Last night, the casting world stepped into the spotlight for the 41st Annual Artios Awards. Held on Thursday, February 26, 2026, the ceremony remains the industry’s premier celebration of casting directors.
The Artios Awards were held simultaneously in three major hubs:
- Los Angeles: The Beverly Hilton (Hosted by Harvey Guillén)
- New York City: The Edison Ballroom (Hosted by Jeff Hiller)
- London: One Moorgate Place (Hosted by Jessica Gunning)
This year was particularly historic as the industry looks forward to the debut of the Best Casting category at the Oscars, a milestone long-awaited by the Casting Society (CSA).
Notable Winners & Nominees
The night saw a mix of blockbuster favorites and indie darlings across film, television and theater.
Feature Film Winners
- Feature Big Budget – Drama: Sinners – Francine Maisler; Associate Casting Directors: Molly Rose, Amber Wakefield
- Feature Big Budget – Comedy: Jay Kelly – Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold; Associate Casting Director: Matthew Glasner
- Feature Studio or Independent – Drama: Sentimental Value – Avy Kaufman
- Feature Studio or Independent – Comedy: Rental Family – Kei Kawamura
- Feature Low Budget – Comedy or Drama: Bob Trevino Likes It – Kate Geller; Associate Casting Director: Ross Shenker
- Feature Animated: Zootopia 2 – Grace C. Kim
- Feature International: The Fisherman – Mawuko Kuadzi
Television & Theater Highlights
- Television (Drama): The Pitt (Cathy Sandrich Gelfond) took home top honors.
- Television (Comedy): Hacks and Severance continued their winning streaks.
- New Category: The first-ever award for London Theatre was introduced.
Special Honorees
- Lynn Stalmaster Award: Ayo Davis (President, Disney Branded Television)
- Hoyt Bowers Award: Julie Ashton (for her legendary work on Big Mouth and Bob’s Burgers)
- Rosalie Joseph Humanitarian Award: Laura Adler (awarded posthumously)
The Recap
With the Academy finally recognizing casting as a competitive category, there was a sense of a “new era” beginning. Francine Maisler notably secured her 17th Artios win for the supernatural thriller Sinners, further cementing her status as a titan of the craft.
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!
