SDA 2026 Breaks All Records: 

352 Submissions from 46 Countries and Regions

SEOUL, South Korea — The Seoul International Drama Awards (SDA) returns for its 21st edition with a record-breaking 352 submissions from 46 countries and regions, surpassing the previous record of 346 set in 2024. The milestone marks the largest field in the festival's history and highlights SDA's growing role as a global platform for television storytelling.

Short-Form Drama Goes Global

One of the clearest trends reflected in this year's submissions is the continued growth of short-form drama. A total of 49 submissions from 10 countries across three continents were received, reflecting the format's growing influence across the global content landscape.

While Korea and China remain key short-form markets, this year's submissions also came from North America and Europe, underscoring the format's increasing international appeal. <China's Hidden ID: Sky-High Tips> brings short-form storytelling into the economic crime investigation genre, while Spain's <Unfiltered> uses the format to explore teen relationships, digital identity, and self-expression in the social media age.

New Voices from Africa

One of the most notable developments this year is the growing participation from Africa. Algeria, Rwanda, and Togo are making their SDA debut, joining Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa. Together, they bring the number of African participating countries from two in 2025 to six this year.

The new entries show the range of stories now reaching SDA from across Africa. <Fatma>(Algeria) is a historical drama set in 19th-century French colonial Algiers, following women’s lives and resistance under occupation. <Ahoé S2>(Togo) follows a young woman’s rise to leadership, while <Hurts Harder>(Rwanda) explores identity, relationships, and life in the digital age.

Together, these entries bring new cultural perspectives to the festival and highlight the growing diversity of global television storytelling.

International Competition Highlights

This year's International Competition brings together acclaimed productions from across North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, and Africa.

Among the most anticipated entries is <BEEF S2>(Netflix), a new chapter from creator Lee Sung Jin. It follows <BEEF>, which won eight awards at the 75th Emmy Awards and three at the 81st Golden Globe Awards. The new season stars Charles Melton and Carey Mulligan alongside Korean screen legends Youn Yuh-jung and Song Kang-ho.

Apple TV brings two major contenders to this year’s lineup. <Slow Horses S5> is the Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning espionage drama led by Gary Oldman. <Pluribus> is the latest project from <Breaking Bad> creator Vince Gilligan.

Asia’s lineup includes <Girl From Nowhere: The Reset>, a reimagining of one of Thailand’s most internationally recognized drama franchises. China is also represented by <The Immortal Ascension>, a fantasy epic that reflects the breadth of contemporary Asian genre storytelling.

Award-winning productions also feature prominently in this year's lineup, including CANNESERIES winners <A Better Man> and <Nepobaby>, as well as <MISS KING> (AbemaTV, Inc., So-ket Corp.), recipient of multiple honors at the World Media Festivals 2026.

Beyond established markets, this year's competition also highlights stories rooted in local histories and cultural experiences. Australia's <Goolagong> tells the inspiring true-life story of tennis champion Evonne Goolagong, an Aboriginal Australian who rose from the town of Barellan to become the world No. 1 female tennis player. Brazil's <Radioactive Emergency>, inspired by the 1987 Goiânia Cesium-137 disaster, also drew international attention following its release on Netflix.

K-Drama: Expanding Its Creative Spectrum

The K-Drama Category reflects the full breadth of Korean drama's creative range, with submissions spanning romantic comedy, fantasy romance, spy melodrama, crime noir, historical fantasy, and human drama.

⦁ Romantic comedy <My Royal Nemesis> (Studio S)

⦁ Fantasy romance <Genie, Make a Wish> (Netflix), written by Kim Eun-sook

⦁ Spy melodrama <Tempest> (Disney+): starring Gianna Jun and Gang Dong-won

⦁ Crime noir <Made in Korea> (Disney+): starring Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung

⦁ Global romance <Can This Love Be Translated?> (Netflix): starring Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung

⦁ Fantasy historical drama <Bon Appétit, Your Majesty> (Studio Dragon)

⦁ Human drama <We Are All Trying Here> (SLL), written by Park Hae-young

Notably, most K-Drama submissions are also competing in the International Competition Category, highlighting their crossover appeal with global audiences.

Individual Awards

The Individual Awards feature an impressive lineup of internationally recognized actors, writers, and directors.

The acting categories include Gary Oldman (Slow Horses S5), Carey Mulligan (BEEF S2), Freddie Highmore (The Assassin), Shun Oguri (Romantic Anonymous), Alice Ko (Had I Not Seen the Sun), Anne Curtis (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay), and Yang Yang (The Immortal Ascension), alongside Korean stars Youn Yuh-jung and Song Kang-ho (BEEF S2), Gianna Jun and Gang Dong-won (Tempest), and Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung (Made in Korea).

The directing and writing categories feature acclaimed creators including Kim Eun-sook (Genie, Make a Wish), Lee Sung Jin (BEEF S2), and Vince Gilligan (Pluribus). The lineup also includes Adir Miller (Reset), creator of the International Emmy Award-winning series Traffic Light, and Québec filmmaker Patrick Huard (Bon Cop Bad Cop).

The 21st Seoul International Drama Awards ceremony will be held at KBS Hall on October 8, 2026. The event will be broadcast live on MBC TV and the official Seoul International Drama Awards YouTube channel. Public programs and fan events will be held from October 9 to 10 at Banpo Hangang Park and Songpa Naru Park in Seoul.