Crazy Fun Park claims Prix Jeunesse prize

As first-time Prix Jeunesse goers, we’d been told by past festival attendees to expect an incredibly friendly atmosphere, and they weren’t wrong.

Held at the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation in Munich every two years over six jam-packed days, Prix Jeunesse International is a renowned meeting place to share content and discussion in children’s and youth television from all around the world. Celebrating its 60^th anniversary this year, it is a warm and inclusive event visited by a variety of children’s media professionals from a huge range of countries.

Each day we attended screenings of fiction or non-fiction shows, across three age categories: 0-6, 7-10 and 11-15. Each category was followed by rigorous group discussion around what had just been seen, as well as various talks and panels (such as ‘Artificial intelligence and Children’s TV’ and ‘How Did You Do That – Directing Toddlers’) and nighttime social events, such as a soccer match, a karaoke night, and the much-anticipated award night and party.

As we were judging across every category, we watched 84 finalist programs from over 25 countries, considering them with four criteria in mind: how well a show reached its target audience; the strength and originality of its idea; the quality of its script; and how well the project was realised on screen. The competition was tough with so much incredible content, whether it be a heart-warming ob-doc about two young friends going for a hike in the mountains of Taiwan, a hilarious comedy based at a kids’ Superhero Academy from Norway, or an ultimately inspiring story of a girl’s grief from Japan.

Despite all finalists’ desire to take home an award, Prix Jeunesse is much more than a competition. It asks that you challenge yourself to ‘reach beyond your own experiences – explore and enjoy new cultures and media environments’ and to see the festival as ‘an invaluable creative refresher’. 

Prix Jeunesse is also distinct in that it places as much importance on children’s and youth juries as it does on its adult voters. While a Children’s Jury of local Munich kids votes on the 7 to 10 categories, the 11 to 15 content is judged by five international Youth Juries, each made up of 15 kids hailing from – in 2024 – Chile, Slovenia, the USA, Taiwan and Tajikastan. It was an incredible privilege for team members from the ACTF and ABC to accept the Youth Jury Award for 11-15 Fiction for Crazy Fun Park on behalf of Werner Film Productions and we were thrilled that the show was unanimously loved by the children who watched it.

Prix Jeunesse 2024 was a whirlwind, and it was a joy to be there. The calibre of the finalists and the dedication and passion of every attendee was awe-inspiring. We can’t wait to see what Prix Jeunesse has in store for participants in 2026.

Prix Jeunesse 2024 was attended by ACTF Development Managers Jo Kasch and Paul Gartside. Images by Marco Orlando Pichler, with thanks to the Prix Jeunesse Foundation.