KidScreen Summit may still be a few months away, but it’s definitely not too early to start thinking about entering the first-ever KidScreen Awards, a new initiative to celebrate programming excellence in the international children’s television biz.

Beginning today, entries are being accepted in four categories: Best Animated Series, Best Non-Animated or Mixed Series, Best One-off, Special or TV Movie, and Best Companion Website, covering preschool (ages zero to five), kids (six to 10), tweens/teens (11 to 17) and families.

Interested parties have until September 18 to enter, and the winners will be announced at a high-profile presentation at KidScreen Summit, taking place in New York from February 10 to 12, 2010. Finalists will be determined by a panel of industry expert judges, which currently includes Deirdre Brennan (Nickelodeon Australia), Michael Carrington (CBeebies), Dea Connick Perez (independent consultant), Amy Friedman (The N), Jocelyn Hamilton (Corus Kids), Sylvia Schmoeller (Super RTL), Caroline Tyre (Teletoon) and David Wiebe (YTV). KidScreen is also recruiting a global kids and parents panel to pick their overall favorite programs.

Judges will also be singling out projects that merit special Creative Talent Awards for animation, directing, voice talent, writing, music, design and acting from the pool of entrants in the four main categories.

For more info, skip right over to http://awards.kidscreen.com.