The 31st Humanitas Prize Luncheon was marked by good humor even as the sorry state of television comedy was bemoaned.

The annual prizes honor excellence in television and film writing that celebrates human dignity and the human spirit. While considered a fairly prestigious award in the film and television community, the program this year --- held at the Universal Hilton Hotel --- had received some criticism for not awarding a prize in the 30-minute comedy division.

"We --- the trustees and the board of directors --- just felt that none of the scripts reached the level that we like to see, where there are believable characters in situations that say something meaningful about the human condition," said Paulist Father Frank Desiderio, president of the Humanitas Prize and also president of Paulist Productions.

Producer Barbara Hall, a Humanitas television trustee, said that the decision to skip the comedy prize this year was a good one.

"Good for you," said Hall, whose most recent series include "Judging Amy" and "Joan of Arcadia." "They didn't find a comedy that was good enough, so don't do it, because it keeps the level of the award very high."

Father Desiderio, in his remarks at the ceremony, noted that the decision not to award a comedy prize this year was mostly about the moribund state of television comedy, in general, lamenting the frequent use of sex jokes and cheap pratfalls. Later, master of ceremonies Charlie Hauck teased Erika Kennair, of Loyola Marymount University, who had just been honored for receiving the David & Lynn Angell Comedy Fellowship, saying that Kennair needed to hurry and start writing a script, "so we can give out a comedy prize next year."

The program was founded in 1974 by then president of Paulist Productions, Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser. Often quoted in the ceremony, Father Kieser, who died in September 2000, founded the awards by bringing together an exceptionally broad coalition of entertainment industry people to honor writers.

"This is an amazing thing," said Jeff Arch, finalist for the television movie "Saving Milly." "This is totally for writers. This would be the only situation in Hollywood where this little unique thing is happening because they don't honor writers anywhere else in town."

Noted screenwriter Frank Pierson pointed out in his keynote address that other writing awards, from the Academy Award or the Writers Guild, were strictly emblematic, but that the Humanitas Prize also came with money. Quoting Father Kieser, Pieson said that the prize pays people to do good.

Pierson, who has an extensive list of credits includes the movie "Cool Hand Luke," was also honored as the recipient of The Kieser Award, awarded to an individual "whose work has helped to promote a greater appreciation for the dignity of each member of the human family and challenged others to examine the role they play in our search for meaning, freedom and love."

Father Desiderio announced that starting with this year's winners, the prize in the two children's categories, Live Action and Animation, has been more than doubled to $25,000.

"I'm completely stunned," said Karen Leigh Hopkins, who shared the Children's Live Action award with Alan Marc Levy for their screenplay for "Searching For David's Heart." "What a day for them to up the prize, too. I feel really, really blessed."

Other winners included John Wells for his "West Wing" script "NSF Thurmont"; Kelly Ward and Cliff McGillivray for the "Waking Thor" episode of "Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks"; Keir Pearson and Terry George for the film "Hotel Rwanda"; and Ruben Santiago-Hudson for his autobiographical script "Lackawanna Blues."

Santiago-Hudson, in particular, was overwhelmed by his prize, saying that he had researched the award and found that it really meant something.

"It's about human nature. It's about human beings," he said after the ceremony. "It illuminates the goodness and teaches us that sometimes it's layered and layered and hidden. It brings it out and says, yeah, that is good, that is wise."