Heated Rivalry Dominates 2026 Canadian Screen Awards With Sweep of Early Ceremony Wins

The 2026 Canadian Screen Awards have been underway, with the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television recognizing excellence across film, television, and digital content from the past year.

Heated Rivalry arrived at this year's ceremony as a heavily nominated television contender, earning recognition for its cast members Hudson Williams, François Arnaud, Sophie Nelisse, and Nadina Bhabha. Connor Storrie, while part of the ensemble, did not qualify due to his nationality.

The Scripted Television Awards ceremony unfolded Saturday evening (May 30), where Heated Rivalry claimed every award in its category slate. The main ceremony follows Sunday (May 31), with actor and comedian Andrew Phung hosting. Hudson Williams is confirmed to attend an event where several pivotal categories remain, including Best Lead Performer in a Drama Series—where both Williams and Arnaud are in contention—Best Drama Series, and the fan-voted Cogeco Fund Audience Choice award.

The series' early wins span technical and creative achievements:

Direction and writing honors went to Jacob Tierney for the episode "I'll Believe In Anything," as did photography recognition for Jackson Parrell and picture editing for Véronique Barbe. The episode also earned the Best Sound Fiction award, shared among Vincent Riendeau, Martin M Messier, Joe Scandella, Natalie Fleurant, Simon Meilleur, Eric Med Lagacé, Peter Lopata, and Valéry Dufort-Boucher.

Production design and art direction recognition went to Aidan Leroux, Alder Dunlap, and James McCrindle for the same episode. Costume design honors fell to Hanna Puley, while Simon Devault, Philippe Massonnat, Christophe Trepanier, and Felix Arsenault won for visual effects.

Musical achievements included Best Original Music in Drama for Peter Peter from the episode "Rookies," and Best Original Music—Original Song, also for Peter Peter, for "It's You" from "Olympians."

Sophie Nélisse earned Best Supporting Performer in Drama, while Nadina Bhabha took home Best Guest Performance in a Drama Series for her appearance in "Hunter." The casting team of Jenny Lewis and Sara Kay completed the early wins with their achievement recognition.

The series' accolades come roughly a month after Heated Rivalry secured a Peabody Award, adding to an expanding collection of honors.