'Nova' Nominated For Three News And Documentary Emmy Awards

The PBS science series NOVA, a production of GBH, has been honored by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) with three nominations for the 2023 News & Documentary Emmy Awards. 

The series’s nominations included two for the NOVA and STAT film AUGMENTED, a 90-minute feature documentary following the powerful journey of a rock climber who lost his legs and went on to pursue a career as a scientist and engineer to design bionic prosthetic limbs; and one for ULTIMATE SPACE TELESCOPE — which tells the dramatic story of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope — the most complex machine ever launched into space. Both films earned nominations in the category of “Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary.” AUGMENTED received an additional nomination for “Outstanding Promotional Announcement.” 

AUGMENTED, a NOVA Production by STAT for GBH, follows the story of Hugh Herr, a biophysicist working to create brain-controlled robotic limbs. At age 17, Herr’s legs were amputated after a climbing accident. Frustrated by the crude prosthetic limbs he was given, Herr set out to remedy their design, leading him to a career as an inventor of innovative prosthetic devices. Now, Herr is teaming up with an injured climber and a surgeon at a leading Boston hospital to test a new approach to surgical amputation that allows prosthetic limbs to move and feel like the real thing. Herr’s journey is a powerful tale of a personal tragedy transformed into a lifelong quest to help others. 

ULTIMATE SPACE TELESCOPE, a NOVA production by Terri Randall Productions for GBH in association with ARTE France, presents the exhilirating story of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most innovative space telescope ever built, designed to peer deeper back in time and space than humans ever have before. The special takes viewers behind the scenes through the eyes of the engineers and scientists who have dedicated years — some even decades — of their lives to getting Webb off the ground and features some of the telescope’s spectacular first images along with reactions from the team as NASA released them to the world. 

“We’re deeply honored to receive these nominations and grateful to the talented filmmakers at Terri Randall Productions and STAT who made it possible for us to bring these inspiring stories to our audience,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Julia Cort. “Both films highlight human ingenuity, resilience, and the powerful ways in which science can impact all of us — from ambitious exploration that sparks awe at the wonders of our universe to groundbreaking innovations with the potential to improve the quality of human lives.”

“This recognition reminds us once again how compelling stories of scientific achievement, powerfully told, enrich our world,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt. “We’re grateful to the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for this acknowledgement and to PBS, CPB, supporters of the NOVA Science Trust, and GBH for their continued support of our commitment to making science accessible to all – and to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation for their generous support for ULTIMATE SPACE TELESCOPE.”

In total, PBS was honored with 26 nominations, including nine nominations for FRONTLINE and two for WORLD, both also produced at GBH in Boston. Read a full list of this year’s nominees here.

The 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards will be presented in two individual ceremonies: Wednesday, September 27, 2023 (News Categories), and Thursday, September 28, 2023 (Documentary Categories).

AUGMENTED is a NOVA Production by STAT for GBH. Written by Gideon Gil, Heather MacDonald, and Matthew Orr. Produced by Gideon Gil, Heather MacDonald, Matthew Orr, and Dominic Smith. Directed by Matthew Orr. Executive Producers for NOVA are Julia Cort and Chris Schmidt. Senior Promotions Producer and Editor for NOVA is Michael Amundson.

ULTIMATE SPACE TELESCOPE is a NOVA Production by Terri Randall Productions for GBH in association with ARTE France. Written, Produced, and Directed by Terri Randall. Co-Produced and Edited by Jedd Ehrmann. Executive Producers for NOVA are Julia Cort and Chris Schmidt.

NOVA is a production of GBH.