The Pitt took two awards — Best Scripted Series and Best Achievement in Casting Ensemble — at the inaugural Easterseals Disability Arts & Culture Awards, known as the DARCYS, presented Saturday at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

The ceremony marks a full rebrand of the event formerly known as the Media Access Awards. Hosted by comedian and disability advocate Tina Friml, the 2026 edition introduces a new trophy slate under the DARCYS name and a stated mission to recognize, in the organization's words, "outstanding achievement in authentic disability representation across film, television and media, honoring the filmmakers, performers, creators and storytellers helping to reshape narratives and advance disability inclusion across entertainment and pop culture."

Horsegirls, a 2025 feature about a cancer-stricken mother and her autistic adult daughter who loves horses, took Best Feature. Anna Sargent won Best Performance in a Feature for Take Me Home.

Who votes, and how does the committee work?

The DARCYS are co-produced by Easterseals Southern California and Film Independent. Nominees and winners were selected by a committee made up of:

• filmmakers
• critics
• past Media Access Awards honorees
• representatives from industry guilds and nonprofit organizations

A majority of committee members are individuals with disabilities — a structural point worth noting for awards watchers tracking which bodies enforce in-community representation at the voting stage rather than only in eligibility language.

What did The Pitt win, exactly?

Creator and executive producer R. Scott Gemmill's medical drama doubled up on the night. The Best Scripted Series win lists executive producers Simran Baidwan, Michael Hissrich, Erin Jontow, Joe Sachs, John Wells and Noah Wyle, with featured talent Tal Anderson, Jessica "Limer" Flores, Victoria Mack and Christopher Thornton. Renegades shared category recognition, with creator Day Al-Mohamed, series producer Amanda Upson and executive producers Michael Kantor, Carrie Lozano and Charlotte Mangin credited.

The casting ensemble award went to casting directors Erica Berger and Cathy Sandrich Gelfond, honoring an ensemble that includes Tal Anderson, Jessica "Limer" Flores, Diana Elizabeth Jordan, Victoria Mack and Christopher Thornton.

What else was on the winners list?

The feature race rewarded Horsegirls, credited to director-writer Lauren Meyering, writer-producer Mackenzie Breeden, producers Alix Madigan-Yorkin and Michael Sherman, and featured talent Lillian Carrier and Matthew Schwab.

Best Documentary went to The Haunting of Pennhurst, directed and produced by Mike Attie, Katarina Poljak and Nathan R. Stenberg, with producer Daniel J. Chalfen.

Two honorary-track awards carried personal legacies. The Legacy Award went to Geri Jewell. The Christopher Reeve Emerging Talent Award went to Vincent Rutley, credited as actor, disability influencer and author. Cassidy Huff won Best Social Creator, extending the awards' reach beyond film and television into creator-driven media.

What changes in the broader awards picture?

The rebrand from Media Access Awards to the DARCYS consolidates a dedicated disability-representation awards body under the Easterseals banner with Film Independent as production partner — the same organization behind the Film Independent Spirit Awards. For studios and campaign teams, that creates a second-season-eligible stop on the representation-awards circuit, one with a voting committee majority composed of people with disabilities.

For The Pitt, the double win adds representation-category hardware to a series already accumulating industry recognition. For Horsegirls, a first-year DARCYS Best Feature trophy on a 2025 title gives the film an early credential as awards season builds. And for individual winners — Sargent, Rutley, Huff, Jewell — the inaugural citations establish the benchmark honorees against which future DARCYS classes will be measured.

The full winners list:

• Best Feature: Horsegirls
• Best Performance in a Feature: Anna Sargent, Take Me Home
• Best Documentary: The Haunting of Pennhurst
• Best Scripted Series: The Pitt (with recognition also for Renegades)
• Best Achievement in Casting Ensemble: The Pitt
• The Legacy Award: Geri Jewell
• Christopher Reeve Emerging Talent Award: Vincent Rutley
• Best Social Creator: Cassidy Huff