Banff World Media Festival Announces Rocky Awards Nominations
The highly anticipated nominations for the Banff World Media Festival’s prestigious Rockie Awards have been revealed, setting the stage for an exciting competition between American and British television producers in the stunning Canadian Rockies.
A Close Contest: American vs. British Productions
This year, American television shows have garnered an impressive 54 nominations, just edging out U.K. series that collected 52 nominations. For the first time, the 2025 edition of the festival will merge the Rockie Awards—which celebrate the best in U.S. TV alongside international entries—with the Gala Awards, creating a unified event on June 9 in Alberta.
Showdown in Scripted Categories
The competition heats up in the scripted sections, with the English-language drama category featuring heavyweight contenders such as HBO’s House of the Dragon and HBO/BBC’s Industry. They will be up against the BBC’s Red Eye and the thriller The Day of the Jackal, co-produced by BBC and Peacock. Meanwhile, the best English-language comedy category includes both American entries like Only Murders in the Building and the U.S.-UK collaboration We Are Lady Parts, alongside British titles like Ludwig, the BBC and Hulu’s Dinosaur, and the Canadian comedy Late Bloomer.
Exciting Game Shows and Animation
The competition extends to game shows, featuring nominations for Deal Or No Deal Island USA and Shark Tank from American producers, going head-to-head with the British counterparts The Traitors UK and Twofour. In the animation category, 20th Television Animation leads the pack with beloved titles such as Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy, Futurama, and The Simpsons, facing off against Universal Basic Guys from the U.S. and Australia.
Notable Performances in Acting
The awards also highlight remarkable acting achievements. The best drama performance nominations include: Marisa Abela in Industry, Rebecca Hall in The Listeners, Ewan McGregor in A Gentleman in Moscow, Asher Keddie in Fake, Mark Rylance in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, and Supinder Wraich in Allegiance. Moreover, a feature film category is included, featuring contenders like Little Wing from Paramount+, Out of My Mind from Disney, and Lowlifes from Tubi and Bell Media, alongside Silent Sparks from Taiwan and The History of Us from South Korea.
International Participation
Amid this fierce competition, Canadian producers have secured 35 nominations, while Australian series have received recognition with 7 nominations.
Explore the Full List
A comprehensive list of nominations for the 2025 Banff Rockies Awards will be published on the festival’s official website prior to the Banff World Media Festival, scheduled for June 8-11.