The Inside Soap Awards are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a major change: the ceremony will be held in Manchester for the first time ever. This year's event, the only soap awards ceremony taking place in 2026, will see Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, Home and Away, Casualty, and Waterloo Road compete for top honors.
Key Nominations and Storylines
Among the standout nominations is the epic Coronation Street and Emmerdale crossover episode 'Corriedale,' along with Nigel Bates' heartbreaking death in EastEnders. Voting opens at midday on Tuesday, June 30, with winners announced in Manchester in September.
Inside Soap magazine editor Sarah Ellis said: "The Inside Soap Awards are still going strong after 30 years, and we're proud to be championing all the wonderful work the soaps produce day in, day out. Our readers are just as passionate and loyal now as they were back in 1996, with over 90,000 of them voting each year – and the Inside Soap Awards remain the only accolades of their kind to be voted for entirely by the true experts, the soap fans themselves."
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Hall of Fame and Soap Superstar
To mark the 30th anniversary, the awards will introduce a Hall of Fame, with the first inductee announced during the ceremony. Ellis added: "The soap star who receives this prestigious accolade will be someone who's been closely associated with the Inside Soap Awards since they began in 1996." Fans can also nominate their Soap Superstar of 2026—a person who has gone above and beyond in providing entertainment.
Full List of Nominations
Best Actress
- Sue Devaney (Debbie Webster, Coronation Street)
- Vicky Myers (Lisa Connor-Swain, Coronation Street)
- Tina O'Brien (Sarah Platt, Coronation Street)
- Emma Barton (Honey Mitchell, EastEnders)
- Karen Henthorn (Julie Bates, EastEnders)
- Diane Parish (Denise Fox, EastEnders)
- Emma Atkins (Charity Dingle, Emmerdale)
- Olivia Bromley (Dawn Fletcher, Emmerdale)
- Natalie J Robb (Moira Barton, Emmerdale)
- Alex Fletcher (Diane Hutchinson, Hollyoaks)
- Nadine Mulkerrin (Cleo McQueen, Hollyoaks)
- Anna Passey (Sienna Blake, Hollyoaks)
- Ada Nicodemou (Leah Patterson, Home and Away)
- Sophea Pennington (Lacey Miller, Home and Away)
- Emily Weir (Mackenzie Booth, Home and Away)
Best Actor
- Rob Mallard (Daniel Osborne, Coronation Street)
- Vinta Morgan (Ronnie Bailey, Coronation Street)
- Gareth Pierce (Todd Grimshaw, Coronation Street)
- Paul Bradley (Nigel Bates, EastEnders)
- Colin Salmon (George Knight, EastEnders)
- Aaron Thiara (Ravi Gulati, EastEnders)
- Ryan Hawley (Robert Sugden, Emmerdale)
- Jeff Hordley (Cain Dingle, Emmerdale)
- Joshua Richards (Bear Wolf, Emmerdale)
- Louis Emerick (Donny Clark, Hollyoaks)
- Danny Mac (Dodger Savage, Hollyoaks)
- Nick Pickard (Tony Hutchinson, Hollyoaks)
- Ethan Browne (Tane Parata, Home and Away)
- Tristan Gorey (Levi Fowler, Home and Away)
- James Stewart (Justin Morgan, Home and Away)
Best Comic Performance
- Amy Robbins (Christina Boyd, Coronation Street)
- Jack P Shepherd (David Platt, Coronation Street)
- Pierre Counihan-Moullier (Oscar Branning, EastEnders)
- Harriet Thorpe (Elaine Peacock, EastEnders)
- Chris Coghill (Kev Townsend, Emmerdale)
- Shebz Miah (Kammy Hadiq, Emmerdale)
- Nicole Barber-Lane (Myra McQueen, Hollyoaks)
- Jorgie Porter (Theresa McQueen, Hollyoaks)
- Emily Symons (Marilyn Chambers, Home and Away)
- Shane Withington (John Palmer, Home and Away)
Best Villain
- James Cartwright (Theo Silverton, Coronation Street)
- Beth Nixon (Megan Walsh, Coronation Street)
- Ronni Ancona (Bea Pollard, EastEnders)
- Christopher Fairbank (Eddie Knight, EastEnders)
- Joe Absolom (Ray Walters, Emmerdale)
- Ned Porteous (Joe Tate, Emmerdale)
- Gemma Bissix (Clare Devine, Hollyoaks)
- Anna Passey (Sienna Blake, Hollyoaks)
- Lachlan Miller (Holden Dwyer, Home and Away)
- Sara Wiseman (Kerrie Matheson, Home and Away)
Best Young Performer
- Lucas Hodgson-Wale (Will Driscoll, Coronation Street)
- Jude Riordan (Sam Blakeman, Coronation Street)
- Sonny Kendall (Tommy Moon, EastEnders)
- Max Murray (Joel Marshall, EastEnders)
- Amelia Flanagan (April Windsor, Emmerdale)
- Fred Kettle (Dylan Penders, Emmerdale)
- Charlie Behan (Charlie Dean, Hollyoaks)
- Oscar Curtis (Lucas Hay, Hollyoaks)
- Austin Cutcliffe (Casey Sharpe-Braxton, Home and Away)
- Nathan Murray (Cohen Luthor, Home and Away)
Best Newcomer
- Olivia Frances-Brown (Jodie Ramsey, Coronation Street)
- Junade Khan (Idris Nazir, Coronation Street)
- Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness (Jasmine Fisher, EastEnders)
- Pierre Counihan-Moullier (Oscar Branning, EastEnders)
- Casey Al-Shaqsy (Serena Sugden, Emmerdale)
- Chris Coghill (Kev Townsend, Emmerdale)
- Tisha Merry (Gemma Johnson, Hollyoaks)
- Naledi Rapotu (Kathleen-Angel McQueen, Hollyoaks)
- Maddison Brown (Jo Langham, Home and Away)
- Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (David Langham, Home and Away)
Best Exit
- Daniel Brocklebank (Billy Mayhew, Coronation Street)
- James Cartwright (Theo Silverton, Coronation Street)
- Nicholas Bailey (Anthony Trueman, EastEnders)
- Paul Bradley (Nigel Bates, EastEnders)
- Joe Absolom (Ray Walters, Emmerdale)
- Jaye Griffiths (Celia Daniels, Emmerdale)
- Alex Fletcher (Diane Hutchinson, Hollyoaks)
- Tamara Wall (Grace Black, Hollyoaks)
- Matt Evans (Theo Poulos, Home and Away)
- Lynne McGranger (Irene Roberts, Home and Away)
Best Family
- The Driscolls (Coronation Street)
- The Platts (Coronation Street)
- The Brannings (EastEnders)
- The Watts-Fowlers (EastEnders)
- The Dingles (Emmerdale)
- The Sugdens (Emmerdale)
- The Hutchinsons (Hollyoaks)
- The Maalik-Clarkes (Hollyoaks)
- The Fowlers (Home and Away)
- The Langhams (Home and Away)
Best Partnership
- Alison King & Vicky Myers (Carla & Lisa Connor-Swain, Coronation Street)
- Jack P Shepherd & Julia Goulding (David & Shona Platt, Coronation Street)
- Steve McFadden & Paul Bradley (Phil Mitchell & Nigel Bates, EastEnders)
- Heather Peace & Balvinder Sopal (Eve & Suki Panesar-Unwin, EastEnders)
- Jeff Hordley & Natalie J Robb (Cain & Moira Dingle, Emmerdale)
- Danny Miller & Ryan Hawley (Aaron Dingle & Robert Sugden, Emmerdale)
- Jennifer Metcalfe & Jamie Lomas (Mercedes McQueen & Warren Fox, Hollyoaks)
- Kieron Richardson & Jonny Labey (Ste Hay & Rex Gallagher, Hollyoaks)
- Nicholas Cartwright & Stephanie Panozzo (Cash Newman & Eden Fowler, Home and Away)
- Ada Nicodemou & James Stewart (Leah Patterson & Justin Morgan, Home and Away)
Best Storyline
- Todd's abuse at the hands of Theo (Coronation Street)
- Will groomed by predator Megan (Coronation Street)
- Denise's cancer diagnosis (EastEnders)
- Nigel's dementia & final goodbye (EastEnders)
- Bear's modern slavery nightmare (Emmerdale)
- Charity's baby bombshell (Emmerdale)
- Diane's ovarian cancer (Hollyoaks)
- Cleo's postpartum psychosis (Hollyoaks)
- Mackenzie & Levi's fertility journey (Home and Away)
- Irene's Alzheimer's diagnosis (Home and Away)
Best Showstopper
- Corriedale (Coronation Street & Emmerdale)
- Murder mystery flash forward: who dies? (Coronation Street)
- Kat & Zoe's Reunion (EastEnders)
- Nigel's 90's Special (EastEnders)
- Ray's killer revealed (Emmerdale)
- Return to Brookside Close (Hollyoaks)
- Clare & Sienna's final showdown (Hollyoaks)
- The Train Crash (Home and Away)
- Tane flees to Western Australia (Home and Away)
Best Drama Star
- William Beck (Dylan Keogh, Casualty)
- Elinor Lawless (Stevie Nash, Casualty)
- Kirsty Mitchell (Faith Dean, Casualty)
- Olly Rix (Flynn Byron, Casualty)
- Lindsey Coulson (Stella Drake, Waterloo Road)
- Jon Richardson (Darius Donovan, Waterloo Road)
- Maisey Robinson (Portia Weever, Waterloo Road)
- Adam Thomas (Donte Charles, Waterloo Road)
Best Soap
- Coronation Street
- EastEnders
- Emmerdale
- Hollyoaks
- Home and Away
