Two YMA Awards of Excellence nominations? Now that’s something to celebrate! 🎉
The nominations for the 2025 Youth Media Alliance (YMA) Awards of Excellence, which celebrate excellence in Canadian children’s and youth media, have been announced and we are thrilled to share that our 9 Story series have received two nominations.
First up Let’s Go, Bananas! has been nominated in the category of Best Program, Animation (Preschool, Ages 3-5), for the episode Sleepover Party Pooper/Great Growl-Mom. The series is nominated alongside fellow nominees Caillou produced by IoM Media Ventures Inc., Luna, Chip & Inkie: Adventure Rangers Go, produced by Knowledge Network, Epic Story Media, TFO, Canada Media Fund, and the Shaw Rocket Fund, and Dino Ranch, produced by Boat Rocker and Industrial Brothers.
Let’s Go, Bananas! is created by Tim Bain (writer on Bluey, PJ Masks, and creator of Nick Jr’s Kangaroo Beach), based on his own joyfully bonkers family life. The show features a community of three sweet, silly animal families; gorilla girl Apple and her two Dads (the Bananas), crocodile twins Josh and Jamie and their single mother (the Crockers), and sisters Stellar and Piper and their tiger Mom and gazelle Dad (the Tiger-Zelles). Let’s Go, Bananas! is developed and produced by 9 Story Media Group, animated by Brown Bag Films (Toronto), and directed by Brown Bag Films’ own Matt Mitchell (Let’s Go Luna, Rosie’s Rules).
Next up, a WOWMAZING shout out to Ellora Lopez on her nomination in the category of Outstanding Youth Performer as the voice of Rosie on Rosie’s Rules. Other nominees in the category include Michela Luci for Dino Dex (Sinking Ship Entertainment) and Ava Louise Murchison for Jane (Sinking Ship Entertainment.)
Rosie’s Rules is a series that follows the many adventures of Rosie Fuentes, a hilarious and curious 5-year-old Mexican-American girl who is figuring out how the world around her works. The show focuses on her multicultural blended family who support Rosie as she learns new things and shares the “rules” about life she’s discovering along the way.
Rosie’s Rules is produced by 9 Story Media Group and animated by the award-winning animation studio Brown Bag Films – Toronto. It was created by Emmy® Award-winning writer and author Jennifer Hamburg (Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, Santiago of the Seas), with Maria Escobedo (Grey’s Anatomy, Elena of Avalor, Ninas World) acting as Story Editor.
A huge congratulations to our incredible Let’s Go, Bananas! team, the amazing Ellora Lopez and to all the 2025 YMA Awards of Excellence nominees. This type of recognition is a meaningful validation for all the hard work and passion that our teams and talent put into creating content that we hope will inspire and entertain kids and families around the world, with both playful and positive values, for many generations to come.
The Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence is an annual event hosted by the Youth Media Alliance (YMA), a non-profit organization that supports the production and distribution of quality media for children and youth in Canada. The awards celebrate the best in Canadian children’s and youth media across various categories, including television programs, digital content, podcasts, interactive media, and more. The event brings together media producers, broadcasters, distributors, educators, and others involved in the industry to celebrate the achievements and recognize content creators, producers, writers, directors, and other industry professionals who have made a significant impact in the Canadian children’s media industry.
The winners of this year’s Awards of Excellence will be revealed during a gala evening on May 28th at CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.