ACTRA Award
The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries. Organized and presented by the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, which represented performers, writers and broadcast journalists, the Nellie statuettes were presented annually until 1986. They were the primary national television award in Canada until 1986, when they were taken over by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to create the new Gemini Awards, although ACTRA continued to present Nellies in radio categories. The ACTRA Awards were then revived in 2003 as a local film industry award , separately presented by each of ACTRA's regional chapters to honour performances in local film and television production. History. In 1986, following a threat by CTV to boycott the awards because of a perception that they were biased in favour of CBC Television productions, responsibility for presenting the Canadian television awards was transferred to the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's new Gemini Awards. Awards transferred to the Academy also included the John Drainie Award, a lifetime achievement award for distinguished contributions to Canadian broadcasting, and the Earle Grey Award, which transitioned from ACTRA's award for best performance  in a television film into the Academy's lifetime achievement award for acting. Revival. On the 60th anniversary of the national union in 2003, now renamed the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists and representing only performers, the ACTRA Awards were resurrected in several of its branches across Canada as a local film and television award, presented by the organization's local chapters in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Maritimes to honour achievements in film and television within their own regions. Depending on the level of production activity in their  respective regions, some chapters of ACTRA present their awards annually, while others present their awards every two years. However, the revived ACTRA Awards program also includes a national Award of Excellence, presented to an actor to honour their lifetime achievements; the national award of excellence is most commonly presented to an actor who is working in Hollywood, and would thus not be eligible for a regional chapter's local award of excellence. However, the national award of excellence is not necessarily always presented annually. Some awards are handed out for performances, while others are given for union activism and contributions  to the industry.