SBS’s interactive animation My Grandmother’s Lingo has been awarded with a 2017 Webby Award for Best Use of Interactive Video.

With 13,000 entries from all 50 U.S. states and over 70 countries, and 3.5 million votes cast in The Webby People’s Voice Awards, the Webby Awards are coveted international accolades with winners representing excellence on the internet. 

Marshall Heald, SBS Director of Television and Online Content, said: “My Grandmother’s Lingo is a great example of SBS’s ability to tell distinctive Australian stories in innovative ways and we’re absolutely thrilled to be recognised for digital excellence with this prestigious international award.”

My Grandmother’s Lingo, which also won a 2016 Walkley Award for Multimedia Storytelling and a 2017 SXSW Interactive Innovation Award for Responsive Design, tells the personal story of Angelina Joshua, a young Aboriginal woman dedicated to preserving her endangered Indigenous language.

It features voice-activated gaming technology and unique animations to unlock the chapters in Angelina’s story, and simultaneously raises awareness of Australia’s Indigenous languages – specifically Marra, a language now spoken by only three people in the remote East Arnhem Land community of Ngukurr where Angelina lives.

Centred around her work at the Ngukurr Language Centre and empowered by her family, Angelina is now fighting to learn and preserve Marra for future generations and spread the knowledge of the language across Australia.

Joining Angelina in creating My Grandmother’s Lingo are two other young Indigenous talents: animator and illustrator Jake Duczynski (Gamilaroi) and DJ and musician Kuren (Curtis Kennedy, Wiradjuri).

The online interactive experience can be accessed here: https://www.sbs.com.au/lingo

For more information on My Grandmother’s Lingo, visit the Program Page here: http://www.sbs.com.au/programs/mygrandmotherslingo