Filipino storytelling will have a spot on the global television stage this November as “Love at First Spike” joins the nominees for the 2026 International Emmy Awards.
The ABS-CBN Studios and iWant production is nominated in the Kids: Live-Action category, making the Philippines one of 22 countries represented in this year’s competition.
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced 64 nominees across 16 categories on September 23.
“Love at First Spike” faces three international contenders in its category: Chile’s “31 Minutos: Calurosa Navidad,” the Netherlands’ “De Achterblijvers (Those Left Behind),” and the United Kingdom’s “Dexter Procter the Ten Year Old Doctor.”
The eight-episode Filipino series, directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal, stars Emilio Daez, Reign Parani and Sean Tristan.
At the center of the story is Uno, a former basketball team captain who eventually finds himself playing for a boys’ volleyball team largely composed of LGBTQIA+ students. Through its young characters and sports setting, the series explores themes involving acceptance, gender and the pressures faced by student-athletes.
Its International Emmy nomination places the Filipino production in a field that includes television work from countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.
The Philippines joins fellow Asian nominees from China, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea, among others.
The International Emmy World Television Festival will bring the nominees to New York from November 20 to 22, ahead of the awards ceremony.
Winners will be revealed at the 54th International Emmy Awards Gala in New York City on November 23.
“Love at First Spike,” which was released in 2025, is currently available on iWant in the Philippines.