By Taimur Sikander Mirza

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television has announced this year’s Canadian Screen Awards nominees in 156 TV, film and digital media categories. 

Leading the kids field with eight nods, Pinecone & Pony (First Generation Films/DreamWorks Animation for Apple TV+, pictured) made the cut in six categories, including Best Animated Program and Best Writing – Animation, where three separate episodes were shortlisted.

Spin Master’s PAW Patrol franchise was also nominated in multiple categories for its TV shows and latest feature film. The CG-animated PAW Patrol series made the cut for Best Preschool Program and three other Animation awards, while spinoff series Rubble & Crew was shortlisted for Best Direction – Animation. Last year’s PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie earned double nominations for Achievement in Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

In kids live-action, Headspinner Production’s Aunty B’s House (CBC) is competing for six awards, including Best Preschool Program, Best Direction – Children’s or Youth and Best Writing – Preschool. Other contenders for Best Preschool Program are Sinking Ship/Builder Brothers’ Builder Brothers Dream Factory (Treehouse TV), which picked up three other nominations; 9 Story Media Group/Fred Rogers Productions’ Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (Family Jr.); and Boat Rocker Studios/Industrial Brothers’ Dino Ranch (CBC).

Shortlisted for Best Animated Program are Interstellar Ella (Apartment 11 Productions/Fabrique Fantastique), Wild Kratts (9 Story Media Group/Kratt Brothers Company) and The Snoopy Show and Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie (WildBrain).

YTV series Popularity Papers (Aircraft Pictures/Wexworks Media) was one of this year’s top-performing live-actioners, with six nods total. And close behind with five, The Hardy Boys (Lambur Productions) is up for Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program, along with Home Sweet Rome (First Generation Films/Red Monk Studios), The Malory Towers Christmas (WildBrain) and Macy Murdoch (Shaftesbury). 

Competing in the Non-Fiction category are All-Round Champion (marblemedia), Dream It to Be It (Lopii DITBI Productions) and Apartment 11’s Green Squad and Sunny’s Quest.

Complete shortlists are available on the Canadian Screen Awards website.

A version of this story originally appeared in Kidscreen Daily’s sister publication Playback Daily.

Updated on March 6th at 4:42 pm