The Royal Television Society has opened entries for the RTS Programme Awards 2026.
Presented in partnership with Cast & Crew, the awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday 24 March 2026 at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House.
Across the 29 competitive categories, the RTS Programme Awards recognise stand-out programmes and performances across all genres in UK television. In particular, the juries look to identify and celebrate content which is high quality, offers originality, impacts audiences, contributes to the development of new genres, and showcases technical and production excellence. The closing date for entries is Friday 5 December 2025 and nominations will be announced in early March.
This year, to support the increase in scripted productions, the number of nominations for all scripted categories has increased to four. This includes: Drama Series; Limited Series and Single Drama; Writer (Drama); Scripted Comedy; Comedy Drama; Writer (Comedy); Leading Actor Female; Leading Actor Male; Supporting Actor Female; Supporting Actor Male; Comedy Performance Female; Comedy Performance Male and the Breakthrough Award.
The Entertainment category has expanded to include a greater variety of programmes. In the newly coined Entertainment and Reality category, competitive reality shows, quiz shows and game shows are eligible for submission.
Kenton Allen, Chair of the RTS Programme Awards, said: “The RTS Programme Awards are a celebration of the outstanding talent from across the UK television landscape, and exemplify the exceptional storytelling and innovation from all areas of the industry. Each year we work closely with streamers and broadcasters to ensure the entry criteria reflects the ever-evolving television landscape, this year allowing more scripted nominations than ever before in reflection of the volume of remarkable television produced within this genre. We’re looking forward to receiving and reviewing this year’s submissions, which we’re sure will showcase the incredible programming we have witnessed so far this year.”
Entries are now accepted via the RTS website, and all programmes and performances should have been aired, whether by broadcast or online streaming, between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025. The awards are for original UK productions and, where appropriate, international co-productions. In line with all RTS awards, the society stresses the need for all organisations to show awareness when selecting entries and recognise diversity in the industry and broader community.
Pippa Considine
Share this story
