WAVE Awards are coming to Fresno and you can submit

Your Media Projects Could Be Honored At The 2025 WAVE Awards

The WAVE Awards (Western Access Video Excellence) are presented annually by the Alliance for Community Media West Region. They recognize excellence in community media programming across six western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico.

We are excited to share that the 2025 WAVE Awards Ceremony will take place in Fresno on March 6 at the DoubleTree Hotel, as part of the ACM West Region Conference.

There are many categories to choose for both community producers and student producers. Have multiple videos? No problem—submit as many as you like! To learn more about the WAVE Awards, visit them on Film Freeway.

Submit on Your Own Through Film Freeway

You can still enter for a chance to win a WAVE Award!

You still have a chance to submit your media to the WAVE Awards and showcase your talent among the Western Region. Don’t miss out!

Deadline to submit your media is Friday, December 13, 2024

Submit through FilmFreeway

0Weeks0Days0Hours

Congrats to all the Past Winners!

Congratulations to our talented members and staff. In 2024, we submitted our very best to the Western Access Video Excellence (WAVE) Awards and were honored nine times!

These awards recognize excellence in community media programming in the ACM West Region consisting of Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico.

Arts, Culture & Events

STUDENT

Xang Xiong | Finding The Hmongness

The purpose of making my documentary is to present and allow the Hmong youths out there to take pride and appreciate the beauty of their Hmong identity.

Watch Now

Community Issues

COMMUNITY PRODUCER

Jennifer Robin, Tyler Phibbs | Endangered Language

An exploration of the language of the Southern Sierra Miwuk people of the Yosemite National Park region and how the preservation and resiliency of language is intrinsically tied to enduring place names, stories, arts, and culture of the Miwuk people.

Watch Now

Educational Access

PROFESSIONAL

Natalie Nigg | Media Representations and Why They Matter

In this video, we focus on representations in the media. We share some key terms that help us think critically about the media we interact with, and introduce concepts that help us understand how the media influences our self-image and our worldview, and why it’s important to understand this in our ever-expanding digital age.

Watch Now

Live Format/Sports

STUDENT

McLane High School Student Crew | CMAC High School Football

FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL! Get ready for an electrifying high school football showdown as the McLane Highlanders take on the Sunnyside Wildcats!

Watch Now

Narrative Film – Short or Feature

COMMUNITY PRODUCER

Angelica Hernandez | Heads or Tales

A coin toss decides the fate of two lovable criminals.

Watch Now

News/Documentary/Magazine Show

STUDENT

MCJ Department at Fresno State| Fresno State Focus

Fresno State Focus is an award-winning newscast produced by broadcast journalism and multimedia production students in the Department of Media, Communications, and Journalism at Fresno State.

Watch Now

Radio/Podcast Programming

ALL PRODUCERS

Martha Tsutsui Billins | Field Notes

Delve into the world of linguistic fieldwork, sharing the triumphs and trials faced while documenting rare languages. Inspired by host Martha Tsutsui Billins’ own field experiences, this podcast offers stories and lessons from veteran linguists, serving as a guide for researchers dedicated to safeguarding linguistic diversity.

Watch Now

Talk Show

COMMUNITY PRODUCER

Donald Munro, Kyle Lowe, and CMAC Volunteer Crew | The Munro Review

Donald Munro shares his favorite events from across the Central Valley and interviews artists on their craft. This episode features Camille Gaston, Amalie Larsen, and Miguel Gastelum playing the musical theatre quiz game!

Watch Now

Talk Show/Community Issues/Underserved Voices

STUDENT

Daniela Maciel Navarro | Where the City Drew the Line

The purpose of my documentary is to spread awareness of the rigged system (Redlining) put in place in our communities not so long ago, which still affects the lives of people today.

Watch Now

2023 Winners

2023 ACM West WAVE Awards
The 2023 WAVE Awards ceremony took place Thursday, February 23, 2023, and we would like to highlight our community producers who worked hard to turn their ideas into video content! Every year hundreds of videos throughout the west region are submitted under various categories and reviewed. The top videos in each category win the WAVE Awards.

COMMUNITY ISSUES (Student)
Our Disappearing Wetlands | Blanca Barajas

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE (Community Producer)
Culture, Language, and Environment at Circle V | USGBC Central California

NARRATIVE FILM – SHORT OR FEATURE (Student)
Legacy | Ryan Abner, Minarets High School

NEWS PROGRAMMING (Student)
Fresno State Focus | Fresno State Department of Media, Communications, and Journalism

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (Professional)
Sharrows PSA | CMAC Staff

SPORTS COVERAGE (Student)
CMAC Sports: McLane Vs. Roosevelt | McLane High School

UNDERSERVED VOICES (Community Producer)
Little Big Gym | Rigoberto Moran

UNDERSERVED VOICES (Student)
El Poder of a Classroom | Daniela Maciel

2022 Winners

Community Issues (Community Producer)
Love In Anxiety
Jason Duong, Julease Graham, Central Valley Community Foundation
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

Community Issues (Youth)
Immigration in the U.S.
Jennifer Garcia Villa
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

Documentary (Community Producer)
The Steam
Matthew Mealer, Central Valley Community Foundation
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

Educational Access (Professional)
Media Literacy: Creator Roles and Framing Your Message
Kyle Lowe
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

Educational Access (Youth)
Contemporary Education Barriers in Fresno’s Concentrated Poverty
Eunice Choy
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

Experimental (Youth)
Beasts in the Orange Clouds
Mario Landeros, El Diamante High School Visalia
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

Narrative Film – Short or Feature (Youth)
Incursion
Noah Lillywhite, Kai Willey, Sam Zurek
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

News Programming (Community Producer)
Fresno State Focus
MCJ 128 Class
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

News Programming (Youth)
Buchanan News Network
Buchanan High School
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

Sports Coverage (Professional)
Fresno State Esports
Dominique Zamora, Jeff Stamps
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

Underserved Voices (Youth)
Field Workers
Oscar Ledezma
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

Best of Show (Community or Youth)
The Steam
Matthew Mealer, Central Valley Community Foundation
CMAC Fresno/Clovis

2021 Winners

BEST IN SHOW & EDUCATIONAL
What is Media Literacy? | CMAC Staff
What is Media Literacy and why is it important? Natalie breaks down how media is all around us (seriously) and how to navigate the world of media we live in.

DOCUMENTARY
Fresno: A Home for All | Raymart Catacutan, Melissa Andrade
A documentary about resources for local homeless. Produced by Raymart Catacutan and Melissa Andrade in partnership with the CMAC Youth Voices program.

EXPERIMENTAL
Stupid Deep | Minarets High School

GOVERNMENT
100 Years of Suffrage | Orlando Gomez, League of Women Voters
2020 marks the 100th anniversary of national women’s suffrage. Learn about the women behind the movement in Fresno, and how local women today are honoring the sacrifices of the past.

MAGAZINE SHOW
The Munro Review | Donald Munro, CMAC Member Crew
Donald Munro shares his favorite events from across the Central Valley and interviews artists on their craft.

NEWS COVERAGE
Buchanan News Network | Buchanan High School
Buchanan High School’s ‘BNN Newscast’ providing the latest school news, reports, and sketches. Produced by students.

Fresno State Focus | Fresno State MCJ 128 Class
Fresno State Focus is a weekly news magazine program produced by broadcast journalism students on the campus of Fresno State.

SPORTS COVERAGE
CMAC High School Football by Hoover High School
High School Varsity Football: Hoover vs Roosevelt, Oct 10, 2019.

UNDERSERVED VOICES
Story Queens | Haley White
Drag Story Time in Fresno is part of a national movement to promote love, acceptance, fun, and reading for children and adults alike.

Tolteca: A Story of Success | Ruben Diaz, Gabby Rivas
A documentary about Aaron Ordaz, an immigrant, and owner of Candies Tolteca. Produced by Ruben Diaz, Gabby Rivas, and Mark Pizana in partnership with the CMAC Youth Voices program.

2020 Winners

Culture & Lifestyle (Professional)
Oakhurst Spirits
Lisa Talley, Cesar Perez

Experimental (Youth)
Hawthorne Animations
Mario Landeros, El Diamante High School

News Programming (Community Producer)
Fresno State Focus
MCJ 128 Class

News Programming (Youth)
Buchanan News Network
Buchanan High School

Sports Coverage (Youth)
CMAC High School Football
Roosevelt High School

Underserved Voices (Youth)
A Day In my Parent’s Shoes
Janet Saldana, Sunnyside High School VPA

2019 Winners

Arts, Entertainment & Performance – Youth
“I Built a Friend”
HANNAH WEAVER, SIENNA DELGADO, BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL, CMAC FRESNO/CLOVIS

Documentary (Youth)
“Heart of the Horse Therapy Ranch”
BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL & CMAC FRESNO/CLOVIS

News Programming (Community Producer)
Fresno State Focus
KIM STEPHENS, FAITH SIDLOW, MCJ 128, CMAC FRESNO/CLOVIS

News Programming (Youth)
“Buchanan News Network – Blood Drive Special”
BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL & CMAC FRESNO/CLOVIS

Sports Coverage (Community Producer)
“Fresno City College Basketball”
FRESNO STATE MCJ 116 & CMAC FRESNO/CLOVIS

Program/Channel Promo – Professional
“Youth Media Promo”
CHRIS SAMARO & CMAC FRESNO/CLOVIS

2018 Winners

Community Issues (Professional)
Arts in Corrections
Chris Samaro, CMAC Fresno/Clovis
*Fun fact: We tied with PADNET TV (Women Shelter of Long Beach)!

Sports Coverage (Youth)
CMAC High School Football
Cesar Perez-Villegas, CMAC Fresno/Clovis, McLane High School

Documentary (Youth)
The Last Farmer
Abigail Davis, Madalyn Davis, CART and CMAC

News Programming (Community Producer)
Fresno State Focus
MCJ 128, Faith Sidlow, CMAC Fresno/Clovis

2017 Winners

Sports Coverage (Community Producer)
Fresno City College Basketball
Prof. Jes Therkelsen, MCJ 116, CMAC Fresno/Clovis

Sports Coverage (Professional)
Fresno Fuego Soccer
CMAC Fresno/Clovis & our amazing student crew

News Programming (Community Producer)
Fresno State Focus
MCJ 128, Faith Sidlow, CMAC Fresno/Clovis

2016 Winners

Sports Coverage (Youth)
CMAC High School Football
Sunnyside High School Video Production Academy

Contact Info

Address:
1555 Van Ness Ave.
Suite #201
Fresno, CA 93721

Phone:
(559) 266-2622

Parking: Free in the northwest corner lot in stalls marked CMAC. Free street parking.

Hours:
Tues: 12 – 8 p.m.
Wed: 12 – 8 p.m.
Thur: 12 – 8 p.m.
Fri: 12 – 6 p.m.
Sat: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Email Us

Your Media Projects Could Be Honored At The 2025 WAVE Awards

You can still enter for a chance to win a WAVE Award!

Congrats to all the Past Winners!

Arts, Culture & Events

STUDENT

Xang Xiong | Finding The Hmongness

Community Issues

COMMUNITY PRODUCER

Jennifer Robin, Tyler Phibbs | Endangered Language

Educational Access

PROFESSIONAL

Natalie Nigg | Media Representations and Why They Matter

Live Format/Sports

STUDENT

McLane High School Student Crew | CMAC High School Football

Narrative Film – Short or Feature

COMMUNITY PRODUCER

Angelica Hernandez | Heads or Tales

News/Documentary/Magazine Show

STUDENT

MCJ Department at Fresno State| Fresno State Focus

Radio/Podcast Programming

ALL PRODUCERS

Martha Tsutsui Billins | Field Notes

Talk Show

COMMUNITY PRODUCER

Donald Munro, Kyle Lowe, and CMAC Volunteer Crew | The Munro Review

Talk Show/Community Issues/Underserved Voices

STUDENT

Daniela Maciel Navarro | Where the City Drew the Line

Contact Info

Receive Our Newsletter

Follow Us

WAVE Awards are coming to Fresno and you can submit

Your Media Projects Could Be Honored At The 2025 WAVE Awards

You can still enter for a chance to win a WAVE Award!

Congrats to all the Past Winners!

Arts, Culture & Events

STUDENT

Xang Xiong | Finding The Hmongness

Community Issues

COMMUNITY PRODUCER

Jennifer Robin, Tyler Phibbs | Endangered Language

Educational Access

PROFESSIONAL

Natalie Nigg | Media Representations and Why They Matter

Live Format/Sports

STUDENT

McLane High School Student Crew | CMAC High School Football

Narrative Film – Short or Feature

COMMUNITY PRODUCER

Angelica Hernandez | Heads or Tales

News/Documentary/Magazine Show

STUDENT

MCJ Department at Fresno State| Fresno State Focus

Radio/Podcast Programming

ALL PRODUCERS

Martha Tsutsui Billins | Field Notes

Talk Show

COMMUNITY PRODUCER

Donald Munro, Kyle Lowe, and CMAC Volunteer Crew | The Munro Review

Talk Show/Community Issues/Underserved Voices

STUDENT

Daniela Maciel Navarro | Where the City Drew the Line

Contact Info

Receive Our Newsletter

Follow Us

Quicklinks Menu