Congratulations to all the winners for the 2026 WAVE Awards – honoring excellence in community programming from the Alliance for Community Media’s West Region. The winners were announced at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Sacramento, California, on Thursday, February 12, 2026.
Best of Show
Eaton Fire Care-A-Thon
Chris Loos, David Palomares, Chris Luiten
Community Media of the Foothills
Arts, Culture & Events (Student)
Melody Gone Wrong
Autumn Batti, Hannah Johnson, Jared Calvillo
CMAC Fresno/Clovis
Arts, Entertainment & Performance (Community Producer)
Travel Today with Lea LIVE Chapman Stick
Lea Welles
Del Mar TV
Arts, Entertainment & Performance (Professional)
2024 A Place Called Sacramento From The Red Carpet
Access Sacramento
Community Event (Community Producer)
Humboldt Outdoors: One Team’s Quest for Kinetic Glory
Ray Olson
Access Humboldt
Community Event (Professional)
Port Chicago Naval Magazine Disaster
Contra Costa Office of Media & Communications, Lissette Davis
Conta Costa TV
Community Issues (Community Producer)
Turn Awareness to Action – Myth Busting Mental Health: Lived Experience Panel
Access Humboldt
Community Issues (Professional)
Arroyo Now: Rise from the Ashes
George Falardeau, Jasiri Jenkins-Glenn, Jeffrey Stanfill
Pasadena Media
Culture & Lifestyle (Community Producer)
Voices of Truth – One on One With Hawaii’s Future
The Koani Foundation
Olelo Community TV
Culture & Lifestyle (Professional)
Culture in the Valley – Natural History Museum of Santa Maria
Joe Payne, Mark van de Kamp
Santa Maria Community TV
Documentary (Professional)
The SERAL Project
Jerry Day
Access Tuolumne
Educational Access (Community Producer)
Quack and Wabbit: BARK! How To Be A Responsible Kind Pet Owner
Quack and Wabbit
Access Humboldt
Educational Access (Professional)
Healing Overdose Prevention Education: A PCT Town Hall
Pacific Coast TV
Experimental (All Producers)
Cassini
Tony Imperatrice, Claudio Laso
CMAC Fresno/Clovis
Government Access (Community Producer)
Community Voices: Chris Rogers and Academy of the Redwoods Students
Access Humboldt
Government Access (Professional)
County Council Recap – 07.16.2-25
Olivia Franco
Hōʻike Kauaʻi Community Media
Live Format (Professional)
Eaton Fire Care-A-Thon
Chris Loos, David Palomares, Chris Luiten
Community Media of the Foothills
Live Format/Sports (Community Producer)
Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade 2025
Fresno Art Beat Crew & Volunteers
CMAC Fresno/Clovis
Live Format/Sports (Student)
Fresno State Focus Newscast
Fresno State Focus
CMAC Fresno/Clovis
Magazine Show (Professional)
What’s Up Pasadena
Bobbie Ferguson. Angela Harrer, George Falardeau
Pasadena Media
Narrative Film – Short or Feature (Community Producer)
SON-MAT
Haaram Kim, Dana Walker
Access Sacramento
Narrative Film – Short or Feature (Professional)
Uh Oh Clown
Hester Wagner
Access Sacramento
Narrative Film – Short or Feature (Student)
Silent Orbit
Lily Seargent, Jesus Rivera Lopez and Hannah Johnson
CMAC Fresno/Clovis
News Programming (Professional)
Pasadena Monthly: Eaton Fire & Altadena
Justin Chapman, Jasiri Jenkins-Glenn, Jeffrey Stanfil
Pasadena Media
News/Documentary/Magazine Show (Community Producer)
The Mysterious Cabin in the Arcata Community Forest
Ray Olson, Moonlight Macumber
Access Humboldt
News/Documentary/Magazine Show (Student)
Tony’s Strength
Hannah Johnson, Tony Thompson and Eric Navarro
CMAC Fresno/Clovis
Program/Channel Promo (Professional)
What’re You Watching?
Olivia Franco
Ho’ike Kaua’i Community Media
Public Service Announcement (Professional)
Ventura Wild – Ventura Land Trust 2025
CAPS Media Center
Public Service Announcement/Program or Channel Promo (Community Producer)
Del Mar Art Walk 2025
Aleida Wahn, Dhaval Sheth
Del Mar TV
Public Service Announcement, Program or Channel Promo (Student)
High School PSA Competition 2025 – 1st Place Animation
Anh-Thy Le
Access Sacramento
Radio/Podcast Programming (All Producers)
Government Speak – Head Start panel
Kristi Jourdan, Contra Costa Office of Communications & Media
Contra Costa TV
Sports Coverage (Professional)
Run, Jump, Kick, Throw, and PLAY Like A Girl: Empowering Girls in Athletics
Echa Schneider, Jeff Shaw, Zack Mckrell
Talk Show (Community Producer)
The Munro Review
Donald Munro, Fresno Art Beat Crew
CMAC Fresno/Clovis
Talk Show (Professional)
Island Alert – Ep. 5 – Chief Kalani Vierra
Max Richardson
Hōʻike Kauaʻi Community Media
Talk Show/Community Issues/Underserved Voices (Student)
Putting The Pieces Together
Robert Ceja
CMAC Fresno/Clovis
Underserved Voices (Professional)
Sender One Veterans
Jacqueline Toueg, Joe Rodriguez, Anthony Gunderman
City of Lakewood
Underserved Voices (Community Producer)
Bright as a Feather
Lake Terre
Access Humboldt