The 57th Golden Bell Awards was separated into two ceremonies this year, with the award presentation ceremonies for radio broadcasting and television programs held on Oct. 21 and 22, respectively, at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. Of the 1,976 entries received this year, 244 were shortlisted for the 48 awards.
Golden Bell for TV drama series presenter Bowie Tsang (曾寶儀) hosted the Saturday ceremony, where 27 awards for TV drama series were presented.
Veteran Taiwanese opera actress Chen Ya-lan (陳亞蘭) took home the Best Leading Actor award for "Lord Jiaqing and The Journey to Taiwan (嘉慶君遊臺灣)," becoming the first female recipient of the award; while Hsieh Ying-xuan (謝盈萱) clinched the Best Leading Actress Award for the TV series "Heaven on the 4th Floor (四樓的天堂)."
Historical drama series "SEQALU: Formosa 1867 (斯卡羅)" took home four major prizes, including the award for Best Television Series, Best Newcomer in a Television Series, Best Lighting for a Drama Series and Best Visual Effects for a Drama Series.
Limited series "Twisted Strings (良辰吉時)" was named the biggest winner of the evening for taking home five awards: Best Theme Song, Best Miniseries, Best Costume Design for a Drama Series, Best Art and Design for a Drama Series, and Best Sound Design for a Drama Series.
The Golden Bell Awards, Taiwan's equivalent of the Emmy Awards, were founded in 1965 with the aim of promoting Taiwanese radio broadcasting and recognizing excellent radio programs. After 1970, the annual awards also started considering television productions. It is one of the three major annual awards presented in Taiwan, along with the Golden Melody Awards for music and the Golden Horse Awards for movies and films. For the full list of winners, please visit the Golden Bell Awards website.