Welcome to the First Ever Fan Voted Awards for Vertical Dramas

These awards are entirely independent, and organised by Jen of Vertical Drama Love. The goal is to celebrate and recognise all the talent in the vertical industry and the joy these dramas bring us.

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED - SHORTLIST WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON 13 MARCH

Here is the complete list of awards you can submit a nomination for.

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA: What has been your favourite performance by a female lead in a vertical drama? We are defining drama as anything that isn't a comedy (a comedy being something that is mainly light hearted).

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA: What has been your favourite performance by a male lead in a vertical drama? We are defining drama as anything that isn't a comedy (a comedy being something that is mainly light hearted).

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY: What has been your favourite performance by a female lead in a vertical comedy? We are defining a comedy as something that is mainly light-hearted, silly and funny for most of the series.

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY: What has been your favourite performance by a male lead in a vertical comedy? We are defining a comedy as something that is mainly light-hearted, silly and funny for most of the series.

PERFORMANCE BY A CHILD ACTOR/ACTRESS: What has been your favourite performance by a child actor/actress in a vertical? The performer must have been under the age of 15 when the vertical series was released.

FAVOURITE VILLAINESS: This award is for the CHARACTER, but will be given to the actor who portrays them. What was your favourite performance? Who is the villainess that stole the show, and did the worst, most devious things?

FAVOURITE VILLAIN: This award is for the CHARACTER, but will be given to the actor who portrays them. What was your favourite performance? Who is the villain that stole the show, and did the worst, most devious things?

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: What has been your favourite performance by a supporting actress in a vertical? We have separate awards for the lead actress, and villainess. This is for your favourite performance of a best friend, parent, grandparent, co-worker in a vertical.

SUPPORTING ACTOR: What has been your favourite performance by a supporting actor in a vertical? We have separate awards for the lead actor, and villain. This is for your favourite performance of a best friend, parent, grandparent, co-worker in a vertical.

HARDEST WORKING ASSISTANT: This award is for the CHARACTER, but will be given to the actor/actress who portrays them. Which assistant goes above and beyond for their boss? This could be a CEO's assistant, a Beta in a Werewolf drama or a deputy in a Mafia drama! Without them the story would fall apart!

ON SCREEN COUPLE: This is all about the main romance - our leading couple. The award is for the CHARACTERS, the ones you shipped the most this year. The awards (yes there are 2) will be given to the actors/actresses playing these roles.

FAVOURITE DUO (FRIENDSHIP, BROMANCE, FAMILY RELATIONSHIP)‼️: This award is for the CHARACTERS, but will be given to the actors/actresses who portrays them. It is not for the leading couple (we have a separate award for that which is next) Who is our favourite on screen duo - perhaps a CEO and assistant, female lead and bestie, villainous pair?

ENSEMBLE CAST‼️: This award is for the series that has the best ensemble cast. The one where everyone is fantastic from our leads to the supporting characters, the friends, the parents, the villains, the bit parts. Where everyone gels and we want to celebrate all of them.

ONE-LINER: What is your favourite quotable line from a vertical? It may be an insult, a joke or a declaration of love! Please make sure you tell us who said it, and what show it was in.

SCRIPT OF THE YEAR: We want to recognise the fact there are lots of talented writers working in verticals. What was the one show that stood out for your with the overall quality of writing? This will be your script of the year.

COSTUMES, HAIR & MAKE UP‼️: Which vertical series had the best costumes? Whose hair and makeup were on point?

FIGHT / ACTION SCENE‼️: What is your favourite fight or action scene of the year? It can be a comedy fight, or heart stopping action. What is the one that made you gasp and you still think about? What looked amazing, and had you in awe of the actors/actresses skills?

COMEDY GOLD SCENE‼️: What is your favourite comedic scene? The one that made you laugh out loud? That lives rent free in your head?

MOST SWOONWORTHY SCENE‼️: What is your favourite romantic scene? The most swoonworthy moment in verticals? The one that you have rewatched and rewatched? That lives rent free in your head?

IT COULD ONLY HAPPEN IN VERTICALS‼️: This award is for the WTF moments that only a vertical can deliver! Something so crazy, cheesy or cliché that it has stuck with you for a long time afterwards!

WACKIEST VERTICAL SERIES NAME‼️ : Yes we are getting silly now. You all know that vertical titles can be out there. We want to know which one you think is the craziest?

APP OF THE YEAR: What is your favourite vertical app of the year? Which one do you go to the most? Nominate your favourite.

VERTICAL SERIES OF THE YEAR: This is the big one. What was your favourite vertical series of 2024? Yes we know it is hard to choose just one! Good luck! There will be 10 series on the final shortlist to choose from (the final shortlist number for all other awards is 5 unless mentioned here)

RISING STAR: This award is to recognise a rising star, someone who has quickly become a fan favourite. In order to be eligible they must have been in 5 verticals or less that have been released in 2024. It does not have to be a lead role, this can include side characters. There will be 10 names on the final shortlist to choose from (the final shortlist number for all other awards is 5 unless mentioned here)

VERTICAL LEGEND: This award is to recognise a vertical legend, an actor or actress who defines the genre. In order to be eligible they must have been in 8 or more verticals that have been released in 2024. It does not have to be a lead role, this can include side characters There will be 10 names on the final shortlist to choose from (the final shortlist number for all other awards is 5 unless mentioned here)

Every winner will get a physical award, unless there is a‼️by the award - in which case it is just bragging rights and a certificate if you want one!

The Awards Process

Nominations

Open Period: Nominations will be open from 21-28 February.

Who Can Nominate? Fans and creatives can submit their nominations for each award category.

How Are Nominations Processed? The organising team will verify nominations for eligibility and compile shortlists based primarily on the number of nominations received. The most popular nominations will have the highest chance of making the final list.

Eligibility Criteria:

-Only vertical series released in 2024 and in English are eligible.

-Any series released in previous years will be deemed ineligible and removed.

Organising Team: The awards are organised by Jen (Vertical Drama Love) and assisted by Ana, Lisa and Sam. All decisions made by the organising team are final.

Shortlisting & Voting

Shortlist Announcement: Shortlists will be announced on 13 March.

Voting Period: Voting will be open from 14-28 March.

Shortlist Format:

Each category will have a shortlist of 5 nominees.

Exceptions: Series, Rising Star & Legend categories will have 10 nominees each.

Voting System:

Awards will be decided using a first-past-the-post system, where the nominee with the most votes wins.

The system will prevent multiple votes for the same nominee from the same person to ensure fair voting and prevent bot activity.

Contacting Winners

Notification: Winners will be contacted via Instagram.

Award Delivery:

Winners will be asked to provide a safe mailing address (e.g., agent or production company) for security purposes.

Some awards may not have a physical trophy, but winners will still be recognized.

Winner Announcements & Award Ceremony

Confidentiality: Winners must not publicly share that they have won until the award ceremony goes live.

Video Submissions:

Winners are requested to record a short video with their award, sharing what it means to them and thanking their fans.

Video submissions should be sent to jen@verticaldramalove.com.

Award Ceremony:

A YouTube premiere will take place towards the end of April (exact date TBA).

A hosted ceremony will showcase the winners and their videos.

FAQs

Who Can Submit a Nomination?

Nominations are open to fans and creatives who want to recognize outstanding contributions to vertical series in 2024. You can nominate yourself, colleagues, or your favorites.

Please note: You can only submit one round of nominations, so be sure to think through all your choices before submitting.

Is There an Entry Fee?

No, there is no entry fee to submit a nomination.

If you’d like to support the awards and help cover the running costs, please consider buying a coffee here. Your contribution helps keep this event running smoothly!

Can I Submit Multiple Entries?

No

What Happens After I Submit a Nomination?

Review Process: The organizing team will verify nominations for eligibility.

Shortlisting: Nominations with the most votes will have the best chance of making the final shortlist, which will be announced on 13 March.

Finalist Notification: If you are shortlisted, I will contact you via Instagram to confirm your place and request images to be used in the final voting setup.

What Information Do I Need to Submit?

Please include as much information as possible for each nomination:

Actor/Actress Name

Character Name

Drama Title

Streaming App or Platform

If a series has multiple titles, don’t worry—we’ll determine the correct one. Don’t panic if you can’t find all of it - the main thing is as much information as possible will really help us (the organizing team) out!

Do have a look on IMDB if you are looking for details, or ask on social media!

Important Dates

21 February Nominations Open

28 February Nominations Close

9 March Shortlisted Candidates Contacted & images requested for final voting

13 March Shortlist for all awards announced publicly

14 March Voting Opens

28 March Voting Closes

31 March Winners Contacted & Awards mailed out

TBC (late April) Award ceremony which will premiere on YouTube.