family programming, as well as achievements in television Technology & Engineering.
NATAS membership is made up of National members joined by more than 18,000+ broadcast and media professionals represented in 19 regional chapters across the country. Beyond awards, NATAS has extensive educational programs including its National Student Production Awards for outstanding journalistic work by high school students, as well as scholarships for aspiring filmmakers and broadcasters.
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