Squid Game is a South Korean streaming television series on Netflix created by Hwang Dong-hyuk. Its first season was released worldwide on September 17, 2021, followed by a second season on December 26, 2024 and a third season scheduled for release in 2025.
The series revolves around a secret contest where 456 players, all of whom are in deep financial hardship, risk their lives to play a series of deadly children's games for the chance to win a ₩ 45.6 billion prize (100 million per person killed). Due to the positive critical reception and general worldwide popularity of both seasons released thus far, the series has won and was nominated for numerous awards.
O Yeong-su's Golden Globe win made him the first Korean-born actor to win the award. The show's four SAG Award nominations also made history in it becoming the first non-English series and first Korean series to be nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Individually, Lee Jung-jae became the first male actor from Asia and Korea to receive an individual SAG Award nomination and HoYeon Jung became the second actress of Asian as well as Korean descent to do the same. [1] With both performers winning, the show made history in becoming the first non-English language television series to win at the SAG Awards.
Squid Game is also the first non-English television series to receive nominations [2] and to win the Primetime Emmy Awards. It received 14 nominations, winning 6 of them, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, [3] and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. [4] The winning of these awards respectively made actor Lee Jung-jae, director Hwang Dong-Hyuk, and actress Lee Yoo-mi to become the first Asians and Koreans to receive an Emmy.
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Gotham Awards | Breakthrough Series – Long Form | Kim Ji-yeon and Hwang Dong-hyuk | Won | [5] [6] |
Outstanding Performance in a New Series | Lee Jung-jae | Nominated | |||
Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Score - TV Show/Limited Series | Jung Jae-il | Won | [7] | |
People's Choice Awards | Bingeworthy Show of the Year | Squid Game | Won | [8] [9] | |
Rose d'Or | Drama Program | Squid Game | Nominated | [10] [11] | |
Art Directors Guild Awards | Excellence in Production Design for a One-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Series | Chae Kyoung-sun (for "Gganbu") | Won | [12] [13] | |
Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Drama Series | Squid Game | Nominated | [14] [15] | |
Best Actor in a Drama Series | Lee Jung-jae | Won | |||
Best Foreign Language Series | Squid Game | Won | |||
AFI Awards | Special Award | Squid Game | Won | [16] | |
Golden Globe Awards | Best Television Series – Drama | Squid Game | Nominated | [17] [18] | |
Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama | Lee Jung-jae | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actor – Television | O Yeong-su | Won | |||
Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama | Squid Game | Nominated | [19] | |
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, Hoyeon Jung, Anupam Tripathi, Heo Sung-tae, O Yeong-su, and Kim Joo-ryoung | Nominated | [20] [21] [22] | |
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | Lee Jung-jae | Won | |||
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | Jung Ho-yeon | Won | |||
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series | Squid Game | Won | |||
Golden Reel Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Series 1 Hour – Comedy or Drama – Dialogue and ADR | Hye-Young Kang, Tae-Young Choi, Byung-In Kim, Eun-Ji Ye (for "VIPS") | Nominated | [23] [24] | |
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Series 1 Hour – Comedy or Drama – Sound Effects and Foley | Hye-Young Kang, Ye-Jin Jo, Hye-Jin Yang, Taek-Hyun Hong, Chung-Gyu Lee (for "VIPS") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Series 1 Hour – Comedy or Drama – Music | Jae-il Jung (for "Red Light, Green Light") | Nominated | |||
Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – One Hour | Park Hyeon-Soo, Serge Perron, Cameron Sloan (for "VIPS") | Nominated | [25] | |
Costume Designers Guild Awards | Excellence in Contemporary Television | Cho Sang-kyung (for "VIPS") | Nominated | [26] | |
2022 | Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode | Jaihoon Jung, Hyejin Kim, Hyungrok Kim, Sungman Jun (for "VIPS") | Nominated | [27] [28] |
American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Drama Series | Nam Na-young (for "Gganbu") | Nominated | [29] [30] | |
Independent Spirit Awards | Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series | Lee Jung-jae | Won | [31] | |
Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Action Series | Squid Game | Won | [32] | |
Best Actor in an Action Series | Lee Jung-jae | Won | |||
Best Actress in an Action Series | HoYeon Jung | Won | |||
Kim Joo-ryoung | Nominated | ||||
British Academy Television Awards | Best International Programme | Squid Game | Nominated | [33] | |
Virgin TV's Must-See Moment | "Red Light, Green Light" | Nominated | |||
Baeksang Arts Awards | Grand Prize – Television | Squid Game | Won | [34] [35] | |
Best Drama | Nominated | ||||
Best Director | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Won | |||
Best Actor | Lee Jung-jae | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Heo Sung-tae | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actress | Kim Joo-ryoung | Nominated | |||
Best New Actress | Jung Ho-yeon | Nominated | |||
Best Screenplay | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Nominated | |||
Baeksang Arts Technical Award (Art direction) | Chae Kyung-sun | Nominated | |||
Baeksang Arts Technical Award (Music) | Jung Jae-il | Won | |||
MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Show | Squid Game | Nominated | [36] | |
Best Breakthrough Performance | Jung Ho-yeon | Nominated | |||
Television Critics Association Awards | Program of the Year | Squid Game | Nominated | [37] [38] | |
Outstanding Achievement in Drama | Nominated | ||||
Individual Achievement in Drama | Lee Jung-jae | Nominated | |||
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Streaming Series, Drama | Squid Game | Nominated | [39] | |
Best International Series | Won | ||||
Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama | Lee Jung-jae | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama | Park Hae-soo | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama | HoYeon Jung | Nominated | |||
Best Directing in a Streaming Series, Drama | Hwang Dong-hyuk (for "Red Light, Green Light") | Nominated | |||
Best Writing in a Streaming Series, Drama | Hwang Dong-hyuk (for "One Lucky Day") | Nominated | |||
Blue Dragon Series Awards | Best Drama | Squid Game | Nominated | [40] | |
Best Actor | Lee Jung-jae | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Park Hae-soo | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actress | Kim Joo-ryoung | Nominated | |||
Best New Actress | HoYeon Jung | Won | |||
26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival | Series Film Award | Squid Game | Won | [41] | |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Drama Series | Kim Ji-yeon and Hwang Dong-hyuk | Nominated | [42] | |
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Lee Jung-jae (for "Gganbu") | Won | |||
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Park Hae-soo (for "One Lucky Day") | Nominated | |||
Oh Yeong-su (for "Gganbu") | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Jung Ho-yeon (for "Gganbu") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | Hwang Dong-hyuk (for "Red Light, Green Light") | Won | |||
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Hwang Dong-hyuk (for "One Lucky Day") | Nominated | |||
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Lee Yoo-mi (for "Gganbu") | Won | [43] | |
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) | Chae Kyoung-sun, Gim En-jee and Kim Jeong-gun (for "Gganbu") | Won | |||
Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour) | Lee Hyung-deok (for "Stick to the Team") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series | Nam Na-young (for "Gganbu") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Jung Jae-il | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode | Cheong Jai-hoon, Kang Moon-jung, Kim Hye-jin, Jo Hyun-jin, Kim Seong-chul, Lee Jae-bum, Shin Min-soo, Seok Jong-yeon and Jun Sung-man (for "VIPS") | Won | |||
Outstanding Stunt Performance | Lim Tae-hoon, Shim Sang-min, Kim Cha-i and Lee Tae-young (for "Stick to the Team") | Won | |||
Saturn Awards | Best Streaming Horror/Thriller Television Series | Squid Game | Nominated | [44] [45] | |
8th APAN Star Awards | Drama of the Year | Squid Game | Nominated | [46] | |
Best Director | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Nominated | |||
Top Excellence Award, Actor in an OTT Drama | Lee Jung-jae | Nominated | |||
Excellence Award, Actor in an OTT Drama | Park Hae-soo | Nominated | |||
Excellence Award, Actor in an OTT Drama | O Yeong-su | Nominated | |||
Excellence Award, Actress in an OTT Drama | Lee Yoo-mi | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Heo Sung-tae | Won | |||
Best New Actress | Jung Ho-yeon | Nominated | |||
Popularity Star Award, Actress | Nominated | [47] | |||
2025 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Television Series – Drama | Squid Game | Pending | [48] |
Lee Jung-jae is a South Korean actor. Considered one of South Korea's most successful actors, he has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, six Baeksang Arts Awards, in addition to nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Gotham Award. Aside from his acting career, Lee is also a businessman, having launched a chain of restaurants in Seoul, as well as founding several businesses including the development company Seorim C&D. He owns several of his businesses with fellow actor and close friend Jung Woo-sung.
Hwang Dong-hyuk is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter best known for creating the Netflix survival drama series Squid Game. He conceived of the idea for Squid Game based on his own economic struggles early in life as well as the class disparity found within South Korea.
Park Hae-soo is a South Korean actor. He is best known worldwide for portraying Cho Sang-woo in the first season of the Netflix hit series Squid Game (2021), which earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Wi Ha-joon, born Wi Hyun-yi (위현이), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his role as Hwang Jun-ho in Squid Game (2021–present). Wi has also starred in the films Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018), Shark: The Beginning (2021) and Midnight (2021), as well as the television series Something in the Rain (2018), Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019), 18 Again (2020), Bad and Crazy (2021), Little Women (2022), The Worst of Evil (2023), and The Midnight Romance in Hagwon (2024). In 2022, Wi was named one of GQ Korea's Men of the Year. Wi is managed by MSTeam Entertainment.
Hoyeon Jung is a South Korean model and actress. She began her career as a freelance model in 2010, walking in Seoul Fashion Week shows for two years. In 2013, she competed on the fourth season of Korea's Next Top Model and placed as a runner-up. She became known for her "fiery" red hair after making her international runway debut during New York Fashion Week. She was a Louis Vuitton exclusive in 2016, and became a global ambassador for the brand in 2021.
Park Gyu-young is a South Korean actress. Previously known in South Korea for her roles in the dramas It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020), Sweet Home (2020), Dali & Cocky Prince (2021), Celebrity (2023), A Good Day to Be a Dog (2023), and Squid Game 2 (2024).
D.P. is a South Korean military action television series for Netflix. Directed by Han Jun-hee, from a screenplay by Kim Bo-tong and Han, based on the Lezhin webtoon D.P Dog's Day by Kim, and starring Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-kyun, and Son Suk-ku. The first season was released on August 27, 2021, and the second season was released on July 28, 2023.
Jung Jae-il is a South Korean music composer. He notably composed the score of critically-acclaimed works: the 2019 Academy Award-winning film Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho, and the television series Squid Game, which he earned a nomination for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music in 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
The 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring the best achievements in film and television performances for the year 2021, was presented on February 27, 2022 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. The ceremony was broadcast live on both TNT and TBS 8:00 p.m. EST / 5:00 p.m. PST. The nominees were announced on January 12, 2022 by Rosario Dawson and Vanessa Hudgens via Instagram Live.
Squid Game is a South Korean dystopian survival thriller television series created, written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. The series revolves around a secret contest where 456 players, all of whom are in deep financial hardship, risk their lives to play a series of deadly children's games for the chance to win a ₩45.6 billion prize. The series' title draws from ojingŏ ("squid"), a Korean children's game. Lee Jung-jae leads an ensemble cast.
Kim Joo-ryoung is a South Korean actress. She is mainly known for portraying Han Mi-nyeo or Player No. 212 in the Netflix original series Squid Game. For her performance, she was nominated for Best Actress in an Action Series at the 2nd Critics' Choice Super Awards.
Lee Yoo-mi is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles as Ji-yeong in Squid Game (2021), Lee Na-yeon in All of Us Are Dead (2022), and Gang Nam-soon in Strong Girl Nam-soon (2023). She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Ji-yeong in Squid Game, making her the first Korean actress to win in the category.
O Yeong-su is a South Korean actor. He began acting on stage in the 1960s, during which time he claims to have appeared in over 200 plays. He later began acting on screen, often portraying monks due to his experience with Buddhist plays.
Squid Game (Original Soundtrack to the Netflix Series) is the soundtrack to the Korean survival drama television series of the same name. The score for the series is composed by Jung Jae-il in his maiden television debut. While Jae-il composed most of the cues, he later collaborated with Park Min-ju and Kim Sung-soo (under the stage name "23") for additional music. The album was released on September 17, 2021 by Genie Music and Stone Music Entertainment.
The 1st Blue Dragon Series Awards ceremony, organised by Sports Chosun was held on July 19, 2022, at Paradise City, Incheon, beginning at 7:00 p.m. KST. The event is the first award ceremony targeting streaming series contents in South Korea. It was hosted by Jun Hyun-moo and Im Yoon-ah and was broadcast live through LG Uplus and Naver Now. while the red carpet event was hosted by Jaejae.
Kim In-seon, known professionally as Won Ji-an (Korean: 원지안), is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her roles in the dramas D.P. (2021–2023) and Heartbeat (2023).
The first season of the South Korean dystopian survival thriller horror television series Squid Game was created for television by Korean writer and television producer Hwang Dong-hyuk. Produced by Netflix, it was released on September 17, 2021. The season stars Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi and Kim Joo-ryoung. It revolves around a secret contest where 456 players, all of whom are in deep financial hardship, risk their lives to play a series of deadly children's games for the chance to win a ₩45.6 billion prize.