Overview
- Eligibility requires at least 60 episodes across five or more seasons and evidence of sustained relevance or influence, with franchises considered as a single entity and each program limited to one honor.
- Candidates will be identified annually by the Governors Award committee, which is being renamed the Special Awards Committee, and then put to a Board of Governors vote.
- Submissions may come from Board members, the Special Awards Committee, or individuals who can propose recipients via letter to the Television Academy.
- Recipients will receive engraved Emmy statuettes, but the Academy has not set when or where the award will be presented, noting possibilities such as the Creative Arts Emmys, the Primetime telecast, Televerse, or the Hall of Fame; a 2026 debut remains unconfirmed.
- The Academy says eligible programs can be ongoing or long concluded, citing examples like Grey’s Anatomy and Gunsmoke, and media outlets are already speculating about potential recipients.