This year, African presence at the International Emmy Awards cuts across drama, documentary, and kids’ programming, appearing in six categories out of sixteen, with South Africa represented in five categories and Kenya in one.
By Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku
African television will once again compete on the Emmys stage this year as six African titles have been nominated for the 53rd International Emmy Awards, which recognise excellence in television produced outside the United States. This year, African presence at the iEmmys cuts across drama, documentary, and kids’ programming, appearing in six categories out of sixteen, with South Africa represented in five categories and Kenya in one.
Kenyan series, Prefects (2024), a breakthrough teen drama, earned a nomination in the Kids: Live-Action category. Produced by Peripheral Vision International, with June Ndinya Aaqib (MTV Shuga Mashariki (2025)) as showrunner and director, Prefects follows an unlikely group of students standing up to school prefects who double as bullies.
South Africa received an enviable nomination in the Drama Series category with Koek [Cake] (2024), a Wolflight-produced Afrikaans dark comedy crime drama, with Christiaan Olwagen (Kanarie (2018); Recipes for Love & Murder (2022)) as showrunner, about a housewife who stumbles into the city’s criminal underworld while investigating her husband’s possible adultery.
In another admirable nod, Charlotte Hope is nominated for Best Performance by an Actress for her turn as Micki Pistorius, South Africa’s first serial killer profiler, in Catch Me A Killer (2024), a Showmax original crime thriller limited series produced alongside Kowalski Films, LMP 51, and Night Train Media, and based on Pistorius’ memoir of the same title.
Also claiming a spot in the children’s programming section of the nominations, South African edutainment programme, Playroom Live (2023), by Eclipse Television Productions, scored a nomination in the Kids: Factual & Entertainment category.
In the documentary-related categories, IdeaCandy’s School Ties (2024), a docuseries exploring grooming and sexual abuse by sports coaches at South Africa’s elite boys’ schools, is nominated for the Documentary award, while Chasing the Sun 2 (2024), T+W’s SuperSport Documentary about the Springboks (South Africa’s national rugby team) and their path to defending their trophy at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, featured in the Sports Documentary category.
South Africa and Kenya are among twenty-six countries represented at this year’s International Emmys, a record number for the award show. Other countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The nominations were announced by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences this week, on 25th September 2025. The International Emmys are scheduled to be held in New York City, United States, on 24th November 2025.