Seoul International Drama Awards (SDA)

Overview

The Seoul International Drama Awards (SDA) is an annual competitive awards ceremony for television drama productions, held in Seoul and organized by the Seoul Drama Awards Organizing Committee (SDAOC) under the Korean Broadcasters Association. The 2026 edition received 352 entries from 46 countries, making it one of the largest TV drama competitions in the world. There is no entry fee for any category, and submissions are open to any production company or legal entity holding copyright to an eligible drama. The 2026 awards ceremony takes place October 8 at KBS Hall in Seoul, with festival events running October 9 to 10.

The SDA is not a film festival. It evaluates scripted live-action television dramas distributed via terrestrial TV, cable, satellite, OTT, or digital platforms. Films produced primarily for theatrical release or film festival submission are explicitly ineligible, as are documentaries, reality programs, and branded content. This distinction matters: if your project is a feature film or a documentary, SDA is not the right platform.

Key Sections

• International Competition - the main competitive section, open to dramas from any country. Categories within this section include TV Movie (1 to 3 episodes), Miniseries (4 to 16 episodes), Series (17 or more episodes), and Short Form Drama (produced for digital platforms, max 20 minutes per episode, no episode limit)
• K-Drama Competition - restricted to dramas produced in Korea. Awards include Outstanding Korean Drama (up to 2 winners), Outstanding Korean Actor, Outstanding Korean Actress, and Outstanding Korean Drama OST
• International Invitation - non-competitive recognition including the Golden Bird Prize (up to 1 program) and Outstanding Asian Star (up to 7 recipients, determined by global fan voting via the IDOLCHAMP app)

What Filmmakers Should Know

Submission Details

Submissions for the 2026 edition opened April 2, 2026 and closed May 27, 2026 at 15:00 KST. The online entry form is available on the official SDA website and must be completed in English. There is no entry fee for any category, and there is no limit on the number of submissions per entrant.

Eligibility Window

Eligible dramas must have been first broadcast, transmitted, or made available to the public between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, regardless of country or distribution platform. For anthology or omnibus series where each episode has a different story and cast, each episode may be submitted as a separate entry. For seasonal dramas, each season whose first airdate falls within the eligibility period must be submitted separately.

Required Materials

Entrants must submit: an online entry form (in English), images (official poster, director and screenwriter profile photos, actor profile photos at minimum 1200x1600 pixels or 300 dpi, max 5MB each), and video materials. Video submissions require English subtitles unless the original language is English. Accepted video formats include MP4, MOV, AVI, and WMV at minimum 1280x720 HD resolution. Videos can be submitted via Google Drive shared with the SDA account, download links (WeTransfer, Vimeo, Aspera with download expiry after June 15, 2026), or USB drive by post.

What Gets Submitted

For TV Movies, all episodes must be submitted. For Miniseries and Series, the first 1 to 2 episodes are required, with optional additional episodes at the entrant's discretion. A trailer is optional but recommended.

Who Can Submit

Only a company or legal entity holding the copyright to the work, or a person authorized by the copyright holders, may submit an entry. Individual filmmakers cannot submit independently unless they hold or are authorized to represent the copyright.

Major Awards

International Competition Program Awards

• Grand Prize (1 winner)
• Best TV Movie (1 winner)
• Best Miniseries (3 winners)
• Best Series (2 winners)
• Best Short Form (1 winner)

International Competition Individual Awards

• Best Director (1 winner)
• Best Screenwriter (1 winner)
• Best Actor (1 winner)
• Best Actress (1 winner)

K-Drama Competition

• Outstanding Korean Drama (up to 2 winners)
• Outstanding Korean Actor (1 winner)
• Outstanding Korean Actress (1 winner)
• Outstanding Korean Drama OST (1 individual or team)

International Invitation

• Golden Bird Prize (up to 1 program and 1 person)
• Outstanding Asian Star (up to 7 recipients, determined by global fan voting)

Festival History

The Seoul International Drama Awards was established in 2006 by the Korean Broadcasters Association to recognize excellence in international television drama and to promote cross-cultural exchange in broadcasting. The awards ceremony is broadcast live on KBS2 and the official SDA YouTube channel.

The competition has grown significantly. The 2026 edition received 352 entries from 46 countries, the largest number in the event's history. The Short Form Drama category was revived in 2026 for the first time since 2021, receiving 49 submissions from 10 countries across three continents, reflecting the global expansion of short-form digital drama content.

The SDA runs alongside BCWW (Broadcast Worldwide), a content market that connects international broadcasters and distributors with Korean and Asian media companies. This pairing gives the awards a market dimension that pure awards ceremonies lack, providing submitted dramas with potential distribution and licensing exposure across Asian markets.

The global fan voting component, launched in partnership with TNK Factory and the IDOLCHAMP app, allows viewers from over 230 countries to vote for the Outstanding Asian Star and Outstanding Korean Drama OST categories. The 2026 voting window ran from June 15 to July 14. This fan-driven element gives the SDA a reach that extends well beyond the traditional industry audience, particularly across Southeast Asian and Latin American markets where K-drama consumption has grown rapidly.

See Also

For TV drama production budgeting, use the Production Budget Calculator. For festival and awards strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding the Korean content market, see International Film Markets.