The National Film Academy has today announced the official nominations for the 12th Annual National Film Awards UK — marking its most expansive and publicly driven edition to date.
With over 1 million submissions from the public during the nominations phase, this year's shortlist reflects a shift in how audiences engage with film and television, where global stars, independent creators, and emerging formats now compete on equal footing.
At the centre of the 2026 nominations are defining industry clashes: Cillian Murphy (Steve) vs Riz Ahmed (Hamlet) in Best Actor. Helen Mirren (The Thursday Murder Club) vs Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) in Best Actress. And Stephen Graham emerging as one of the year's most dominant forces, recognised across both film and television.
Public voting opens today and runs through to 27 June 2026 at: www.nationalfilmawards.co.uk/voting
A National Awards Powered by the Public
The National Film Awards remains the only major British screen awards determined entirely by public vote. The National Film Academy now represents over 3.7 million members globally across 15 international territories, including the United Kingdom, United States, China, Singapore, and South Africa.
The ceremony returns to Porchester Hall, London, on Wednesday 1 July 2026 — bringing together the biggest names in British film and television for one of the most culturally significant nights in the industry calendar.
A Changing Industry Reflected in the Nominations
This year's nominations reflect a rapidly evolving screen landscape. Alongside established productions and global stars, the Academy has recognised independent and digitally-driven successes — including creators who have built audiences outside traditional studio systems. Films such as Iron Lung, produced independently and reaching millions globally, represent a new model now competing alongside mainstream cinema.
A World First: The Rise of Vertical Storytelling
The 12th National Film Awards introduces the Best Vertical Series category — making the Academy one of the first major awards bodies to formally recognise mobile-first storytelling. The global vertical drama market exceeded $11 billion in 2025, with platforms including TikTok and major streaming services rapidly expanding into the format.
"The vertical drama industry is not a trend. It is the new language of storytelling — spoken by millions who have never once opened a cinema listing. These creators are already here, and it is time they are recognised."
Jamie Walsh, National Film Academy
Broadcast Partnership: Channel ONE
The National Film Academy has signed a 3-year exclusive broadcast and streaming partnership with Channel ONE TV and Channel ONE Radio (2026–2028). The ceremony will be broadcast live at www.channelonetv.co.uk. Title sponsor: Moneeys.com.
The Full Nominations 2026
Eligibility: 1 July 2025 – 29 April 2026 · Public Voting: 4 May – 27 June 2026
Best Drama
- Glenrothan
- Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
- Hamnet
- Goodbye June
- Wasteman
- Hamlet
- Steve
- I Swear
Best Feature Film
- Glenrothan
- The Magic Faraway Tree
- Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
- Wasteman
- The Thursday Murder Club
- My Father's Shadow
- Heel
- Rose of Nevada
- Past Life
Best Actor
- Cillian Murphy — Steve
- Riz Ahmed — Hamlet
- Brian Cox — Glenrothan
- Robert Pattinson — The Drama
- Pierce Brosnan — The Thursday Murder Club
- David Jonsson — Wasteman
- Regé-Jean Page — You, Me & Tuscany
- Alan Cumming — Glenrothan
- Mark Fischbach — Iron Lung
Best Actress
- Helen Mirren — The Thursday Murder Club
- Jessie Buckley — Hamnet
- Emma Thompson — Goodbye June
- Olivia Colman — The Roses
- Claire Foy — The Magic Faraway Tree
- Zendaya — The Drama
- Morfydd Clark — Hamlet
- Halle Bailey — You, Me & Tuscany
- Caroline Kaplan — Iron Lung
Best Supporting Actress
- Kate Winslet — Goodbye June
- Rebecca Ferguson — Peaky Blinders
- Jessica Gunning — The Magic Faraway Tree
- Jennifer Saunders — The Magic Faraway Tree
- Sophie Rundle — Peaky Blinders
- Nicola Coughlan — The Magic Faraway Tree
- Emily Watson — Hamnet
- Naomi Ackie — The Thursday Murder Club
- Elsie Lovelock — Iron Lung
- Isabella Ferrari — You, Me & Tuscany
Best Supporting Actor
- Stephen Graham — Peaky Blinders
- Paul Mescal — Hamnet
- Tim Roth — Peaky Blinders
- Andrew Garfield — The Magic Faraway Tree
- Ben Kingsley — The Thursday Murder Club
- Art Malik — Hamlet
- Toby Jones — The Choral
- Adam Deacon — Reckless
- Alex Hassell — Wasteman
Best Director
- Brian Cox — Glenrothan
- Chloé Zhao — Hamnet
- Tom Harper — Peaky Blinders
- Antoine Fuqua — Michael
- Chris Columbus — The Thursday Murder Club
- Aneil Karia — Hamlet
- Akinola Davies Jr. — My Father's Shadow
- Mark Fischbach — Iron Lung
- Cal McMau — Wasteman
Best Thriller
- Iron Lung
- The Thursday Murder Club
- Lure
- Ballad of a Small Player
- Helloween
- Doctor Plague
- Diamond Sky
- Borley Rectory: The Awakening
Best TV Drama Series
- Bergerac · U/U&Drama
- Adolescence · Netflix
- Bridgerton S4 · Netflix
- The Night Manager S2 · BBC
- Half Man · BBC/HBO
- Secret Service · ITV1
- Hijack S2 · Apple TV+
- Under Salt Marsh · Sky Atlantic
- The Walsh Sisters · BBC One
- Babies · BBC One
- The Teacher S3 · Channel 5
Best Actor in a TV Series
- Stephen Graham — Adolescence
- Gary Oldman — Slow Horses S5
- Tom Hiddleston — Night Manager S2
- Idris Elba — Hijack S2
- Richard Gadd — Half Man
- Luke Thompson — Bridgerton S4
- Mark Bonnar — Blue Lights S3
- Joseph Fiennes — Dear England
- David Morrissey — Gone
- Malachi Kirby — A Thousand Blows S2
Best Actress in a TV Series
- Gemma Arterton — Secret Service
- Kelly Reilly — Under Salt Marsh
- Kosar Ali — Proper Ladies
- Holliday Grainger — Strike
- Sinéad Keenan — Unforgotten
- Eve Myles — Gone
- Siân Brooke — Blue Lights S3
- Mia McKenna-Bruce — Seven Dials
Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series
- Rafe Spall — Secret Service
- Jack Lowden — Slow Horses S5
- Jamie Bell — Half Man
- Ashley Walters — Adolescence
- Victor Alli — Bridgerton S4
- Josh Finan — The Walsh Sisters
- Roger Allam — Secret Service
Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series
- Erin Doherty — Adolescence
- Kristin Scott Thomas — Slow Horses S5
- Sophie Okonedo — Slow Horses S5
- Michelle Fairley — The Walsh Sisters
- Alex Kingston — Secret Service
- Anjli Mohindra — Half Man
- Zoe Wanamaker — Bergerac
- Masali Baduza — Bridgerton S4
Best Comedy — Film & TV
- You, Me & Tuscany
- Proper Ladies
- The Magic Faraway Tree
- W1A Special
- The Thursday Murder Club
- The Roses
- The Walsh Sisters
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Glenrothan
Best British Film
- Pillion
- Urchin
- The Magic Faraway Tree
- Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
- Wasteman
- Hamlet
- I Swear
- Lady
Best Newcomer
- Josh Tedeku — Boarders
- Jodie Campbell — Boarders
- Jaafar Jackson — Michael
- Owen Cooper — Adolescence
- Yerin Ha — Bridgerton S4
- Sabrina Ali — Proper Ladies
- Gus Turner — Ted Lasso
- Noah Caplan — Stepping Stone
Outstanding Performance
- Riz Ahmed — Hamlet
- Idris Elba — Hijack S2
- Jaafar Jackson — Michael
- Michael B. Jordan — Sinners
- Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme
- Jacobi Jupe — Hamnet
- Robert Aramayo — I Swear
- Nathalie Emmanuel — The Killer
Best Vertical Series
- Jollof and Kimchi · UK/Nigeria
- Game of Choice · UK/USA
- The Heiress's Revenge · UK/China
- In Other Words I Love You · UK
- Breaking the Ice · USA/Canada
- Twisted Fate · USA
- The Beauty and the Billionaire · UK
- Mafia Lover · UK
- Yr Alwad (The Call) · Wales
Best Independent Film
- Iron Lung
- My Father's Shadow
- Lure
- Rose of Nevada
- Past Life
- Reckless
- Last Save Point
- Finding My Voice
- Surviving Earth
Best International Film
- Superman
- Michael
- Sinners
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
- The Drama
- Snow White
- My Father's Shadow
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Best Short Film
- The Truth About Space
- Magid / Zafar
- Flock
- Stomach Bug
- Nostalgie
- The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing
- A Fox in the Night
Best Foreign Language Film
- Sentimental Value · Norway
- Nouvelle Vague · France
- Two Women · Italy
- Jawan · India
- Concrete Utopia · South Korea
- Radical · Mexico
- 12th Fail · India
- The Wandering Earth 2 · China
- On Becoming a Guinea Fowl · Zambia/UK
- The Teachers' Lounge · Germany
Best Documentary / Docu-Series
- Becoming Victoria Wood — U&GOLD
- Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere — Netflix
- Harry Styles: One Night in Manchester — Netflix
- Twiggy — Studio Soho Distribution
- Predators — Dogwoof
- 2000 Meters to Andriivka — Dogwoof
- Becoming Led Zeppelin — Sony Pictures
- Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough
Best Streaming Platform
- Netflix — Adolescence, Peaky Blinders
- Apple TV+ — Slow Horses S5
- BBC iPlayer — Half Man
- Disney+ — A Thousand Blows S2
- ITVX — Secret Service, Gone
- Sky Atlantic — Under Salt Marsh
- MUBI — My Father's Shadow
- U/U&Drama — Bergerac
Best Screenplay in a TV Series
- Stephen Graham & Jack Thorne — Adolescence
- Toby Whitehouse — Bergerac
- Stefan Golaszewski — Babies
- Will Smith — Slow Horses
- Tom Bradby & Jemma Kennedy — Secret Service
- Daniel Lawrence Taylor — Boarders
- Chris Chibnall — Seven Dials
Best Film Production Company
- BBC Film — Peaky Blinders
- Agile Films — Wasteman
- Entertainment Film Distributors — Magic Faraway Tree
- Potboiler Productions — Secret Service
- Apple TV+ UK — Slow Horses S5
- Mam Tor / Thistledown — Half Man
- Graham King — Michael
"These creators are not emerging — they are already here, and it is time they are recognised alongside the biggest names in film and television."
Jamie Walsh, National Film AcademyVote Now — Public Voting Open Until 27 June 2026
The National Film Awards is the only major British screen awards determined entirely by public vote. Cast yours today.
Ceremony: Wednesday 1 July 2026 · Porchester Hall, London W2 · Broadcast live on Channel ONE TV