The Casting Society of America (CSA) has announced nominees for the 41st Artios Awards, recognizing achievements in casting for feature films of different modes — comedy and drama — and budget levels — big budget, independent, and low budget.
While all the Oscar shortlist nominees for the Academy’s first-ever Best Casting award are represented here, the different categories have also given the CSA room to spotlight outsider picks and especially honor comedy casting, including nods this year for “The Naked Gun,” “Friendship,” and “Bob Trevino Likes It.”
First held in 1985, the annual awards celebration honors the contributions of casting professionals in film, television (both scripted and unscripted), short films, commercials, and theater. Additionally, special honorees are chosen for their contributions to the craft. Nominees and winners are selected by members of the Casting Society. This year, the awards will be hosted by Harvey Guillén (“What We Do in the Shadows”) in Los Angeles, Emmy Award winner Jeff Hiller (“Somebody Somewhere”) as host in New York, and Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Jessica Gunning (“Baby Reindeer”) as host of the London ceremony.
The Artios Awards ceremonies will be held at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, the Edison Ballroom in New York City, and One Moorgate Place in London on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
Read the full list of nominees below.
‘The Naked Gun’©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
FEATURE: BIG BUDGET: COMEDY
“Jay Kelly” — Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold; Associate Casting Director: Matthew Glasner; Location Casting Directors: Francesco Vedovati, Barbara Giordani
“Materialists” – Douglas Aibel; Associate Casting Director: Matthew Glasner
“The Naked Gun” — Carmen Cuba; Associate Casting Director: Judith Sunga; Location Casting Directors: Tara Feldstein Bennett, Chase Paris
“The Phoenician Scheme” — Douglas Aibel (U.S. Casting), Jina Jay (UK Casting), Alexandra Montag (German Casting); Associate Casting Director: Matthew Glasner
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” — Mary Vernieu, Bret Howe; Location Casting Director: Martin Ware; Location Associate Casting Director: Olivia Brittain
“Wicked: For Good” — Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield; Associate Casting Director: Ryan Bernard Tymensky; Location Casting Director: Tamsyn Manson
FEATURE: BIG BUDGET: DRAMA
“Bugonia” — Jennifer Venditti; Associate Casting Director: Alan Scott Neal
“F1: The Movie” — Lucy Bevan, Emily Brockmann; Associate Casting Director: Katie Brydon; Location Casting Directors: Tara Feldstein Bennett, Chase Paris, Tara Mazzucca
“Frankenstein” — Robin D. Cook; Associate Casting Director: Jonathan Oliveira
“Hamnet” — Nina Gold; Associate Casting Director: Lucy Amos
“Marty Supreme” — Jennifer Venditti; Associate Casting Director: Alan Scott Neal; Location Casting Director: Ko Iwagami
“Sinners” — Francine Maisler; Associate Casting Directors: Molly Rose, Amber Wakefield; Location Casting Director: Meagan Lewis
‘Zootopia 2’©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
FEATURE: ANIMATED
“Elio” — Natalie Lyon, Kevin Reher, Kate Hansen-Birnbaum; Associate Casting Director: Lexi Diamond
“The Bad Guys 2” — Christi Soper Hilt; Associate Casting Director: Lara Boushehri
“Zootopia 2” — Grace C. Kim
FEATURE: STUDIO OR INDEPENDENT: COMEDY
“Eternity” — Tiffany Mak, Chelsea Ellis Bloch, Marisol Roncali
“Friendship” — Melissa DeLizia
“Oh, Hi!” — Kate Geller; Associate Casting Director: Ross Shenker
“Rental Family” — Kei Kawamura
“The Wedding Banquet” — Jenny Jue; Location Casting Director: Candice Elzinga
“Twinless” — Jessica Munks; Location Casting Director: Simon Max Hill
FEATURE: STUDIO OR INDEPENDENT: DRAMA
“Blue Moon” — Olivia Scott-Webb; Associate Casting Director: Simon Higgins
“Eleanor the Great” — Ellen Lewis, Kate Sprance; Associate Casting Director: Leah Shapiro
“Nuremberg” – John Papsidera, Anna Kennedy; Associate Casting Director: Emily Bohbrink; Location Casting Director: Francesco Vedovati
“Pillion” — Kahleen Crawford
“Sentimental Value” – Avy Kaufman
“Train Dreams” — Avy Kaufman; Location Casting Director: Nike Imoru
‘Sound of Falling’ Courtesy Everett Collection
FEATURE: INTERNATIONAL
“Kokuho” — Masunobu Motokawa
“Sound of Falling” — Karimah El-Giamal
“The Fisherman” — Mawuko Kuadzi
FEATURE: LOW BUDGET: COMEDY OR DRAMA
“All That We Love” — Charlene Lee; Associate Casting Director: Danny Gordon
“Bob Trevino Likes It” — Kate Geller; Associate Casting Director: Ross Shenker
“Griffin In Summer” — Betsy Ware Fippinger; Location Casting Director: Erica Arvold
“Plainclothes” — Bernard Telsey, Adam Caldwell, Amelia Rasche McCarthy
“Sorry, Baby” — Jessica Kelly; Location Casting Directors: Lisa Lobel, Angela Peri; Location Associate Casting Director: Melissa Morris
“We Strangers” — Erica A. Hart; Location Casting Director: Lauren Port
LONDON THEATRE
“My Master Builder” — Sophie Holland
“Oedipus” — Jim Carnahan; Associate Casting Director: Liz Fraser
“The Devil Wears Prada” — Jill Green; Associate Casting Director: Olivia Laydon
“The Importance of Being Earnest” — Alastair Coomer
“The Little Foxes” — Jessica Ronane
“Titanique” — James Pearson, Rosie Pearson
Additional honorees for the 41st Annual Artios Awards, which will be presented at the ceremonies, are:
The Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement will be presented to Ayo Davis. Davis is president of Disney Branded Television, the unit of Disney Entertainment Television that creates premium original storytelling for kids and families In this role, Davis oversees the group’s expansive slate of live-action, animated and short-form entertainment for Disney+, Disney Jr., Disney Channel and digital platforms.
The Marion Dougherty New York Apple Award will be presented to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the philanthropic heart of the Broadway community, unites theater lovers to make a lifesaving and life-affirming difference for people facing HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses across the country. Broadway Cares provides annual support to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., which deliver lifesaving medication, healthy meals, counseling and emergency assistance to those in need.
The Hoyt Bowers Award will be presented to casting director Julie Ashton. The award is for excellence in casting and honors the recipient’s body of work and outstanding contribution to the casting profession. Ashton is an Emmy-nominated casting director and the founder of Julie Ashton Casting. Casting Society previously honored Julie with seven Artios Awards for her work on the longest-running scripted original series on Netflix, “Big Mouth” and “Bob’s Burgers,” on FOX. She has been recognized with 24 additional Artios Award nominations for series including “Central Park,” “2 Broke Girls,” and “Partners.”
The Rosalie Joseph Humanitarian Award, given for outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes that have in turn supported the casting community, will be presented to former CSA administrator and casting professional Laura Adler. In 2005 she joined the CSA steering committee that worked tirelessly to finally bring long-deserved pension and health benefits to the hardworking casting community. In 2014, she was hired by CSA (courtesy of Felicia Fasano and Megan McConnell), as the organization‘s new administrator, spending the next 10 years serving the global casting community. Adler retired from the position in 2024.
The Capelier-Shaw Award for Excellence in Casting will be presented to Kate Rhodes James. Rhodes James is one of the UK’s best-known casting directors who has worked across film and television for over twenty years. She has extensively worked as casting director alongside Ridley Scott on films including “Gladiator 2,” “Napoleon,” “House Of Gucci,” “The Last Duel” and the upcoming Ridley Scott film “Dog Stars” featuring Jacob Elordi.
The Global Impact Award will be presented to GAP Workshops. Presented by the Global Chapter of CSA, this award recognizes individuals or organizations internationally who have made a positive impact to the casting profession through innovative and meaningful contributions within the global entertainment industry. GAP Workshops is a free-of-charge professional development program created to support and advance trans actors, particularly those based in the UK, in entering or re-entering the entertainment industry. The workshop was founded by casting director duo Lucy Allen and Tom Payne, also known as Allen & Payne Casting, in response to the lack of accessible, industry-facing opportunities for trans performers. GAP Workshops provide expert-led sessions on audition techniques, self-taping, and navigating professional environments, offering attendees invaluable guidance and insight from multiple industry perspectives.
The Los Angeles Associate Spotlight Award will be presented to Leslie Wasserman. Wasserman is a casting professional for scripted film and television. She served as the casting director for “Together Together,” “Barden and Sarah Start a Pandemic,” the short film “Okay” and the documentary “For Madmen Only.”
The New York Associate Spotlight Award will be presented to Dustin Presley. Presley is an Artios award-winning Associate casting director based in Atlanta who works on film & TV projects alongside casting director Erica Arvold.
