Manager, Awards - CNN

Warner Bros. Discovery•New York, NY

3d•$74,986 - $139,260

About The Position

The Awards Manager oversees CNN Worldwide's awards program from strategy through execution, managing approximately 150 annual submissions across high-profile journalism, documentary, digital and industry competitions, including the News & Documentary Emmys, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards, Peabody Awards, George Polk Awards, Webbys, Overseas Press Club Awards and more. This role partners across CNN Worldwide (including News-gathering, U.S. Programming on TV and Streaming, CNN International, CNN Digital Products & Services, CNN Originals and CNN PR) to develop competitive submissions, manage award campaigns and represent CNN with major awards organizations.

Requirements

5+ years experience
Exceptionally organized, thorough and detail-oriented, with a commitment to accuracy and quality.
Proven ability to manage a high volume of concurrent projects while balancing competing priorities and meeting hard external deadlines.
Self-motivated and dependable, with the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across teams and departments.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact professionally with senior executives, editorial leaders, external partners and awards organizations.
Highly adaptable and comfortable navigating evolving programming priorities, awards criteria and submission requirements.
Demonstrated ability to remain calm under pressure, manage sensitive situations with discretion and build productive relationships across a variety of personalities.
Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and holidays on a seasonal basis to support submission deadlines, nominations and awards ceremonies.
Experience in the entertainment, news or media industry is required; experience managing awards programs or campaigns is strongly preferred.

Nice To Haves

experience managing awards programs or campaigns is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead CNN's annual awards strategy and execution across approximately 150 competitions, managing the process from eligibility review and submission through nominations, ceremonies and post-awards communications.
Partner with editorial leadership to develop submission strategies, recommend competitive categories and identify the strongest entries across CNN Worldwide programming.
Develop expertise in awards rules, eligibility requirements and category strategy to ensure submissions are competitive, accurate and compliant, serving as a trusted resource on awards strategy across CNN Worldwide.
Manage all aspects of the submission process, including entry forms, editorial materials, video clips, photography, supporting documentation and required assets while meeting firm external deadlines.
Partner with editorial, production and communications teams to identify competitive submissions and gather supporting materials.
Exercise strong judgment in evaluating eligibility, interpreting competition rules and making recommendations on submission and crediting decisions in consultation with editorial, production, communications and legal partners.
Complete accurate submissions in accordance with eligibility requirements and manage all supporting materials, including video clips, photography, production credits, and required documentation while meeting firm external deadlines.
Gather, organize and produce nomination and submission materials, including editing clip packages and coordinating supporting assets.
Serve as CNN's primary liaison with awards organizations, maintaining strong relationships and resolving eligibility, credit and submission questions.
Manage and maintain the awards budget tracker across all projects, ensuring accurate and up-to-date visibility into project costs, commitments and overall budget status.
Lead ceremony logistics, including nominee communications, executive attendance, publicist coordination, credentials and red-carpet planning.
Partner with Communications, Marketing and Production teams to support awards events, including talent participation, promotional materials and industry outreach.
Create and maintain awards calendars, submission trackers, voter databases and historical records to support long-term planning and campaign execution.
Draft and distribute timely, accurate communications announcing nominations, wins and awards-related updates for internal and external audiences.
Maintain comprehensive programming calendars and production records to support eligibility tracking and future submissions.
Collaborate with the Warner Bros. Discovery Awards team to align on enterprise initiatives, best practices and corporate opportunities.