SMPTE Announces 2026 Honorees

SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced its 2026 Honorees, recognizing individuals and organizations whose contributions have advanced media technology and the entertainment industry. The honors will be presented at the annual SMPTE Awards Gala on Thursday, Nov. 19, at the conclusion of the 2026 SMPTE Media Technology Summit at the Pasadena Convention Center.

I want to congratulate all of this year's honorees, says Renard T. Jenkins, Fellows Committee Chair and SMPTE Past President. Their dedication to SMPTE and to our industry is an inspiration, and their contributions have had a lasting impact on media technology and the people it serves. We are proud to recognize their achievements.

This year, 32 individuals and organizations will be recognized across 13 SMPTE honors. Among them is the Society's highest distinction, Honorary Membership, recognizing individuals who have performed eminent service in the advancement of engineering in motion pictures, television, or the allied arts and sciences. Past recipients include Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, George Lucas and James Cameron.

2026 SMPTE Honorees:

Honorary Membership will be conferred on John Dykstra, ASC, in recognition of more than four decades of contributions to motion picture imaging engineering. A founding figure in modern motion picture visual effects, Dykstra pioneered groundbreaking technologies and techniques for Star Wars that helped transform visual effects production.

The David Sarnoff Medal is being awarded to Jerry C. Whitaker in recognition of his visionary leadership in the creation and deployment of digital television standards, including ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0.

This year's recipient of the Progress Medal is Robert P. Seidel, in recognition of his decades of sustained contributions to HDTV deployment, digital television standards, multichannel audio, and the architecture of next-generation broadcast infrastructure.

The Excellence in Education Medal will be presented to Anil Kokaram for his outstanding contributions to academic and extracurricular engineering education.

The Workflow Systems Medal will be awarded to Bruce Devlin, in recognition of his pioneering leadership in the development, standardization and adoption of interoperable media workflows, transforming the industry from tape-based operations to modern file-based and software-defined production.

The James A. Lindner Archival Technology Medal will be presented to Nicholas Bergh in recognition of his pioneering contributions to audio preservation technology.

The Excellence in Standards Award recognizes individuals who have played an active role in advancing SMPTE Standards, activities and processes. This year's award will be presented to Jerry Pierce (posthumous) and Wade Hanniball, in recognition of their sustained leadership in the development, standardization and worldwide deployment of digital cinema technologies.

Polly Chesnokova, from the AFI Conservatory, will be the recipient of the Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship, designed to assist students in furthering their undergraduate or graduate studies in motion pictures and television, with an emphasis on technology.

The Journal Award for the best paper originally published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal during 2025 will go to Charles Q. Robinson for Cinema Sound Playback Level and Audience Satisfaction. Journal Certificates of Merit will be awarded to David Long, Rod Bogart, Spencer Stephens, Catherine Meininger, Joseph Goldstone, Tim S. Kang, Kathryn Brillhart and Jim Geduldick for Color Management Principles for LED Panels in On-Set Virtual Production, and to Tania Pouli, Khaoula Ounajim and Daniel Menard for Evaluating the Energy Impact of Different Dimensions of UHD.

The Student Paper Award will be presented to Miles Katz for his paper, Evaluating Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in SMPTE ST 2110 Media Networks.

In memoriam, Henry (Hank) Mahler will join the SMPTE Honor Roll in recognition of his extraordinary engineering leadership and innovation across broadcast audio, color television, sports production and high-definition imaging.

SMPTE Fellows:

Nine new SMPTE Fellows will be recognized at this year's Gala for their outstanding proficiency and contributions to the motion picture, television and related industries. The 2026 inductees are Zandra Clarke, Jimmy Fournier, Thomas Heritage, Harvey Landy, Steve LLamb, Yukihiro Nishida, C.V. Rao, Allan Schollnick and Marc Zorn

More information about the 2026 SMPTE Honorees, including full award citations and honoree information, can be found here.

For information on SMPTE Awards Gala sponsorships and congratulatory Program Book ads, contact Anthony Catalano.

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