Heated Rivalry Wins Big at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards, Sweeping Every Eligible Category and Making History
Back in March, we shared with y’all that the little Canadian show that could—aka our beloved Heated Rivalry—had scored an impressive 18 nominations at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards. The breakout LGBTQ+ hockey drama found itself recognized across nearly every corner of television production, from Best Drama Series and Best Direction to acting categories, production design, photography, music, and more.
Of course, despite those 18 nominations, the series was never actually eligible to win all 18 trophies. Because Hudson Williams (Shane Hollander) and François Arnaud (Scott Hunter) were nominated against each other in Best Lead Performer, Drama, Sophie Nélisse (Rose Landry) and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova (Svetlana Vetrova) faced off in Best Supporting Performer, Drama, and editors Véronique Barbe and Arthur Tarnowski competed in Best Picture Editing, Drama, the show could realistically take home a maximum of 15 competitive awards. Add in the fan-voted Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award, however, and that brought the grand total to 16 possible wins.
Well, we have some incredible news.
This past weekend, across both the technical and main 2026 Canadian Screen Awards ceremonies, Heated Rivalry completed a historic clean sweep, taking home all 16 awards it was eligible to win. In doing so, the series also set a new record for the most Canadian Screen Awards won by a single show in history.
Heading into Sunday’s main ceremony, Heated Rivalry had already amassed 13 victories during the technical awards presentations. The final three competitive categories were awarded during the televised ceremony, where the series continued its winning streak without missing a single beat.
Among the technical awards, Jackson Parrell won Best Photography, Drama. Véronique Barbe took home Best Picture Editing, Drama. The series’ sound team—Vincent Riendeau, Martin Messier, Joe Scandella, Natalie Fleurant, Simon Meilleur, Eric Med Lagacé, Peter Lopota, and Valéry Dufort-Boucher—won Best Sound, Fiction. Aidan Leroux, Alder Dunlap, and James McCrindle received the award for Best Production Design or Art Direction, while Hanna Puley won Best Costume Design. The visual effects team of Simon Devault, Philippe Massonnat, Christophe Trépanier, and Félix Arsenault earned Best Visual Effects.
Meanwhile, composer Peter Peter had an especially successful weekend, winning both Best Original Music, Drama and Best Original Song for “It’s You.” Jenny Lewis and Sara Kay were recognized for Best Achievement in Casting, Fiction.
The major categories brought even more wins. Jacob Tierney won both Best Direction, Drama Series and Best Writing, Drama Series. While Heated Rivalry itself was crowned Best Drama Series. On the acting side, Nadine Bhabha (Elena Rygg) won Best Guest Performance, Drama, Sophie Nélisse won Best Supporting Performer, Drama, and Hudson Williams took home Best Lead Performer, Drama.
Accepting the award for Best Lead Performer, Williams delivered one of the night’s most memorable speeches. “Wow, I didn’t write a speech. But I do have a little thank-you list. And immediately to all the other nominees, it’s just an honor to be nominated alongside you. It’s so—I’m honored to be Canadian, and this is fantastic.”
The actor went on to thank the cast and crew of Heated Rivalry, Crave, HBO, author Rachel Reid, executive producers Brendan Brady and Jacob Tierney, his family, and his partner before ending on a note that immediately made fans across the world cheer even louder.
“If I could cut this award down the middle, I would. Because if these gay yearning little bottom eyes didn’t have a sexy Russian to feast upon, my performance wouldn’t be as good. So to the honorary Canadian, Connor Storrie, I share this award with you.”
Honestly, if you’ve been following our coverage of Heated Rivalry since the series premiered, you already know how strongly we feel about both Williams and Storrie’s work. We’ve spent months praising the performances at the center of this story, and we’re not planning on stopping anytime soon.
Williams’ victory feels especially well deserved because Shane Hollander is not an easy character to portray. As we wrote in our review of the series, Williams delivers “a masterclass in micro-expressions and physical restraint.” Shane spends much of the story fighting against himself, suppressing emotions he barely allows himself to acknowledge, and Williams manages to communicate entire emotional arcs through a glance, a tense jaw, or a slight shift in posture. Every crack in Shane’s carefully constructed armor lands with devastating impact because of the work Williams puts in throughout the series.
Seeing that performance recognized on one of Canada’s biggest stages feels incredibly rewarding. Williams’ win is also historic in its own right. At just 25 years old, he became the youngest performer ever to win Best Lead Performer, Drama, at the Canadian Screen Awards, accomplishing the feat on his very first nomination.
The celebration didn’t stop there. As we shared previously, Heated Rivalry also secured the 2026 fan-voted Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award, allowing viewers to make their voices heard. Accepting the award, Tierney thanked the passionate fanbase that has helped turn Heated Rivalry into a phenomenon. “We cannot believe the way that audiences have reacted to this show. We’re so grateful. Thank you to everybody who voted.” He said, acknowledging the fans who voted “a thousand times” as well as the cast and crew.
That gratitude toward the cast and crew was echoed once more when Brendan Brady accepted the evening’s biggest prize, Best Drama Series, on behalf of the entire production.
During his speech, Brady highlighted the collaborative effort behind the series, thanking author Rachel Reid for being an active creative partner throughout the adaptation process and emphasizing that the award belonged to the hundreds of people who helped bring Heated Rivalry to life. From writing and directing to casting, cinematography, production design, costumes, music, visual effects, editing, and intimacy coordination, Brady reminded viewers that every department played a role in the show’s success.
As fans of this series ourselves, we couldn’t be happier to see the entire team recognized in such a massive way. Every award feels earned, and every member of the cast and crew should be incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished.
Perhaps most importantly, these wins arrive at a moment when LGBTQ+ stories continue to face increasing scrutiny and pushback in many parts of the world. Seeing an unapologetically queer love story not only find an audience but also completely dominate Canada’s biggest television awards sends a powerful message. Our stories matter. Our relationships matter. And when given the opportunity, audiences will continue showing up for authentic LGBTQ+ storytelling.
Congratulations to everyone involved in Heated Rivalry. History couldn’t have happened to a more deserving team.
You can rewatch the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards on CBC’S YouTube channel. Season 1 of Heated Rivalry is available to stream on Crave (Canada), HBO Max (U.S. & Other Regions), Sky (New Zealand, UK), and Movistar Plus+ (Spain). Follow us on X and Instagram for all queer stuff!
Featured Image: Image via the Canadian Press. Photo by Chris Young.
