CBC's television and online news coverage, long-running documentary series The Nature of Things and TSN's coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games are among the big winners at the Canadian Screen Awards.

The awards, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, celebrates homegrown TV, film and digital productions.

Wednesday night's ceremony was the first of three CSA galas and focused on honouring the country's news, sports, documentary and lifestyle programming.

CBC was a major news winner, earning awards in categories including:

  • Breaking news coverage: CBC News Now — Jack Layton's Death.
  • Breaking reportage, local: CBC News Toronto — Mariam Makhniashvili.
  • Breaking reportage, national: CBC News: The National — Reports from Attawapiskat.
  • National newscast: CBC News: The National.
  • News information series: the fifth estate.
  • Canada Award (TV programming that "reflects the racial and cultural diversity of Canada"): CBC Saskatchewan — Blind Spot:What happened to Canada's Aboriginal Fathers?

Truth & Lies: The Last Days of Osama bin Laden, an investigative multimedia project produced by CBCNews.ca and the fifth estate won a Canadian Screen Award on Wednesday night.

The project, a first for CBC, won in the Cross-Platform Project, Non-Fiction category.

"We're incredibly flattered to win in this category," said Marissa Nelson, acting director of digital media at CBCNews.ca.

"We used the incredible investigative prowess of the fifth estate and the unique tools of digital storytelling to bring investigative reporting to a new and broader audience."

CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, meanwhile, was lauded for its coverage of Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, winning the trophy for best live sporting direction.

Venerable CBC documentary series The Nature of Things was also a multiple winner. It picked up a trophy for best doc program, while host David Suzuki nabbed the award for best host or interviewer in a news information program.

TSN picked up several CSAs for coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, including for sports analysis, live sporting event and sports play-by-play announcer (Rod Smith).

Gala to be broadcast by CBC on Sunday

The evening also included tributes to this year's special honourees: Jeanne Beker, Flashpoint, Ian Greenberg, Victor Loewy, Andra Sheffer, Laurier LaPierre, Heather Conkie and IMAX.

The CSA celebration continues on Thursday evening with a second industry ceremony honouring the winners of drama, youth, comedy and variety categories.

The celebration ends with a televised gala hosted by Martin Short and broadcast by CBC on Sunday. Altogether, the CSAs will present awards in 120 categories.

In May 2012, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television announced it would consolidate the existing Genie and Gemini Awards, honouring English-language film and television respectively, into one omnibus event that would also celebrate digital media production.

In September, the group revealed the new event would be known as the Canadian Screen Awards and unveiled a logo design that has been reflected in the new CSA trophy.

CSA winners — Industry gala #1

  • Animated Program: Producing Parker
  • Breaking News Coverage: CBC News Now — Jack Layton's Death
  • Breaking Reportage, Local: CBC News Toronto — Mariam Makhniashvili
  • Breaking Reportage, National: CBC News The National — Reports from Attawapiskat
  • Documentary Program: The Nature of Things with David Suzuki
  • History or Biography Documentary Program: D-Day to Victory
  • Lifestyle Program: Income Property
  • Live Sporting Event: London 2012 Olympic Games (TSN)
  • Local Newscast: Global Toronto
  • National Newscast: CBC News The National
  • News Information Series: the fifth estate
  • Performing Arts Program: Love Shines
  • Science or Nature Documentary Program: Polar Bears: A Summer Odyssey
  • Sports Analysis/Commentary: London 2012 Olympic Games Primetime (TSN)
  • Social/Political Documentary Program: About Her
  • Cross-Platform Project, Children’s: My Babysitter's a Vampire Interactive: Humans vs. Vampires
  • Cross-Platform Project, Fiction: Drunk and on Drugs the Happy Funtime Hour – Digital
  • Cross-Platform Project, Non-Fiction: Truth & Lies: The Last Days of Osama bin Laden
  • Original Program Produced for Digital Media, Fiction: Guidestones
  • Original Program Produced for Digital Media, Non-Fiction: Highrise: One Millionth Tower (National Film Board of Canada)
  • Editorial Research: the fifth estate — Scout's Honour
  • Visual Research: Love, Hate & Propaganda: The Cold War — Turning Up the Heat
  • Direction in a Documentary Program: Smarty Plants
  • Direction in a Lifestyle/Practical Information Program: From Spain with Love: with Annie Sibonney — Seafood To Die For
  • Direction in a Live Sporting Event: Hockey Night in Canada — Stanley Cup Finals Game 7
  • Direction in a News Information Program: the fifth estate — Truth & Lies: The Last Days of Osama bin Laden
  • Direction in a Reality/Competition Program: Undercover Boss Canada — FedEx
  • Direction in an Animated Program: Producing Parker — How Green is my Parker?
  • Original Music for a Non-Fiction Program: Semisweet: Life in Chocolate
  • Photography in a Documentary Program: Polar Bears: A Summer Odyssey
  • Photography in a Lifestyle or Reality/Competition Program: From Spain with Love: with Annie Sibonney — Basque Country
  • Picture Editing in a Documentary Program: When Dreams Take Flight
  • Picture Editing in an Information Program: 16 x 9 The Bigger Picture — Getting into Cirque
  • Production Design/Art Direction in a Non-Fiction Program: Inventions That Shook The World — 1920's
  • Sound in an Information/Documentary Program: Museum Secrets — Inside the Imperial War Museum
  • Writing in a Documentary Program: When Dreams Take Flight
  • Writing in a Lifestyle or Reality/Competition Program: Survivorman 10 Days — Tiburon Island Desert
  • News Information Segment: CBC News The National — Mexico: A Country At War With Itself
  • Sports Feature Segment: London 2012 Olympic Games — Opening Essay
  • Host/Interviewer in a News Information Program: David Suzuki, The Nature of Things with David Suzuki — Journey to the Disaster Zone — Japan 3/11
  • Sports Play-by-Play Announcer: Rod Smith — London 2012 Olympic Games
  • Television documentary: CBC Saskatchewan’s Geoff Leo — Blind Spot: What Happened to Canada’s Aboriginal Fathers?