The 31st Critics’ Choice Awards took place on January 4, 2026 (local time), at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. The 2026 ceremony, hosted by the Critics’ Choice Association (CCA), recognized excellence in film and television.
Korean projects and creators also won awards in multiple categories.
Korean Wins at 2026 Critics’ Choice Award
Best Foreign Language Series
- Squid Game Season 3
Best Animated Feature
- KPop Demon Hunters
Best Song
- Golden (KPop Demon Hunters)
Netflix’s “Squid Game” Season 3 made history by winning the Best Foreign Language Series award for the third consecutive time. The series beat out strong competitors, including Acapulco, Mussolini: Son of the Century, Red Alert, Last Samurai Standing, and When No One Sees Us. This win builds on the series’ previous achievements: the first season won the same award in 2022, the first Korean drama ever to do so.
The lead actor Lee Jung Jae became the first Korean actor to win Best Actor in a Drama Series. Season 2 also won Best Foreign Language Series last year.
In the world of animation, Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” emerged as a major winner, claiming the Best Animated Feature award. The film tells the story of a fictional K-pop girl group who are also demon hunters. It competed against strong entries such as Disney’s Zootopia 2, Elio, Arco, In Your Dreams, and Little Amélie or the Character of Rain.
The film’s song “Golden,” which topped Billboard HOT 100, won Best Song. The track, co-written and performed by EJAE, triumphed over songs from major productions, including “Drive” from F1 and “For Good” from Wicked. EJAE and the other artists behind the film, including Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, celebrated their debut awards season with enthusiasm on the red carpet.
Popular Korean director Park Chan Wook’s film “No Other Choice” was recognized with nominations in two competitive categories: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film. Unfortunately, it did not win either category.
The Best Adapted Screenplay award went to Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle After Another,” beating out No Other Choice as well as Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet. The Best Foreign Language Film award went to the Brazilian neo-noir thriller “The Secret Agent.” Other nominees in the category included It Was Just an Accident, Left-Handed Girl, Sirāt, and Belén.
Congratulations to Critics’ Choice Awards 2026 winners!
