The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) has announced the nominees for the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards in 141 film, television, and digital media categories. The awards will be presented as a seven-part genre-based series of presentations streamed live on Academy.ca — as well as the Canadian Academy Twitter and YouTube channels — from Monday, May 17 through Thursday, May 20.
While the sixth and final season of live-action comedy hit Schitt’s Creek leads both the television and overall Canadian Screen Award nominations with 21, it’s also a big year for Canadian animation. Corner Gas Animated and Hotel Transylvania: The Series tied for most nominations with five each, followed by PAW Patrol with four, Abby Hatcher and The Magic School Bus Rides Again: The Frizz Connection (three each) and double nods for Esme & Roy, Snoopy in Space, True and the Rainbow Kingdom and Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum.
The awards will culminate in the Canadian Screen Awards main event — featuring a curated selection of prominent awards — streaming live on Thursday, May 20 at 8 p.m. ET. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Visit www.academy.ca for more information and the complete lists of nominees.
FILM
Best Animated Short
- 4 North A | Jordan Canning, Howie Shia, Annette Clarke
- The Fourfold | Alisi Telengut
- The Great Malaise | Catherine LePage, Marc Bertrand
- Hot Flash | Thea Hollatz, Kristy Neville, Matt Code, Morghan Fortier, Brett Jubinville
- I, Barnabé | Jean-François Lévesque, Julie Roy
Achievement in Visual Effects
- Blood Quantum | Joshua Sherrett, Barbara Rosenstein, Ibi Atemi, David Atexide, Juan Carlos Ferrá, Alex Flynn, Andrei Gheorghiu, Felix Sherrett-Brown, Ali Hamidikia, Tony Wu, Carlo Harrietha, Jean-Mathieu Bérubé
- Code 8 | Brian Huynh, William Chang, Steven Huynh, Sophia Jooyeon Lee, Justin Perreault
- French Exit | Liam Neville, Kenneth Coyne, Piers Larchet, Rob Murray, Shane Browne, Dave Thomas, Mihail Dumbravestu, Allen Sillery, Christoph Gaudi, Michael McCarthy
- Funny Boy | Peter McAuley, Michael Bishop, Derek Gebhart, Armen Bunag, Luke White, James Marin, Marco Polsinelli, Andrew Rolfe, Davor Celar
- Laughter | François Trudel, Cynthia Mourou
TELEVISION
Best Animated Program or Series
(Sponsored by Sheridan College)
- Corner Gas Animated | Brent Butt, Virginia Thompson, David Storey, Andrew Carr, Marilyn McAuley, Robert de Lint, Jonas Diamond, Jensenne Roculan, Randy Lennox | Verite Films, Sparrow Media, Aslan Ent. / CTV
- Hotel Transylvania: The Series | Jane Crawford, Suzie Gallo | Nelvana / Teletoon / Corus Ent.
- The Magic School Bus Rides Again: The Frizz Connection | Vince Commisso, Iole Lucchese, Jocelyn Stevenson, Blake Tohana, Michelle Awad, Nora Keely | 9 Story Media Group / Netflix
- Snoopy in Space | Josh Scherba, Anne Loi, Stephanie Betts, Paige Braddock, Craig Shulz, Mark Evestaff, Kimberly Small | WildBrain / Apple TV+
- Wild Kratts | Chris Kratt, Martin Kratt, Vince Commisso, Blake Tohana, Cheryl Knapp | 9 Story Media Group, The Kratt Brothers / TVOKids
Best Preschool Program or Series
(Sponsored by Corus Entertainment)
- Abby Hatcher | Jennifer Dodge, Ronnen Harary, Rob Hoegee, Jamie Whitney, Laura Clunie, Frank Falcone, Toni Stevens, Jonah Stroh, Dan Mokriy, Cynthia Taylor, David Watson | Spin Master Hatching Prod. 2 Inc. / TVOKids
- Dino Dana | J.J. Johnson, Blair Powers, Christin Simms, Matthew J.R. Bishop | Sinking Ship Ent. / TVOKids
- Esme & Roy | Pam Westman, Amy Steinberg, Dustin Ferrer, Scott Dyer, Kay Wilson Stallings, Doug Murphy, Jane Crawford, Melanie Grisanti, Oliver Kane, Pamela Slavin, Melissa Graham, Rick Ritter | Nelvana Ltd. / Treehouse / Corus Ent.
- PAW Patrol | Jennifer Dodge, Ronnen Harary, Keith Chapman, Ursula Ziegler-Sullivan, Laura Clunie, Toni Stevens, Jonah Stroh, Dan Mokriy, Shayna Fine, Jason McKenzie, Pascale LeBlanc, David Sharples, Damian Temporale, Sarah Williams | Spin Master PAW Prod. 7 Inc. / TVOKids
- True and the Rainbow Kingdom | Frank Falcone, Mary Bredin, Jeremy Larner, Bill Schultz, Mimi Valdés, Pharrell Williams, Dominique Bazay | Guru Studio / CBC
Best Direction, Animation
(Sponsored by 9 Story Media Group)
- Abby Hatcher “Fuzzly Beach Day” | Kyran Kelly
- Hotel Transylvania: The Series “What Lycidias Beneath” | Robin Budd
- The Magic School Bus Rides Again: The Frizz Connection | Rich Weston
- PAW Patrol “Dino Rescue: Pups and the Lost Dino Eggs” | Charles E. Bastien
- True and the Rainbow Kingdom “Friendship Day” | Mark Thornton, Todd Kauffman
Best Writing, Animation
- Corner Gas Animated “Pact Rat” | Andrew Carr
- Corner Gas Animated “Pink Flood” | Brent Butt, Jennifer Goodhue
- Corner Gas Animated “Remembers Only” | Brent Butt, Jennifer Siddle
- Hotel Transylvania: The Series “What Lycidias Beneath” | Mark Steinberg
- Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum “I Am Harriet Tubman” | Desmond Sargeant, Meghan Read | 9 Story Media Group / TVOKids
Best Sound, Animation
- Abby Hatcher “Fuzzly Beach Day” | Brendan Quinn, Julian Rudd, Kevin Chamberlain, Scott McCrorie, Sebastian Biega
- The Magic School Bus Rides Again: The Frizz Connection | Dan Kuntz, Jack Carter
- Ollie’s Pack “Ollie in the House / The Ollie Files” | Ryan Araki, Simon Berry, Sue Robertson | Nelvana / YTV / Corus Ent.
- PAW Patrol “Dino Rescue: Pups and the Lost Dino Eggs” | Richard Spence-Thomas, Kyle Peters, Patton Rodrigues, Ryan Ongaro, Timothy Muirhead, Mitch Connors, Luke Dante
- Snoopy In Space “Mission 6: Space Sleepwalking” | Jeff Davis, Fanny Riguidel, Stefan Seslija, Melanie Eng
- Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series “The First Time We Smoked Weed” | Brian Power, Matt Dawson, Jeremy Van Slyke, Zander Rosborough, Graham Colwell | TPB A2 Prod. / Netflix
Best Visual Effects
(Sponsored by SPINVFX)
- A Bee’s Diary | Greg Marshall, Karl Reichert, Mark Wong, Jordan Alaeddine, Amanda Grabenstetter | Handful of Films / CBC
- Cardinal: Until the Night “Robert” | Tom Plaskett, Lara Osland, Pavan Veeramaneni, Igor Garanovschii, Kevin Buessecker, Terence Krueger, Mohsin Kazi, David Rezek, Ramin Pournavab, Sawyer Tomkinson-Hunnef | Sienna Films, eOne / CTV / Bell Media
- Trickster “Episode 104” | Tom Plaskett, Tracy Grant, Dayna Pearce, Matt Philip, Mercedes Delgado, Janis Cudars, Chris Doe, Adam Smith, Sawyer Tomkinson-Hunnef, Jay Stanners | Sienna Films, Steel Films / CBC
- Utopia Falls “The World Is Yours” | Greg Behrens, Winston Lee, Dani Wall | Sonar Canada / CBC Gem
- Vikings “The Best Laid Plans” | Dominic Remane, Bill Halliday, Becca Donohoe, Leann Harvey, Tom Morrison, Ovidiu Cinazan, Jim Maxwell, Ezra Waddell, Warren Lawtey, Maria Gordon | Take 5 Prod. / History / Corus Ent.
Best Original Music, Animation
- Corn & Peg “Homesick Hotel / Camp Wanna Trotta” | Asher Lenz, Stephen Skratt | Nelvana / Treehouse / Corus Ent.
- Hotel Transylvania: The Series “The Song Remains Asleep” | Asher Lenz, Stephen Skratt
- Let’s Go Luna! “Monster Park / Meet the Strongs” | Ari Posner, Amin Bhatia, Kris Kuzdak, Chris Tait | 9 Story Media Group / TVOKids
- The Remarkable Mr. King “Mr. King’s Machine / Mr. King’s Concert / Mr. King’s Turnip” | Neil Parfitt | Nelvana / Treehouse / Corus Ent.
- Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum “I Am Harriet Tubman” | Meiro Stamm
Best Performance, Animation
- Alien TV | Julie Lemieux | eOne / Netflix
- Corner Gas Animated | Lorne Cardinal
- Esme & Roy | Patrick McKenna
- Hotel Transylvania: The Series | Bryn McAuley
- PAW Patrol | Lilly Bartlam
DIGITAL MEDIA
Best Immersive Experience
- The Book of Distance | Randall Okita, David Oppenheim, Anita Lee | National Film Board of Canada
- The Holy City | Nimrod Shanit, Sean Thomas Evans | Holy City VR
- In the Land of the Flabby Schnook | Francis Gélinas, Francis Monty, Catherine Cyr, Saule Gélinas, Lileina Joy, Monique Thomas, Daniel Judson, Michèle Paquin, Natasha Vallée-Martin, Olivier Rousseau, Maude Paré, Anne-Marie Robert, Christina Robinson, Gabrielle Leblanc, Marc-André Paquin, Mathieu Dufresne, Éric Guérin | couleur.tv
- Space Explorers: The ISS Experience | Felix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphael | Felix & Paul Studios
Best Video Game
- Later Daters | Miriam Verburg | Bloom Digital Media
- LOVE – A Puzzle Box Filled with Stories | Jim Squires, Shane McCafferty | Rocketship Park
- Spiritfarer | Nicolas Guérin | 9300-2665 Quebec Inc. (dba Thunder Lotus)
- Star Renegades | Ken Seto | Massive Damage Inc.
- We Happy Few: We All Fall Down | Alex Epstein, Lisa Hunter, Mark Slutsky | Compulsion Games
