THEA AWARDS JUDGING COMMITTEE

The Objective of the Theas Committee is to find excellence and celebrate it. The TEA Thea Awards were created to call attention to excellence in the creation and production of compelling places and experiences and to promote public awareness and respect for those who create them.

The Awards Judging Committee is looking for excellence. “Breakthrough” is not a requirement but may be one of many factors contributing to excellence. The giving of awards is not a judgment that separates winners from losers, but rather an annual selection that publicly exemplifies the highest standards of excellence and achievement which the public at large and the industry itself should associate with the artists and technicians who create compelling places and experiences.

The TEA Thea Awards Program recognizes the writers, producers, artists, architects, technicians, engineers, designers and economists, who invent, create and produce the attractions, whether they contract to the owners as independent producers or subcontractors or are employed as in-house creative staff, at any and every level of cost or contribution.

The TEA Thea Awards Program is specifically not focused on the owners, financiers, managers and operators of themed attractions who are already well served by IAAPA.
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Membership in the TEA is strongly encouraged for all creators of compelling places and experiences, but it is not required for any award in any category, nor will TEA Membership be considered as a criteria for any Thea Award. The Awards Judging Committee members may consider candidate recipients proposed by any credible source including non-TEA members.

Thea Committee Membership
​The Awards Judging Committee will include:
A. All living past recipients of the The Buzz Price Thea Award – Recognizing a Lifetime of
Distinguished Achievements (formerly Thea Lifetime Achievement Award.) plus Monty Lunde, recipient of a Thea Lifetime Achievement Award with a one-of-a-kind sub-title: Outstanding Individual (96). Their terms never expire and are not subject to reappointment.
Unlike other members of the Awards Judging Committee, they may serve as a Committee member, Vice Chair or Chair, even if they are also members of a TEA International Board of Directors. Recipients of The Buzz Price Thea Award may not resign, but from time to time, some Lifetime Achievement members may elect to go on inactive status. We will continue to proudly list all living Lifetime Achievement recipients as members of the Awards Judging Committee, but an asterisk or other mark will identify “Judge Emeritus” members. A Judge Emeritus is a living Lifetime Achievement recipient who is currently retired from active judging. A Judge Emeritus may, at any time, declare him/herself once again active and immediately return to full participation as a member of the Awards Judging Committee.
Plus:
B. One Board Liaison Member representing the TEA International Board, appointed by the TEA International Board for a one-year term starting at the end of the current awards cycle. This Board Liaison Member can be (but does not have to be) a member of a TEA International Board. This person can participate in deliberations but they are a non-voting member of the Awards Judging Committee.
Plus:
C. Twelve Members at Large – Members at Large must not be voting members of the TEA International Board of Directors.
A prime objective of having Members-at-Large is to assemble a diversity of experience, knowledge, skills and (to the extent practical), geography that represents the wider membership of the TEA. To be considered, a candidate for Member-at-Large should meet some very high and demanding standards including:
• A stature in the industry that commands wide respect for their achievements, judgment and fairness.
• A traveler. The committee has no travel budget. Therefore, an Awards Judging Committee member should ideally have a job that takes them around the world, giving them an opportunity to personally experience some of the best new projects of our industry.
• The ability to participate in the regular series of seven to eight formal meetings of about 3 to 3 ½ hours each between mid-August and mid-October. Virtual participation via video conferencing is acceptable, however, in-person attendance in Burbank is encouraged when circumstances allow.
• In addition to the regular meetings, Members-at-Large must be willing and able to do the considerable, outside homework of serving on additional category sub-committees, looking over videos and other documents of submitted achievements and, when possible, personally visiting achievements under consideration.

Buzz Price Lifetime Achievement Recipients

Buzz Price (1994)
Marty Sklar (1995)
Monty Lunde, Outstanding Individual** (1996)
Don Iwerks* (1997)
John Hench (1998)
Bob Gurr**(1999)
Tony Baxter** (2001)
Jon Jerde (2002)
George Millay (2003)
Barry Upson* (2005)
Yves Pepin (2006)
Bob Rogers (2007) Sub-Committee Chair
Jack Rouse* (2008)
Bob Ward (2009)
Mark Fuller* (2010)
Kim Irvine (2011)
Joe Rohde (2012)
Frank Stanek (2013)

​Garner Holt (2014)
Ron Miziker (2015)
Keith James (2016)
Jeremy Railton (2017)
Phil Hettema (2018)
Mark Woodbury (2019)
Nancy Seruto (2020)
Bob Weis (2021)
Doris Hardoon (2022)
Roland Mack (2023)
Su Zhigang​ (2024)
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​** Emeritus for both Lifetime and Main Committee                 
* Emeritus for Main Committee but participating in Lifetime