MTV added a surprising twist to the line-up of nominees being recognized for their work in the music industry Wednesday, in New York City at the mtvU Woodie awards.
The line-up included bands, individual artists, indie artists and surprisingly non-musicians as well.
Jamie Tworkowski founded “To Write Love on Her Arms,” in 2006. He is the first non-musician to be nominated for the good Woodie award.
TWLOHA is a non-profit movement that exists to encourage, inform, inspire and invest directly into the treatment and recovery for those suffering from addiction.
According to information supplied by Dayna Ghiraldi from Big Picture Media, since 2006 the TWLOHA team has responded to 100,000 messages and emails from more than 100 countries and has been able to donate $600,000 directly to treatment and recovery.
The concept of the non-profit organization grew from a story that he had written about a friend that was struggling with depression addiction, self-injury and had attempted suicide, Tworkowski said.
Tworkowski said that the awards are one of the many doors that have been opened as a result of people participating in the program.
“It’s an honor and it’s a surprise, I feel like it really speaks to our audience that so many people have gotten excited about this [TWLOHA] and have lent their voice to it,” Tworkowski said.
Other nominee’s for the good Woodie award included, John Legend for his Show Me campaign, Wyclef Jean for Yele Haiti, Kenna for his Summit on the Summit, and Alicia Keys for her Keep a Child Alive campaign.
The mtvU Woodie awards is an annual award show composed of artists voted on by college students.
According to Lara Hanson, university relations coordinator of Digital Media, the awards started as a college awards show for indie music. It is a place where musicians debut prior to their appearance on MTV and other mainstream networks.
It is more of a jumping off point for new and young artists particularly in college, Hanson said.
mtvU not only awards young artist with the opportunity to become experienced in the industry, but college journalists as well.
College media journalists were invited to cover the Woodie awards in New York City; they were awarded two press passes per school and the chance to represent their schools newspaper during the event.
Information about the Woodie awards and future opportunities for college media journalists can be found by joining the college media journalists group on Facebook or via mtvU Web site at www.mtvu.com.