How the International Emmy Awards work: entry, judging and winners
The International Emmys honour TV made outside the United States, and they are run by a different academy from the Primetime Emmys. How shows qualify, how 1,000-plus jurors pick nominees and winners, and what to expect at the 2026 gala.
The International Emmy Awards honour television made outside the United States. They are run by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, a separate organisation from the Television Academy that hands out the Primetime Emmys. Winners are chosen by more than 1,000 working TV professionals over three rounds of judging, and the trophies are presented at a gala in New York every November.
What we know
- FACT: The 2026 nominees were announced on 23 September 2026: 64 nominees across 16 categories from 22 countries.
- FACT: The 54th International Emmy Awards Gala takes place in New York on Monday, 23 November 2026.
- FACT: To qualify, a programme must be produced primarily outside the U.S. and first aired outside the U.S. (or at the same time) within the eligibility year.
- FACT: Ballots are tabulated by the accounting firm Ernst & Young (EY).
Three academies, three kinds of Emmy
“Emmy” covers several separate competitions. According to the Television Academy, the Los Angeles-based Television Academy runs the Emmys for national primetime programming. Two New York-based sister organisations handle the rest. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) covers areas such as daytime, sports, news and documentary. The International Academy covers television produced outside the U.S.
So a British drama or a Brazilian telenovela competes at the International Emmys, not the Primetime ones. The rules also say a programme entered in another Emmy competition cannot be entered here.
Who can enter
The International Academy’s 2026 rules set the main conditions:
- The programme must be produced primarily outside the U.S.
- It must have first aired outside the U.S., or simultaneously, between 1 January and 31 December 2025.
- It must have been made for television or streaming.
- It must not have been entered in another Emmy competition.
Entries are submitted through an online portal. The 2026 deadline was 31 January 2026 and the entry fee was $550 per entry. The 16 categories range across drama, comedy, documentary, kids’ TV, news, short-form series, non-scripted entertainment and acting performances.
How the judging works
The Academy says it chooses more than 1,000 independent jurors, drawn from many countries, every year. Jurors need at least five years of professional TV experience, and every programme is subtitled in English so jurors can judge work in any language. The process runs in three rounds:
| Round | When (2026) | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| First round | Spring, online | Jurors screen and score all eligible entries |
| Semi-finals | June to August | Screening events at more than 30 sites worldwide, hosted by Academy members, produce four nominees per category |
| Final round | Before the gala | Jurors rank the nominees; EY tabulates the winner |
Under the rules, jurors score entries on concept and execution, while performance categories are judged on the performance alone. Jurors also sign non-disclosure agreements, and the rules let the Academy ask entrants how artificial intelligence was used in a production.
The Academy’s published timetables differ slightly. Its judging page puts the first round in April and May, while the rules document allows it to run into June. The overall order of the rounds is the same.
The 2026 nominees at a glance
The UK leads the 2026 nominations with 14. Brazil is second with nine, and Spain third with five. Those are Variety’s totals, and they match our own count of the published list. Some outlets reported slightly different figures.
The Best Drama Series nominees are A Thousand Blows (UK), Carême (France), Menem (Argentina) and Real Kashmir Football Club (India).
South Africa has two nominations: Ian Roberts for Best Performance by an Actor in A Kind of Madness, and The Philipstown Wirecar Grand Prix in the Sports Documentary category.
Why the International Emmys matter
For producers outside the U.S., the International Emmys are a rare global awards competition built specifically for television. The 2026 nominees, for example, come from 22 countries. Streaming has also made non-English series easier to watch worldwide. Our guide to how the Netflix Top 10 counts views explains how that reach is measured.
If you follow awards season, the International Emmys work differently from the big film and music prizes. Compare how Oscar voting works and how Grammy voting works, where academy members vote instead of selected jury panels.
What to watch next
The winners will be revealed at the gala in New York on 23 November 2026. Entries for the following year usually open in December, and the Academy publishes updated rules before each cycle.
Sources
- International Academy: 2026 International Emmy Awards nominees announced, 23 September 2026
- International Academy: 2026 International Emmy Awards rules and regulations (PDF)
- International Academy: judging process
- International Academy: 2026 entry materials checklist (PDF)
- Television Academy: sister organisations
- Variety: International Emmy nominations 2026, full list and country totals, 23 September 2026
- The Hollywood Reporter: 2026 International Emmy nominees, 23 September 2026
Share this story
