‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ ‘Song Sung Blue,’ Billy Joel Doc & More Nominated for 2026 Humanitas Prizes: Full List
Nominations for the 2026 Humanitas Prize, which honors TV and film writers for work that explores the human condition, have been announced. KPop Demon Hunters, which spawned a Billboard 200-topping soundtrack album, is competing for family feature, alongside Elio, Grow and Hoppers.
Song Sung Blue, the drama about a Neil Diamond tribute performer and his wife, who experiences a life-altering accident, is nominated for drama feature. Craig Brewer wrote the screenplay for the film, for which Kate Hudson received an Oscar nomination for best actress. The other nominees in the category are All That’s Left of You, Preparation for the Next Life and Train Dreams.
Related
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Sequel Confirmed
Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman Belt in Lyric Video for ‘Sweet Caroline’ From ‘Song Sung Blue’: Watch
Billy Joel Complements ‘And So It Goes’ Documentary Release With 155-Track ‘Musical Companion’
Billy Joel: And So It Goes (“Part Two”), written by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, is nominated for documentary (docuseries, single episode). Part Two of the HBO documentary covers Billy Joel’s pivot to socially conscious music (1982’s The Nylon Curtain) and his struggles with depression and alcoholism. It features candid commentary from his wife, his ex-wives and his daughter. The other nominees in the category are Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! and Rise of the 49ers.
Since 1974, the Humanitas Prizes have been awarded to film and TV writers “whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way,” according to the organization’s website. Past winners include All in the Family, ER, Hidden Figures, black-ish, Encanto, Good Will Hunting, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Hacks, The Bernie Mac Show and NYPD Blue.
This year’s awards will be held Sept. 9 at Avalon Hollywood and hosted by writer-comedian Ashley Nicole Black. My So-Called Life creator and Wicked co-writer Winnie Holzman will receive the Kieser Award, which recognizes writers who have devoted their work to stories that celebrate common humanity.
Here’s the complete list of 2026 Humanitas Prize nominees.
Drama Teleplay Chicago Med (“The Book of Charles”): Allen MacDonald Grey’s Anatomy (“Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”): Jess Righthand Paradise (“Graceland”): Dan Fogelman, Eric Wen The Testaments (“Stadium”): Gianna Sobol
Comedy Teleplay Abbott Elementary (“Goofgirl”): Justin Tan Long Story Short (“Yoshi’s Bar Mitzvah”): Raphael Bob-Waksberg Resident Alien (“The End is Here”): Chris Sheridan Shrinking (“My Bad”): Brian Gallivan
Limited Series Teleplay Beef (“Oh, The Comfort, The Inexpressible Comfort”): Lee Sung Jin, Madeleine Pron DTF St. Louis (“No One’s Normal. It Just Looks That Way from Across the Street”): Steven Conrad Hal & Harper (“Are You Watching?”): Cooper Raiff Washington Black (“The Flying Man & the Musician”): Selwyn Hinds
Children’s Teleplay E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web (“Part 3”): Levi Abrino My Brother the Minotaur (“Lunacy and Lorcan”): Mark B. Hodkinson The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (“The Shade of It All”): Tiffany Thomas Tab Time (“When We Lose Someone”): Sean Presant
Drama Feature All That’s Left of You: Cherien Dabis Preparation for the Next Life: Martyna Majok Song Sung Blue: Craig Brewer Train Dreams: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
Comedy Feature A Nice Indian Boy: Eric Randall Rental Family: Hikari, Stephen Blahut The Invite: Will McCormack, Rashida Jones The Baltimorons: Jay Duplass, Michael Strassner
Family Feature Elio: Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, Mike Jones, Adrian Molina, Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi Grow: Nick Güthe, Christos N. Gage, Ruth Fletcher Gage Hoppers: Jesse Andrews, Daniel Chong KPop Demon Hunters: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan
Short Film Beyond Unstoppable: Valerie Alexander Double Happiness: Shari Albert, Laura LeeLun The Birthday Gift: Stephanie Alison Walker, Paula Pizzi Vital: Amir Zargara, Gabe Berry
Documentary (Feature) Come See Me in the Good Light: Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen The Tale of Silyan: Tamara Kotevska Life After: Reid Davenport, Colleen Cassingham Shuffle: Benjamin Flaherty
Documentary (Docuseries, Single Episode) Billy Joel: And So It Goes (“Part Two”): Susan Lacy, Jessica Levin Katrina: Come Hell and High Water (“Shelter of Last Resort”): Samantha Knowles Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! (“Part Two”): Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio, Joe Beshenkovsky Rise of the 49ers (“We Built This City”): Ryan Kelly, Nick Mascolo