This award goes to the person, team or organisation whose work has made an outstanding contribution over the last 12 months to any aspect of the industry.

The nominee’s work, either in front of the camera or behind the scenes should have made a significant and lasting impact on audiences in the North East and the Borders — and on a wider stage. The Judges were keen to invite nominations from as broad a range of talents as possible, including teams from broadcast and non-broadcast production. In every case the judges were looking for evidence of recent exceptional achievements.

The Guest Presenter was Theresa Wise, the Chief Executive of the RTS, who said:

The recipient of our award this year is a team.  More precisely, it's a team of producer/broadcasters based here in the North East.  At a time when many channels are going global, this is one that's unashamedly local. ln the relatively short time it has been broadcasting, it has established itself as a distinctive voice across Tyne and Wear.

Local news, magazine programmes, currents affairs, sport, fashion, food and entertainment are produced on tight deadlines and even tighter budgets.  Its TV output has a weekly reach of more than 300,000, but on-line and across social media the channel's audience is much bigger.  Made in Tyne and Wear is part of a network of local stations set up to serve towns and cities across the UK, which means programmes made here are often screened across the nation.

But this year, two things made this channel and this production team stand out.  Firstly, they've become a nursery slope for new talent. Journalists, producers and crew have been getting their first professional jobs at the station's production centre in Sunderland.  Managers encourage programme-makers with new ideas.  You may not get the biggest budgets, but you are very likely to see your work and formats make it to screen.

Secondly, this is a team which is truly innovative in their commissioning and scheduling.  They use the latest mobile technologies to go live — not just for news reports, but for full-scale awards shows.  And their partnership with Pride Radio has resulted in twice-weekly shows for the LGBT community, broadcast from the North East across the Made network in the UK, and across the world on Pride's radio and social media channels.

They're big supporters of local charities and they work tirelessly to reflect the life of their region.  The Royal Television Society Centre Award goes to Made in Tyne and Wear.

Winner:
MADE IN TYNE AND WEAR