Filipino stars are once again making their mark on the international stage as several local actors earned nominations at the 2026 Seoul International Drama Awards (SDA), one of Asia's most prestigious television awards events.
Among the biggest Filipino names nominated for the Outstanding Asian Star category are Anne Curtis, Paulo Avelino, Kim Chiu, Dingdong Dantes, Joshua Garcia, Gerald Anderson, Carlo Aquino, Angelica Panganiban, Bela Padilla, and Shaina Magdayao.
The nominations come as the SDA announced a record-breaking year, receiving 352 drama entries from 46 countries and regions—the highest number of submissions in the festival's history. The figure surpassed the previous record of 346 entries set in 2024 and is significantly higher than last year's 276 submissions.
For Filipino fans, the spotlight is now on the Outstanding Asian Star voting, which officially opened on June 15 and will run until July 14 through the IdolChamp app.
A total of 23 Filipino actors and actresses are competing in the category, representing some of the country's most talked-about television projects.
The Philippine nominees are:
- Paulo Avelino ("The Alibi")
- Kim Chiu ("The Alibi")
- Anne Curtis ("It's Okay To Not Be Okay")
- Carlo Aquino ("It's Okay To Not Be Okay")
- Joshua Garcia ("Love Is Never Gone," "It's Okay To Not Be Okay")
- Dingdong Dantes ("The Master Cutter")
- Gerald Anderson ("Sins of the Father," "Blood vs Duty")
- Angelica Panganiban ("The Silent Noise")
- Bela Padilla ("Blood vs Duty")
- Shaina Magdayao ("Sins of the Father")
- Charlie Dizon ("What Lies Beneath")
- Kaila Estrada ("What Lies Beneath")
- JM De Guzman ("What Lies Beneath")
- Jake Cuenca ("What Lies Beneath")
- Ivana Alawi ("Love Is Never Gone")
- Zanjoe Marudo ("The Silent Noise")
- Amy Austria ("The First Vote")
- Anton Vinzon ("The Fist")
- Katrina Halili ("The Fist")
- Roi Vinzon ("The Fist")
- Max Collins ("The Master Cutter")
- JM Ibarra ("Ghosting")
- Sofia "Fyang" Smith ("Ghosting")
The Outstanding Asian Star award recognizes performers who have made a significant impact in six participating territories: the Philippines, South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand.
Meanwhile, South Korea's nominees include some of the biggest names in Hallyu today, including Jun Ji-hyun, Gang Dong-won, Kim Seon-ho, Go Youn-jung, Ji Chang-wook, Doh Kyung-soo, Kim Woo-bin, Suzy, Lim Yoon-a, Park Bo-young, and BLACKPINK member Jisoo.
Thailand is also strongly represented with nominees such as Win Metawin, Gemini Norawit, Milk Pansa Vosbein, Love Pattranite Limpatiyakorn, Namtan Tipnaree, Film Rachanun, and Rebecca Patricia Armstrong.
Beyond the fan-voted categories, this year's Seoul International Drama Awards showcases productions from across Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, Oceania, and Africa. Organizers also noted a growing number of short-form drama submissions and increased participation from African countries, with Algeria, Rwanda, and Togo joining the competition for the first time.
The 21st Seoul International Drama Awards will be held on Oct. 8 at KBS Hall in Seoul, with the official list of nominees for the international competition expected to be announced later.
