Actress Kerry Washington has been crowned 2013's TV Star of the Year by editors at TV Guide Magazine.

The star was handed the title following her critically-acclaimed lead role as political crisis manager Olivia Pope in top-rated drama Scandal, which earned her a nomination for an Emmy Award earlier this year (13), and has just scored her nods for the 2014 Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

She says of the role, "The reward for me is that I get to play this woman. Everything else is gravy. What I do at home with my binder and my highlighter and pens, having that homework and that depth of character to explore and play - that, to me, is the best prize ever."

In addition to Scandal, the actress was also praised by TV Guide bosses for her stint on U.S. sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, which earned her rave reviews from critics when it aired last month (Nov13).