The Monte-Carlo Television Festival Unveils the Official Selection for the 2026 Golden Nymph Awards
As the Monte-Carlo Television Festival prepares to celebrate its 65th anniversary, the Principality once again becomes the international stage for television excellence. Today, the Festival unveils the Official Selection for the 2026 Golden Nymph Awards, bringing together some of the year’s most anticipated and ambitious productions from across the globe.
Following the conclusion of the pre-selection committee screenings, the international juries will deliberate on this exceptional lineup, chaired this year by acclaimed actress Lesley Manville for Fiction, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joshua Seftel for Feature Reports & News, and renowned media executive Susanne Daniels for the Digital category. The Golden Nymph Awards will be presented during the Closing Ceremony on Tuesday, June 16, hosted by Louise Ekland and Ricky Whittle.
Fiction Competition
The New Faces of Global Fiction
This year’s Fiction Competition brings together major acting talents, ambitious storytelling, and premium productions from across Europe and beyond. The selection is notably led by internationally acclaimed actress Emilia Clarke, starring alongside Haley Lu Richardson in the American espionage thriller PONIES.
The selection is notably led by internationally acclaimed actress Emilia Clarke, starring alongside Haley Lu Richardson in the American espionage thriller PONIES, produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group
The United Kingdom stands out strongly this year with The Other Bennet Sister, the highly anticipated literary adaptation starring Ella Bruccoleri and Richard E. Grant, alongside Gone, a gripping psychological drama led by Rosie Day. Italy also emerges as one of the strongest territories in competition with Gomorrah – The Origins, the highly anticipated prequel to the cult international crime franchise that launched stars such as Salvatore Esposito and Marco D’Amore, alongside Rosso Volante, produced in collaboration with Rai Fiction.
The selection also includes emotionally driven stories such as Fadia, set between Palestine and Israel, Olivia from Germany, Jones from Portugal, and the Danish military drama The Uniform. Altogether, the Fiction lineup reflects the richness and diversity of contemporary television storytelling, spanning identity, crime, family legacy, and social transformation.
Feature Reports & News Competition
Stories at the Heart of the Global Reality
The Feature Reports & News Competition once again highlights the strength of documentary filmmaking and investigative journalism in capturing the defining issues of our time. This year’s selection is particularly international, bringing together productions from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East around themes of war, migration, geopolitics, and social resilience.
Japan and South Africa stand out this year with powerful entries including Under Occupation: The Reality of Russification from NHK and Our Earth, My Blood, exploring memory, land, and survival. The competition also includes major investigative productions such as the BBC’s Into the Void: Putin’s Foreign Fighters, France’s Iran, Israel and the Bomb, La Guerre, Donald Trump et nous, and ICE au coeur de la police anti-migrants.
Other standout entries include Sweden’s Mission Investigate: The Hunt, Switzerland’s The Shattered Lives of Crans-Montana, and Italy’s Dacia Vita Mia – Dialoghi Giapponesi. Together, the selection showcases documentary storytelling at its most courageous and globally relevant.
Digital Competition
The Rise of Digital Storytelling
2026 marks a historic moment for the Monte-Carlo Television Festival with the launch of the first official Digital Competition. While the Digital Prize was introduced last year — notably honoring French creator Squeezie for his influence on contemporary digital creation — this year introduces a fully competitive category with its own jury and international selection.
The inaugural lineup celebrates innovative storytelling formats exploring identity, transformation, online relationships, and social dynamics. France is particularly well represented with productions such as 8h de maquillage pour devenir un lézard !, La face cachée de l'aéroport CDG la nuit, and Morbid Curiosity produced by Webedia & Elephant Adventures.
The competition also features Controlled: Can I Trust My Partner? from the United Kingdom, Deutsche Welle’s How Indian Students End Up Exploited in Germany, and South Korea’s Next-Door Families – What Makes a Family?, reflecting the increasingly global and socially engaged nature of digital storytelling.
Through this new category, the Festival embraces a new generation of creators and recognizes the growing influence of digital formats within the international audiovisual landscape.
“This 2026 Official Selection powerfully reflects the vitality, boldness and diversity of international audiovisual creation. For this anniversary edition, the Festival celebrates more than ever stories that question our times, bring cultures together, and push the boundaries of storytelling across both television and digital platforms. We are proud to welcome these talents from around the world to Monaco and to continue, for the past 65 years, to champion excellence and innovation at the heart of the Principality », said Cécile Menoni, Executive Director of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival.
Fiction Competition
The New Faces of Global Fiction
This year’s Fiction Competition brings together major acting talents, ambitious storytelling, and premium productions from across Europe and beyond. The selection is notably led by internationally acclaimed actress Emilia Clarke, starring alongside Haley Lu Richardson in the American espionage thriller PONIES.
The selection is notably led by internationally acclaimed actress Emilia Clarke, starring alongside Haley Lu Richardson in the American espionage thriller PONIES, produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group
The United Kingdom stands out strongly this year with The Other Bennet Sister, the highly anticipated literary adaptation starring Ella Bruccoleri and Richard E. Grant, alongside Gone, a gripping psychological drama led by Rosie Day. Italy also emerges as one of the strongest territories in competition with Gomorrah – The Origins, the highly anticipated prequel to the cult international crime franchise that launched stars such as Salvatore Esposito and Marco D’Amore, alongside Rosso Volante, produced in collaboration with Rai Fiction.
The selection also includes emotionally driven stories such as Fadia, set between Palestine and Israel, Olivia from Germany, Jones from Portugal, and the Danish military drama The Uniform. Altogether, the Fiction lineup reflects the richness and diversity of contemporary television storytelling, spanning identity, crime, family legacy, and social transformation.
Feature Reports & News Competition
Stories at the Heart of the Global Reality
The Feature Reports & News Competition once again highlights the strength of documentary filmmaking and investigative journalism in capturing the defining issues of our time. This year’s selection is particularly international, bringing together productions from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East around themes of war, migration, geopolitics, and social resilience.
Japan and South Africa stand out this year with powerful entries including Under Occupation: The Reality of Russification from NHK and Our Earth, My Blood, exploring memory, land, and survival. The competition also includes major investigative productions such as the BBC’s Into the Void: Putin’s Foreign Fighters, France’s Iran, Israel and the Bomb, La Guerre, Donald Trump et nous, and ICE au coeur de la police anti-migrants.
Other standout entries include Sweden’s Mission Investigate: The Hunt, Switzerland’s The Shattered Lives of Crans-Montana, and Italy’s Dacia Vita Mia – Dialoghi Giapponesi. Together, the selection showcases documentary storytelling at its most courageous and globally relevant.
Digital Competition
The Rise of Digital Storytelling
2026 marks a historic moment for the Monte-Carlo Television Festival with the launch of the first official Digital Competition. While the Digital Prize was introduced last year — notably honoring French creator Squeezie for his influence on contemporary digital creation — this year introduces a fully competitive category with its own jury and international selection.
The inaugural lineup celebrates innovative storytelling formats exploring identity, transformation, online relationships, and social dynamics. France is particularly well represented with productions such as 8h de maquillage pour devenir un lézard !, La face cachée de l'aéroport CDG la nuit, and Morbid Curiosity produced by Webedia & Elephant Adventures.
The competition also features Controlled: Can I Trust My Partner? from the United Kingdom, Deutsche Welle’s How Indian Students End Up Exploited in Germany, and South Korea’s Next-Door Families – What Makes a Family?, reflecting the increasingly global and socially engaged nature of digital storytelling.
Through this new category, the Festival embraces a new generation of creators and recognizes the growing influence of digital formats within the international audiovisual landscape.
“This 2026 Official Selection powerfully reflects the vitality, boldness and diversity of international audiovisual creation. For this anniversary edition, the Festival celebrates more than ever stories that question our times, bring cultures together, and push the boundaries of storytelling across both television and digital platforms. We are proud to welcome these talents from around the world to Monaco and to continue, for the past 65 years, to champion excellence and innovation at the heart of the Principality », said Cécile Menoni, Executive Director of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival.
