FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Griffin Schaetzle
KANSAS CITY, MO (May 26, 2026) – Today, the KC Sports Commission proudly announced six category honors from the 47th Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards recognizes excellence in video and television across all screens and are judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks and production companies worldwide.
The KC Sports Commission’s submission featuring 2025 Children’s Mercy Athlete of the Year Temwa Chawinga earned one Gold and five Silver honors. The video was originally produced for the 2025 Kansas City Sports Awards, where feature videos are created to spotlight and celebrate each award recipient and their impact on the Kansas City sports community. The Telly honors include:
Non-Broadcast – Not-for-Profit: GOLD WINNER
People’s Telly – Non-Broadcast: SILVER WINNER
Non-Broadcast – Sports: SILVER WINNER
Non-Broadcast – Writing: SILVER WINNER
Non-Broadcast – Videography & Cinematography: SILVER WINNER
Non-Broadcast – Editing: SILVER WINNER
Edited and produced by Ryan Staldman, the video highlighted Chawinga’s historic season with the Kansas City Current, including her record-breaking achievement for the most goals scored in a single season in NWSL history. It also shared the story of her upbringing in Malawi and showcased her ongoing work as an ambassador for Fresh Water Project International, an organization dedicated to building wells and providing clean water to communities in need.
“Being recognized with Telly Awards for the Kansas City Athlete of the Year Temwa Chawinga story is an incredible honor.. I’m deeply grateful to the KC Sports Commission for their trust and collaboration in producing stories that inspire, empower and celebrate excellence in sports and our community.”
- Ryan Staldman, Videographer
This year’s Telly Awards received more than 13,000 entries from across the globe, representing some of the top video and television content creators in the industry. Winners were selected by The Telly Awards Judging Council, which includes more than 250 experts from across the video and television landscape. This year’s judges included Tamara Kruger, Head of Content and Sponsorships at Google; Janet Graham Borba, Executive Vice President of Production at HBO; Phil Cook, Chief Marketing Officer of the WNBA; and Andrea Wertheim, Senior Manager of Post Production at Netflix. Other notable Telly Award winners included Paramount TV, Warner Bros. Discovery and FOX Entertainment.
The full list of 47th Annual Telly Awards winners can be found at The Telly Awards Winners Page.
###
About The Kansas City Sports Commission
The mission of the Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation is to drive Kansas City’s overall sports strategy, to enrich the quality of life, create economic impact and raise visibility for our region. As a privately-funded nonprofit, we are entirely dependent on your support. For the latest on Kansas City Sports Commission news, follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.