USAID supported Sisimpur, the popular children’s program for Bangladeshi children, has won the internationally acclaimed 45th The Telly Awards under the category of “Television – DEI: Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion” for its introduction of a new character, Julia, who has autism using Bangla sign language during Season 15.

The Telly Awards, the world’s largest honor for video and television across all screens. Since 1979, the esteemed Telly Awards have honored the best work in the video medium and evolved to include a wide range of other multimedia, recognizing winners from around the world for contributing to positive change in society through meaningful visual content.

Sisimpur was selected as winner from a record breaking 13,000 submissions from 56 countries. In addition to Sisimpur, other world-renowned organizations that received awards this year included the Newsweek, LinkedIn, Al Jazeera, Disney, Pepsi Foundation, NBC Television, National Geographic, Sky News, NASA Television, Clinton Foundation, Walmart, and Warner Bros.

Expressing his excitement for the Silver Telly Award, the Managing Director of Sesame Workshop Bangladesh (SWB) and Chief of Party of USAID’s Promoting Education for Early Learners project/Sisimpur project, Mr. Mohammad Shah Alam said, “This is undoubtedly a great achievement for the Bangladesh media industry and for everyone involved with the program. The Telly Awards is a very prestigious award. I believe this is a matter of great pride for the Sesame Workshop Bangladesh team and for as a whole. Winning such an award on a global platform will inspire us further to continue our important work focused on DEI. Our 19 years of endeavor to help children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder through creating and distributing essential contents for the development and education of young children in our country is truly being recognized.”

Other awards Sisimpur has received include The Anthem award in 2024, the Kidscreen Award in 2022, and the BBC World Service Trust in 2010 for the best children show and the third most popular show in overall. Since its premiere in 2005, Sisimpur has received generous support and technical guidance from USAID/Bangladesh.