SMPTE Honors Recipients for 2025 Named

SMPTE Honors Recipients for 2025 Named

The Media Technology Summit 2025 is set to recognise a total of 31 individuals and organizations across 14 honours, including the prestigious David Sarnoff Medal and the Progress Medal. Here's a roundup of the honourees and their achievements:

David Sarnoff Medal

Darryl Jefferson is set to receive the David Sarnoff Medal for his visionary engineering leadership and transformative innovations in large-scale broadcast systems at NBC Olympics and Sports. His contributions, particularly in cloud-based workflows, IP architectures, and real-time media delivery, have significantly impacted the industry.

Progress Medal

Sir Ian Taylor is being honoured with the Progress Medal for his decades of leadership and technological innovation in animation and sports production. His notable work includes the application of virtual technologies that have revolutionised live sports experiences.

Excellence in Education Medal

Polly Hickling is receiving the Excellence in Education Medal for her contributions to developing inclusive and accessible learning pathways in media engineering through innovative teaching strategies.

Workflow Systems Medal

Michelle Munson is the recipient of the Workflow Systems Medal for her visionary leadership and entrepreneurial impact in transforming global media workflows. As co-founder and CEO of Aspera, she has made significant strides in streamlining media distribution and collaboration.

Other Honourees

• Reto Kromer is receiving the James A. Lindner Archival Technology Medal for his contributions to audiovisual preservation through practical, accessible, and forward-looking technologies.
• Dr. Peter Centen will be awarded the Camera Origination and Imaging Medal for pioneering innovations in image sensor technology.
• Ben Burtt is the recipient of the Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal Award for his transformative contributions to the art and science of motion picture sound.
• Scott Miller is being honoured with the Natalie M. and Herbert T. Kalmus Award for his contributions to the invention, development, advocacy, and standardization of the Perceptual Quantizer (PQ) transfer function.
• Alejandro Arango, Simon Therriault, and Andriy Yamashev will receive the Journal Award for their paper "Enhancements to Media Transport in ICVFX Using SMPTE 2110."

SMPTE Fellows

Thirteen new SMPTE Fellows are being recognised, including Carolyn Giardina, Carys Hughes, and Russell Trafford-Jones, for their significant contributions to the industry. The full list of Fellows can be found on the SMPTE Media Technology Summit 2025 website.

Gala Details

The SMPTE Awards Gala will take place on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at the Pasadena Convention Center. Tickets for the Gala can be purchased separately or added to conference registration packages, and reserved tables are available for purchase.

Additional information about Gala Sponsorships, congratulatory program book ads, and more can be found at Why Sponsor: SMPTE Media Technology Summit 2025.

Renard Jenkins, the Fellows Committee Chair and SMPTE past-president, has congratulated this year's award recipients.

For more detailed information about the missing award recipients and other honourees, please check the official SMPTE 2025 Awards Gala program or SMPTE press releases closer to or after the event in October 2025.

1. Darryl Jefferson's transformative innovations in large-scale broadcast systems have primarily focused on cloud-based workflows, IP architectures, and real-time media delivery.
2. Sir Ian Taylor's technological innovations span decades, contributing significantly to animation and sports production, as well as the application of virtual technologies that have revolutionised live sports experiences.
3. Polly Hickling's contributions to media engineering education have revolved around developing inclusive and accessible learning pathways through innovative teaching strategies.
4. Michelle Munson's entrepreneurial impact has been felt globally, as she transformed media workflows, streamlining media distribution and collaboration through her company, Aspera.
5. Reto Kromer's contributions to audiovisual preservation have been regarding practical, accessible, and forward-looking technologies.
6. Dr. Peter Centen's pioneering innovations lie in the realm of image sensor technology.
7. Ben Burtt's contributions to the art and science of motion picture sound have been transformative.
8. Scott Miller's work has encompassed the invention, development, advocacy, and standardization of the Perceptual Quantizer (PQ) transfer function.
9. Alejandro Arango, Simon Therriault, and Andriy Yamashev's paper on enhancing media transport in ICVFX using SMPTE 2110 has been recognised with the Journal Award.
10. Thirteen individuals, including Carolyn Giardina, Carys Hughes, and Russell Trafford-Jones, have been recognised as SMPTE Fellows for their significant contributions to the industry. Their work spans various aspects, including digital, audio, video, infrastructure, cloud, technology, television, broadcast, post-production, and data-and-cloud-computing.

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