The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry, celebrating excellence in artistic achievement. Held each May (or June) in Vancouver, Canada, the Leo Awards honour nominees and winners in 13 program categories and up to 19 craft categories. The Leo Awards are a project of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British Columbia and founded in 1999 by Walter Daroshin and Sonny Wong.

The British Columbia film and television industry provides more than 15,000 jobs and generates more than $1 billion (Canadian) in economic activity, making the industry an integral one to the economic and social vitality of British Columbia. The Leos were established to provide support and recognition for the work of film and television producers, writers, directors, performers and others.

In 2005, the Leo Awards Film Festival was added to the event as a means of showcasing the best in film and television production honored at the festival. However, due to limited financial resources, the Film Festival was cancelled in 2010. The Leo Awards Red Carpet was also added in 2005 and continues to be the largest red carpet event in Western Canada attracting the glitterati of the BC film and television industry, including stars and celebrities from US-based productions.

Any program is eligible which qualifies as a Canadian television

Canadian television

Canadian television may refer to:*Television in Canada - general information about the Canadian television industry*CTV Television Network - a specific Canadian TV network; CTV is sometimes interpreted as "Canadian Television"...

 production pursuant to the rules of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) or British Columbia Film. Programs may also qualify if they are an international treaty co-production or an inter-provincial co-production and include a British Columbia co-producer. Additionally, according to the award rules:

It must be demonstrated that the directing mind and control of the creative and financial aspects of the Program rest with British Columbia based individuals, defined as someone who is a Canadian citizen or has permanent residence status, and has maintained a residence in British Columbia for the 12 months preceding commencement of principal photography of the Program entered for adjudication.

The Leo Awards are organized into:

• 17 dramatic series categories
• 14 film categories
• 13 short drama categories
• 10 documentary program or series categories
• 5 information or lifestyle series categories
• 5 animation program or series categories
• 5 youth or children's program or series categories
• 4 music, comedy or variety program or series categories
• 2 talk series categories
• 1 student production category
• 1 music video category

The Leos also honor a group and/or an individual for outstanding achievement.

The Leo Awards are sponsored by the Province of British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, the Union of B.C. Performers (the B.C. branch of ACTRA

ACTRA

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists is a Canadian labour union representing performers in English-language media. It has 22,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media....

) and Northwest Imaging & FX, a B.C.-based production company.