American Idol will be honored as part of the creative arts ceremony at the Emmys for its fundraising effort, “Idol Gives Back.”

As part of the off-air portion of the Emmy program, our favorite reality TV show will be presented with a special governors award for the innovative effort that helped to around $70 million for societies struggling with poverty.

The effort was billed as a star studded mid-season surprise by the $26, 3 producers. It proved to be a wild success. Co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Ellen DeGeneres, the special ran during the April 23 and April 24 timeslots for American Idol.

Seacrest and Simon Cowell toured areas - in Africa and across the nation - stricken by the horrors of poverty. They called on the American Idol audience, one of the largest television audiences in the world, to pitch in to help. The results were nothing short of amazing.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.