Shaheen Baig, Rachel Sheridan and Nina Gold among the winners of the 2026 CDG Casting Awards.
The winners of the eighth Casting Directors Guild (CDG) Casting Awards have been revealed. The London award ceremony was hosted by “half of a national treasure”, Jennifer Saunders, whose excellent set applauded the resilience of actors while also poking fun at the use of AI and her own experience with the skills section on her Spotlight profile.
Shaheen Baig and Rachel Sheridan were the big winners of the night, each taking home two awards. Shaheeen won Best Child Casting (All Media) and Best Casting for a Limited or Single Series awards for her excellent work on Adolescence. At the same time, Rachel received Best Casting for a TV Comedy Series for Amandaland and Best Casting for a TV Drama Series for Riot Woman.
Nina Gold, fresh off her nomination for the first-ever Academy Award for Best Casting, also earned a win for Best Casting for a Film for Hamnet. In contrast, Lauren Evans won Best Casting for an Independent Film for I Swear, which recently received 5 nominations for the 2026 BAFTAs.
The awards were presented by a sparkling roster of industry gems, including Spotlight members David Bradley, Joe Alwyn, Aimee Lou Wood, Himesh Patel, Dame Meera Syal, Adeel Akhtar, Bel Powley, Fisher Stevens, Harry Lawtey, Darci Shaw, Archie Madekwe, Tom Blyth, Patsy Ferran and Louisa Harland.
Spotlight was proud to be the headline sponsor of the awards, which recognise the exceptional talent and artistry of casting directors.
The CDG Casting Awards 2026 Full Winners List:
Best Child Casting (All Media)
- Adolescence – Shaheen Baig – WINNER
- Goodbye June – Olivia Grant, Associate: Lucy Downes
- Hamnet – Nina Gold, Associates: Lucy Amos and Amy Beadel, Assistant: Steph Tataryn
- I Swear – Lauren Evans, Associate: Melissa Wilkins
- Paddington The Musical – Nicholas Hockaday
- The Death of Bunny Munro – Shaheen Baig
Best Casting of a Commercial
- Medical Aid For Palestinians ‘I Know’ – Sue Odell – WINNER
- Boots: You’re Never Too Far From a Pharmacist – Anna Kennedy
- Irn Bru; This is Not a Soft Drink – Sally McCleery, Assistant: Elisa Musson
- The Booker Prize 2025 – Nanw Rowlands, Associate: Harry Parker
- The Christmas Double – EE Christmas 2025 – Co-Casting Director: Kharmel Cochrane
Best Casting of a Film (over £8m) Includes straight to TV
- Hamnet – Nina Gold, Associates: Lucy Amos & Amy Beadel, Assistant: Steph Tataryn – WINNER
- 28 Years Later – Gail Stevens
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – Lucy Bevan, Co-Casting Director: Olivia Grant, Associate: Lucy Downes
- F1 – Lucy Bevan, Co-Casting Director: Emily Brockmann, Associate: Katie Brydon
- Warfare – Kharmel Cochrane
Best Casting of an Independent Film (under £8m)
- I Swear – Lauren Evans, Associate: Melissa Wilkins – WINNER
- Mr Burton – Kelly Valentine Hendry, Associate: Maximillian Murphy
- Pillion – Kahleen Crawford, Associate: Carla Morris
- The Ballad of Wallis Island – Catherine Willis, Associate: Sarah Harkins
- Urchin – Shaheen Baig
Best Casting of a Limited or Single Series
- Adolescence – Shaheen Baig – WINNER
- Amadeus – Martin Ware, Associate: Olivia Brittain
- The Death of Bunny Munro – Shaheen Baig
- Toxic Town –Shaheen Baig, Associate: Jonny Boutwood
- Unforgivable – Amy Hubbard, Co-Casting Director: Shannon Dowling-McNulty. Associate: Heidi Lawry
Best Casting of Musical Theatre (Inside M25)
- Paddington The Musical – Natalie Gallacher, Associates: Grace McInerny & Richard Johnston, Young Person’s Casting Director: Nicholas Hockaday – WINNER
- Clueless – Olivia Laydon for Jill Green Casting, Associate: Tom Shiels
- Into The Woods (The Bridge Theatre) – Stuart Burt, Associate: Peter Noden
- Oliver! – Felicity French & Paul Wooller, Associate: Lily Caisley
- Sing Street (Lyric Hammersmith) – Stuart Burt, Associate: Peter Noden
Best Casting of Regional Theatre (Outside of M25 includes Plays & Musicals)
- Lord of the Flies – Jacob Sparrow – WINNER
- Animal Farm – Lucy Casson
- Cyrano de Bergerac – Matthew Dewsbury, Children’s Casting: Charlie Metcalf
- Dancing at Lughnasa – Arthur Carrington
- Titus Andronicus (RSC) – Matthew Dewsbury, Children’s Casting: Charlie Metcalf
Best Casting of Theatre (inside M25)
- Punch (Young Vic/Apollo Theatre) – Christopher Worrall – WINNER
- 1536 – Amy Ball
- Every Brilliant Thing – Jessica Ronane, Associate: Abby Galvin, Assistant: Poppy Apter
- Inter Alia – Alastair Coomer, Associate: Naomi Downham
- Oh, Mary! – Stuart Burt, Associate: Peter Noden
- Wendy and Peter Pan – Annelie Powell, Associate: Gabriella Shimeld-Fenn
Best Casting of a TV Comedy Series
- Amandaland – Rachel Sheridan, Associate: Martin Poile and Katie Mozumder – WINNER
- Big Boys Series 3 – Rachel Sheridan, Associate: Martin Poile
- Dreaming Whilst Black (Season 2) – Heather Basten, Associate: Ri McDaid-Wren
- Film Club – Kelly Valentine Hendry, Co-Casting Director: Jessica Mescall
- Too Much – Co-Casting Directors: Nina Gold & Sacha Garrett
Best Casting of a TV Drama Series
- Riot Women – Rachel Sheridan, Associates: Katie Mozumder & Martin Poile – WINNER
- A Thousand Blows – Shaheen Baig
- Dept. Q – Olivia Scott-Webb
- House of Guinness – Kahleen Crawford, Associate: Carla Morris
- Slow Horses (S5) – Nina Gold & Melissa Gethin Clarke
Congratulations to all the winners! Take a look at our website for more awards news and industry advice.
