Series Mania 2026 concluded on a high note, unveiling its award winners while confirming another year of strong growth and global industry impact.
Held in Lille, the festival and its professional forum once again brought together creators, talent and executives from across the international TV landscape.
Early figures highlight Series Mania’s expanding reach, with approximately 112,000 attendees, an increase of 4,000 compared to last year, and 9,000 students participating through dedicated educational programs. At the Lille Grand Palais, the Series Mania Forum served as a central hub for industry activity, hosting 5,200 professionals from 75 countries alongside a record-breaking 97 exhibitors.
This year’s Series Mania also marked a significant milestone for the global television industry with the signing of a new Council of Europe convention on the co-production of audiovisual series. Nine countries, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland and Portugal, joined forces to establish the first international legal framework dedicated to independent co-productions for television and streaming.
Speaking about the Series Mania winners, Founder and Managing Director of Series Mania, Laurence Herszberg, said: “We are delighted that the awards list confirms the trends we observed: the strong presence of the United Kingdom and the quality of Polish series, both awarded three times, as well as the notable presence of Quebec.
We are also particularly pleased that such a unique series as The Flaws has earned its place among the winners. Finally, we commend the presence of two fully female teams in their creation, production, and direction, My Brother and Dustfall. We warmly thank all of our partners, without whom this event could not take place, including the Hauts-de-France Region, the CNC, the MEL, the City of Lille, and Crédit Mutuel Nord Europe.”
Here’s the full list of Series Mania award winners:
Audience Award
This prize is awarded to the audience’s favorite series from all the titles in competition – except for Short Forms- voted on at the end of each screenings.
Winner: Dustfall (Australia) — ABC TV, BBC, ZDF
International Competition
The international jury, chaired by Icelandic showrunner, director, and actor Benedikt Erlingsson, alongside Brazilian actress and producer Alice Braga, Belgian actress Cécile de France, French actor and rapper Hatik, Iranian director Ida Panahandeh, and British screenwriter and director Luke Watson, awarded four prizes among the 9 series presented in world or international premiere.
Grand Prize: Proud (Poland) — HBO Max
Best Screenplay: Dennis Kelly, for Waiting for the Out (UK) — BBC
Best Actress: Amanda Jansson, in My Brother (Sweden) — SVT / DR / NRK / YLE / RÚV
Best Actor: Ignacy Liss, in Proud (Poland) — HBO Max
French Competition
The jury, composed of international journalists Arabella Wintermayr (Germany), Irene Crespo (Spain), Miina Väisänen (Finland), Justyna Mis (Poland), and Barry Levitt (UK), awarded four prizes among the six French series presented in their world premieres.
Best Series: All Shape of Us (Grandiose) — TF1
Best Actress: Manon Kneusé, in Camarades — ARTE
Best Actor: Karim Leklou, in Eldorado — ARTE / RTBF
Best Original Score: Amine Bouhafa, for Privilèges — HBO Max
International Panaroma
The jury, chaired by French author and illustrator Pénélope Bagieu, alongside Italian director and screenwriter Enrico Maria Artale, Norwegian producer Synnøve Hørsdal, and French comedian, actor, director, and screenwriter Thomas Ngijol, and Czech producer and creator Kamila Zlatusková, awarded four prizes among the 10 series presented in preview:
Best Series: Small Prophets (UK) — BBC
Best Director: Arne Feldhussen, for The Flaws (Germany) — ZDF
Best Actress: Lauren Patel, in Small Prophets (UK) — BBC
Best Actor: Maxime Le Flaguais, in Welcome to Kingston-Falls (Canada) — ICI Radio-Canada
A student jury also awarded its prize to
Variola Vera (Poland) — TVP
Short Forms Competition
The Short Forms competition jury was chaired by German showrunner, screenwriter, and producer Ceylan Yildirim, alongside Lebanese actress, screenwriter, and director Mounia Akl, actor, rapper, and director Younès Boucif, and Swedish actor Simon Lööf.
Best Series: Ayer’s Cliff (Canada) — ICI Tou.tv Extra
Mention: Hirayasumi (Japan) — NHK
A student jury also awarded its prize to
La Dernière Heure (France) — ARTE
Mention: Homebodies (Australia) — SBS
