Two documentaries backed by the CBC and a series of PSAs from Ottawa are among the winners of this year's Peabody Awards, which announced its picks on Wednesday.

The prestigious annual awards nodded to the docs Why We Fight and Braindamadj`d...Take II, both of which were backed by the CBC, and to "The Three Amigos" series of 20 animated public service announcements by Ottawa's animator/humanitarian Firdaus Kharas (Magic Cellar, For Better or For Worse), which he co-created, produced and directed as part of an international HIV/AIDS-prevention campaign.

The spots, which have been re-created in 41 languages, feature three animated talking condoms in comedy sketches that deliver a serious message about the use of condoms to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

"I am delighted that the efforts of the many volunteers who made this multi-lingual campaign possible are so highly recognized," said Kharas in a release.

"The Three Amigos" was conceived and written in South Africa by Brent Quinn of Quintet Productions, who approached Kharas in 2002 with the idea.

More than 400 people, mostly on a volunteer basis, were involved in the creation of the spots, which were designed and created in Canada, while animation was done in India. The PSAs are airing in countries in southern Africa, Asia and eastern Europe.

CBC Newsworld shares the win for Braindamadj`d... Take II with Apartment 11 Productions, the Canadian Television Fund, RDI and Knowledge Network. The doc by director Paul Nadler and producer Jonathan Finkelstein recounts the former's surprising recovery from severe head trauma. It aired last year on Newsworld's The Lens and also won two Geminis.

Director Eugene Jarecki's Why We Fight, the "masterful" and "disturbing" look at America's military buildup following World War Two, was also a joint effort by many broadcasters, including CBC, BBC, TV2 TV in Denmark, WDR TV in Germany and Charlotte Street Films in the U.S.

The 66th annual Peabody Awards will be presented June 4 in New York.