This nominees for the 14th Canadian Screen Award Nominations have been announced. This years awards will take place on May 31st and will be hosted by Andrew Phung, best known for his roles on Kim’s Convenience (for which he won five CSAs for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series) and Run the Burbs, which he also co-created.
There are a few changes this year, the most notable of which is that nominees in the acting categories are restricted to Canadian actors only. In previous years the likes of Cate Blanchett and Sebastian Stan were nominated and won, this year they will not be eligible. This means that fan favourites like Connor Storrie are not nominated, but worry not as they are eligible for all kinds of other awards.
There are also four new spotlight categories to honour Canadian talent in international productions. The categories are for series, direction, performance, and writing, and the nominees are not yet announced.
Another major change is that this year CBC, Bell, and Corus have struck a deal to simulcast the awards show meaning that you will be able to watch on CBC, CTV, or Global as well as CBC Gem, Crave, and StackTV. This should make the show accessible to essentially every Canadian who wants to watch when it airs on May 31st.
Since the awards showcase both film and television there are a ton of nominations, so let’s get right to the list.
Television
Unsurprisingly, North of North and Heated Rivalry lead the pack this year, each with multiple nominations in the acting categories. Not all of the nominations are listed here, but they have 20 and 18 total nominations, respectively.
Best Original Music, Drama
• Lora Binder and Robert Carli, Ruby and the Well
• Brian Chan and Caleb Chan, Allegiance
• Spencer Creaghan, SurrealEstate
• Rob Melamed and Ryan McLarnon, Mistletoe Murders
• Peter Peter, Heated Rivalry
Best Original Song
• James Chapple, Brian Pickett and Graeme Cornies, “Do It Your Way” — Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
• Steph Copeland, Matthew O’Halloran and Kibra Tesfaye, “Angel Shot” — Trapped in the Spotlight
• Phil McCordic, Meiro Stamm and Antonio Naranjo, “Sneaking and Creeping” — Mittens & Pants
• Jeff Morrow, “Sneaking and Creeping” — Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical
• Peter Peter, “It’s You” — Heated Rivalry
Sound in a Fiction Program or Series
• Stephen Barden, Jill Purdy, Jeremy Fong, Chris Cobain, Chad Hunt, Small Achievable Goals
• Bryan Day, Mike Woroniuk, James Bastable, Will Stephens, Raiza Rodrigues, A Dance in the Snow
• Martin Lee, J.R. Fountain, Brent Pickett, Rob Warchol, Joe Mancuso, Zenon Waschuk, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent
• Peter Murphy, John Dykstra, Gabe Knox, Mike Woroniuk, Brent Pickett, Mark Dejczak, Ed Douglas, Virginia Storey, Rob Hegedus, North of North
• Vincent Riendeau, Martin Messier, Joe Scandella, Natalie Fleurant, Simon Meilleur, Eric Med Lagacé, Peter Lopata, Valéry Dufort-Boucher, Heated Rivalry
Editing in a Drama Program or Series
• Véronique Barbe, Heated Rivalry
• Katie Chipperfield, Allegiance
• Sandy Pereira, Revival
• Simone Smith, Bet
• Arthur Tarnowski, Heated Rivalry
Best Costume Design in a Television Series
• Charlene Akuamoah, Bet
• Debra Hanson, North of North
• Hanna Puley, Heated Rivalry
• Alison Ruth Hicks, Saint-Pierre
• Joanna Syrokomla, Murdoch Mysteries
Best Visual Effects in a Television Series
• Terry Bradley, Jake Fullerton, Susan Sullivan, Josh Joudrie, James Wallace, Kelly Milton, Jeff Robinson, Pedro Vilas, Ryan Smith, Nial McFadyen, Dino Dex
• Simon Devault, Philippe Massonnat, Christophe Trepanier, Felix Arsenault, Heated Rivalry
• Andrew Szerszen, Mayday
• Kevin Chandoo, Agnes Lim, Andy Chan, Lorne Kwechansky, Michael Key, Ken Nielsen, Andrew Nguyen, Alex Merritt-Gambrill, Zhou Zuo, Aditya Sawant, North of North
• Terry Bradley, Daryl Shail, Teodora Ilie, James Wallace, Sean Kobus, Trevor Hunter, Nial McFadyen, Stephen Curran, Ryan Smith, Odd Squad
Photography in a Drama Program or Series
• Mark Berlet, Murder in a Small Town
• Lindsay George, Wild Cards
• Mathieu Laverdière, Plan B
• Michael Marshall, Sight Unseen
• Jackson Parrell, Heated Rivalry
Production Design / Art Direction in a Fiction Program or Series
• Andrew Berry, North of North
• Ingrid Jurek, M-A Orenstein, Jenn Luckas, Small Achievable Goals
• Aidan Leroux, Heated Rivalry
• Rosalie Mackintosh, Mark Steel, Son of a Critch
• Bob Sher, Murdoch Mysteries
Casting in a Fiction Program or Series
• Stephanie Gorin, North of North
• Sharon Forrest, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent
• Sara Kay, Jenny Lewis, Heated Rivalry
• Errin Lally, Annalese Tilling, Allegiance
• Larissa Mair, Colleen Rush, Late Bloomer
Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series
• Raoul Bhaneja, The Trades
• Tricia Black, Small Achievable Goals
• Braeden Clarke, North of North
• Maika Harper, North of North
• Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Son of a Critch
• Lucas Lopez, The Office Movers
• Alexander Nunez, Small Achievable Goals
• Mikayla SwamiNathan, Children Ruin Everything
Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Series
• Anna Lambe, North of North
• Meredith MacNeill, Small Achievable Goals
• Anastasia Phillips, The Trades
• Jasmeet Raina, Late Bloomer
• Meaghan Rath, Children Ruin Everything
• Jermaine Richards, The Office Movers
• Mary Walsh, The Missus Downstairs
• Jennifer Whalen, Small Achievable Goals
Performance in a Guest Role in a Comedy Series
• Tom Green, The Trades
• Dan Jeannotte, North of North
• Susan Kent, Son of a Critch
• Patrick McKenna, 1 Man’s Treasure
• Rick Mercer, Son of a Critch
• Siddharth Sharma, Late Bloomer
• Tanya Tagaq, North of North
• Sugith Varughese, Late Bloomer
Best Supporting Performance in a Drama Series
• Hudson Williams, Heated Rivalry
• Supinder Wraich, Allegiance
• Wendy Crewson, Irish Blood
• Eve Edwards, Bet
• Amy Goodmurphy, Wild Cards
• Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Heated Rivalry
• Yanna McIntosh, Hell Motel
• Sophie Nélisse, Heated Rivalry
• Kataem O’Connor, Murdoch Mysteries
• Karen Robinson, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent
Best Lead Performance in a Drama Series
• François Arnaud, Heated Rivalry
• Carolina Bartczak, Plan B
• Allan Hawco, Saint-Pierre
• Michelle Morgan, Heartland
• Kathleen Munroe, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent
• Melanie Scrofano, Revival
Performance in a Guest Role in a Drama Series
• Nadine Bhabha, Heated Rivalry
• Ennis Esmer, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent
• Ayesha Mansur Gonsalves, Saint-Pierre
• Eric McCormack, Hell Motel
• Michelle Monteith, Saint-Pierre
• Sarah Podemski, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent
• Noah Reid, Murder in a Small Town
• Anusree Roy, Allegiance
Best Drama Series
• Heated Rivalry — Jacob Tierney, Brendan Brady
• Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent — Tassie Cameron, Erin Haskett, Amy Cameron, Alex Patrick, David Valleau, Tex Antonucci, Wanda Chaffey
• Plan B — Louis Morissette, Louis-Philippe Drolet, Mélanie Viau, Jacques Drolet, Jean-François Asselin, Céleste Parr
• Saint-Pierre — Allan Hawco, Erin Sullivan, Janine Squires, Robina Lord-Stafford, John Vatcher, Perry Chafe
• Wild Cards — Michael Konyves, Shawn Piller, Charles Cooper, Virginia Rankin, Tashi Bieler, James Genn
Best Comedy Series
• Children Ruin Everything — Mark Montefiore, Kurt Smeaton, Meaghan Rath, Anita Kapila, Chuck Tatham, Andrew De Angelis, Kathleen Phillips, Alyson Richards, Max Wolfond
• Late Bloomer — Jasmeet Raina, Peter Huang, Ricky Dhawan, Shebli Zarghami, Laszlo Barna, Nicole Butler, Vanessa Steinmetz, Robbie David, Lakna Edirisinghe
• North of North — Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Miranda de Pencier, Garry Campbell, Anya Adams, Susan Coyne, Teresa M. Ho, Mike Goldbach, Fabrizio Filippo, Patricia Curmi
• Son of a Critch — Mark Critch, Andrew Barnsley, Tim McAuliffe, Allan Hawco, Perry Chafe, Amanda Joy, Shelby Bronstine, John Vatcher, Erin Sullivan, Janine Squires
• The Trades — Gary Howsam, Ryan J. Lindsay, Robb Wells, Jonathan A. Walker
Film
There are 82 films nominated, including the shorts and documentaries, this year. R. T. Thorne’s 40 Acres leads the race with ten nominations, including both the John Dunning Best First Feature Award and Best Picture. Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie and Follies are close behind with eight each, and Mile End Kicks, Honey Bunch, and Blue Heron each have seven.
Among individuals, Éric K. Boulianne is the standout: five nominations for screenplay, acting, directing, first feature, and picture for Follies. Sophy Romvari has four—for writing, directing, first feature, and picture for Blue Heron. R. T. Thorne and Alireza Khatami each have three: screenplay and direction for both, plus the John Dunning award for Thorne and best picture for Khatami.
Catherine Chabot is having a good year too: she’s nominated for best lead performance in a comedy for Follies and best supporting performance in a comedy for Compulsive Liar 2.
Best Cinematography in a Documentary
• Glauco Bermudez and François Messier-Rheault, Shifting Baselines
• Marcel Mueller, Circo
• Iris Ng, There Are No Words
• Étienne Roussy, Among Mountains and Streams (Parmi les montagnes et les ruisseaux)
• Kyle Sandilands, Everest Dark
Best Editing in a Documentary
• Ricardo Acosta, Parade: Queer Acts of Love and Resistance
• Cindy Au Yeung, Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines
• Nicole Bazuin, Modern Whore
• Andrew Beach and Graham Withers, It’s All Gonna Break
• Greg Ng and Hart Snider, Saints and Warriors
Best Sound Design in a Documentary
• Sylvain Brassard, Spare My Bones, Coyote! (Mais où va-t-on, coyote?)
• Eli Haligua, Blair Moog, Fatih Ragbet and Gulay Acar, Fairy Creek
• Gregor Phillips, D’wayne Murray, Ramsay Bourquin, May Guimarães, Alex Macia, Devon Quelch, Jake Kerr and Peter Robinson, Saints and Warriors
• Simon Plouffe, Seeing Through the Darkness (Les yeux ne font pas le regard)
• Andrew Zukerman, Endless Cookie
Best Original Music in a Documentary
• Marc Bell, Spare My Bones, Coyote! (Mais où va-t-on, coyote?)
• Gagan Singh, Singhs in the Ring
• Tom Third, Modern Whore
• Edo Van Breemen, The Track
• Genevieve Vincent, The Stand
Best Short Documentary
• King’s Court — Serville Poblete, Kate Vollum, Chanda Chevannes
• La Mayordomía — Martin Edralin
• The Muse — Wanda Nolan, Liz Cowie, Rohan Fernando, Nathalie Cloutier
• My Memory-Walls (Mes murs-mémoires) — Axel Robin
• Send and Receive — Dominique Keller
Best Feature Length Documentary
• Endless Cookie — Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver, Daniel Bekerman, Alex Ordanis, Chris Yurkovich, Jason Ryle, Neil Mathieson
• James Bay 1975: The Shock of Two Nations (Baie James 1975 : le choc des nations) — Marie-Pierre Corriveau, Karine Dubois, Ernest Webb, Catherine Bainbridge, Myriam Berthelet, Mathieu Fournier, Mélanie Lameboy, Archita Ghosh, Daniel Morin
• Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery — Dan Levy, Ally Pankiw, Christina Piovesan, Noah Segal
• Spare My Bones, Coyote! (Mais où va-t-on, coyote?) — Dominique Dussault, Jonah Malak
• The Track — Ryan Sidhoo, Graham Withers
Best Animated Short
• Bread Will Walk — Alex Boya, Jelena Popović
• The Girl Who Cried Pearls (La jeune fille qui pleurait des perles) — Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski, Julie Roy, Marc Bertrand, Christine Noël
• The Gnawer of Rocks (Mangittatuarjuk) — Louise Flaherty
• Ibuka, Justice — Mylène Augustin, Justice Rutikara
• Sosuke the Duck — Bekky O’Neil
Best Performance in a Live Action Short Drama
• Sumathy Balaram, Karupy
• Charles-Alexis Desgagnés, A Dying Tree
• Siobhan Connors, Headcase
• Noam Desbiens-Lépine, Himalia
• Fiona Fu, Year of the Dragon
• Jamie Thomas King, The Light Before the Sun
• Lee Lawson, Thin Walls
• Hannan Younis, Halfway Haunted
Best Live Action Short Drama
• Himalia — Catherine Boily, Rosalie Chicoine Perreault, Clara Milo, Juliette Lossky
• Karupy — Kalainithan Kalaichelvan, Shaista Roshan, Alison Almeida
• Little Victories (Les petites victoires) — Rafaël Beauchamp, Laurie Pominville
• Thin Walls — Robert Armanyous, Dayyaan Jameel
• Year of the Dragon — Giran Findlay Liu
Best Original Score
• Suad Bushnaq, Yunan
• Steph Copeland, It Feeds
• Adrian Ellis and Walker Grimshaw, The Legacy of Cloudy Falls
• Todor Kobakov, 40 Acres
• Erica Procunier, Please, After You
Best Original Song
• Brent Bodrug, Julian Stirpe and Siobhan Bodrug, “Wildflower” — Dream Eater
• David Carriere and Jane Penny, “A/S/L” — Mile End Kicks
• Jay McCarrol and Matt Johnson, “The Alphabet Song” — Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Best Sound Editing
• Elma Bello, Gabe Knox, James Bastable and Michelle Irving, Mile End Kicks
• Matthew Chan, Bret Killoran and Gabriella Wallace, Honey Bunch
• Ed Douglas and Dermain Findlayson, 40 Acres
• Christopher Russell, Joe Scandella, Josh Fagen and Louis Duranleau, The Well
• Jane Tattersall, Sue Conley and David Evans, Out Standing
Best Sound Mixing
• Matthew Chan, Honey Bunch
• Michelle Irving, Jeremy Fong and Pablo Villegas, Mile End Kicks
• Rudy Michael, Lucas Roveda, Dave Mercel and Adam Clark, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
• Lou Solakofski and Maryan P’yatnochka, Nika & Madison
• Brianna Todd and Carter Buckman, Sway
Best Editing
• Matthieu Bouchard and Chloé Robichaud, Two Women (Deux femmes en or)
• Jane MacRae, Nika & Madison
• Myriam Magassouba, Follies (Folichonneries)
• Simone Smith, Mile End Kicks
• Kurt Walker, Blue Heron
Best Costume Design
• Melinda Dempster, Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Heather Hedley, Honey Bunch
• Chelsea Graham, Deathstalker
• Leslie Kavanagh, Whistle
• Crystal Silden, All the Lost Ones
• Mara Zigler, Measures for a Funeral
Best Makeup
• Charlotte Gavaris and Chris Bridges, At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te’kmujue’katik)
• Heather Jennings, Steven Kostanski and Patrick Baxter, Scared Shitless
• Niamh McCann, Tenille Shockey and François Dagenais, Honey Bunch
• Ashly Mckessock, Soul’s Road
• Erin Sweeney, Jaye Falcioni and Tanya Bishoff, Deathstalker
Best Hair
• Karola Dimberger, Whistle
• Lyne Lapiana, Lovely Day (Mille secrets mille dangers)
• Pina Robinson, The Mother and the Bear
• Toni Warren, At the Place of Ghosts (Sk+te’kmujue’katik)
• Sava Zeranska, Honey Bunch
Best Visual Effects
• Matt Glover and Dave Sauro, Whistle
• Marc Hall, Moon Marsolais, Vincent Campbell, David Atexide and Glavens Monfleury, Out Standing
• Cody Kennedy, Deathstalker
• Vineshh Vickinadas, Scared Shitless
• Tristan Zerafa, Lou Gatti, Mike Stadnyckyj, Graham Houston, Toshi Kosaka, James Soares, Christopher Shewchuk, Jeniree Bastidas, Onur Can Yol and Luca Tarantini, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Best Cinematography
• Andrew Appelle, Deathstalker
• Jeremy Benning, 40 Acres
• Edith Labbé, 1+1+1 Life, Love, Chaos (1+1+1 La vie, l’amour, le chaos)
• Catherine Lutes, There, There
• Nikolay Michaylov, Measures for a Funeral
• Ronald Plante, Yunan
• Jared Raab, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
• J Stevens, Really Happy Someday
Best Art Direction/Production Design
• Peter Cosco, 40 Acres
• Kerry Noonan and Malcolm McKenzie, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
• Antonin Sorel, The Train (Le Train)
• Joshua Turpin, Honey Bunch
• Joshua Turpin and Chloé Olson, Deathstalker
Best Adapted Screenplay
• Mélanie Charbonneau and Martine Pagé, Out Standing
• Philippe Falardeau, Lovely Day (Mille secrets mille dangers)
• Catherine Léger, Two Women (Deux femmes en or)
Best Original Screenplay
• Alexandre Auger and Éric K. Boulianne, Follies (Folichonneries)
• Alexandre Auger and Mathieu Denis, The Cost of Heaven (Gagne ton ciel)
• Alireza Khatami, The Things You Kill
• Chandler Levack, Mile End Kicks
• Sophy Romvari, Blue Heron
• R. T. Thorne and Glenn Taylor, 40 Acres
Best Casting in a Film
• Sharon Forrest, All the Lost Ones
• Stephanie Gorin, 40 Acres
• Tannaz Keshavarz-Agulto, Boxcutter
• Angela Quinn and Katrin Braga, Blue Heron
• Annie St-Pierre, Mile End Kicks
Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy Film
• Devon Bostick, Mile End Kicks
• Catherine Chabot, Compulsive Liar 2 (Menteuse)
• Juliette Gariépy, Two Women (Deux femmes en or)
• Graham Greene, Sweet Summer Pow Wow
• Matt Johnson, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
• Agathe Ledoux, Follies (Folichonneries)
• Hassan Mahbouba, Lovely Day (Mille secrets mille dangers)
• Rose-Marie Perreault, Lovely Day (Mille secrets mille dangers)
Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film
• Éric K. Boulianne, Follies (Folichonneries)
• France Castel, The Furies (Les Furies)
• Catherine Chabot, Follies (Folichonneries)
• Neil Elias Abdelwahab, Lovely Day (Mille secrets mille dangers)
• Karine Gonthier-Hyndman, Two Women (Deux femmes en or)
• Patrick Hivon, Peak Everything (Amour Apocalypse)
• Laurence Leboeuf, Two Women (Deux femmes en or)
• Jay McCarrol, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Best Supporting Performance in a Drama Film
• Paul Ahmarani, Who by Fire (Comme le feu)
• Aurélia Arandi-Longpré, Who by Fire (Comme le feu)
• Edik Beddoes, Blue Heron
• Monia Chokri, Where Souls Go (Où vont les âmes?)
• Micheline Lanctôt, Where Souls Go (Où vont les âmes?)
• Katie Mattatall, There, There
• Leah Panimera, Wrong Husband (Uiksaringitara)
• Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Sweet Angel Baby
Best Lead Performance in a Drama Film
• Milya Corbeil Gauvreau, Fanny
• Jasmin Geljo, Cat’s Cry
• Grace Glowicki, Honey Bunch
• Marlene Jewell, There, There
• Theresia Kappianaq, Wrong Husband (Uiksaringitara)
• Nina Kiri, Out Standing
• Michaela Kurimsky, Sweet Angel Baby
• Noah Parker, Who by Fire (Comme le feu)
Best Direction
• Éric K. Boulianne, Follies (Folichonneries)
• Alireza Khatami, The Things You Kill
• Zacharias Kunuk, Wrong Husband (Uiksaringitara)
• Sophy Romvari, Blue Heron
• R. T. Thorne, 40 Acres
• Heather Young, There, There
John Dunning Best First Feature
• 40 Acres, R. T. Thorne
• 100 Sunset, Kunsang Kyirong
• Blue Heron, Sophy Romvari
• Dinner with Friends, Sasha Leigh Henry
• Follies (Folichonneries), Éric K. Boulianne
• Where Souls Go (Où vont les âmes?), Brigitte Poupart
Best Picture
• 40 Acres — Jennifer Holness
• Blue Heron — Ryan Bobkin, Sara Wylie, Sophy Romvari
• The Cost of Heaven (Gagne ton ciel) — Hany Ouichou
• Follies (Folichonneries) — Laurie Pominville, Hany Ouichou, Éric K. Boulianne
• Lovely Day (Mille secrets mille dangers) — Kim McCraw, Luc Déry
• Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie — Matthew Miller, Matt Greyson
• The Things You Kill — Alireza Khatami, Michael Solomon
• Wrong Husband (Uiksaringitara) — Samuel Cohn-Cousineau, Jonathan Frantz
All-platform Awards
Special Awards
Four special awards were announced on March 4th:
• Academy Icon Award — Mike Myers
• Gordon Sinclair Award — Hazel Mae
• Changemaker Award — Maxine Bailey
• Sustainable Production Award — Mile End Kicks
Stunt Coordination
• Alex Chung and Tyler Williams, Deathstalker
• Dan Iaboni, Whistle
• Angelica Lisk-Hann, 40 Acres
• Chris Mark and Carl Fortin, Honey Bunch
• Sébastien Rouleau, Tom Eirikson and Jordan Dodds, In Cold Light
The 2026 Canadian Screen Awards will take place on May 31st at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto, and be broadcast on CBC, CTV, and Global as well as streamed on CBC Gem, Crave, and StackTV.