The Stone and Mad Unicorn sweep KCL Awards 2026

Thai thriller The Stone and Netflix drama series Mad Unicorn emerged as the biggest winners at the 22nd Kom Chad Luek Awards, or KCL Awards 2026, after collecting the top prizes in the film and drama-series categories.

Mad Unicorn, known in Thai as Songkhram Song Duan, led the drama-series field with four wins: best drama/series, best drama-series direction, best actor in a drama/series and best drama-series screenplay.

Netflix lists the title as a 2025 limited drama series about an entrepreneur building a courier start-up and facing powerful rivals.

In the film category, The Stone, or The Stone Phra Tae Khon Kae, took three major honours: best film, best film direction and best screenplay.

The Thai crime thriller is directed by Pae Arak Amornsupasiri and Bee Wuttipong Sukhanin, and was released in 2025.

The film’s triumph also marked a strong debut for its directing duo. After receiving the best film award, Arak thanked the cast, crew, studio, backers and audiences for trusting a new directing team and a new company, saying the response to the film had been deeply encouraging.

The music categories also produced multiple winners. YOUNGOHM, from BKK Legacy Entertainment, won best male solo artist and best Thai pop song for “Jai Chan Tam Ther Pai”.

Keng Harit also collected two awards: best new artist for “Montra”, from the soundtrack of Khemjira Tong Rod, and rising screen couple of the year in the drama-series category alongside Namping from the same series.

Another prominent winner was Ginny Natnicha Pratipnatsiri, who took home two popular-vote awards: popular female actor and popular Yuri screen couple with Jayna Angelina Stevens from the GL series Poisonous Love.

The ceremony opened with KT KRATAE, whose viral “hom sabai sai jeans” look has become associated with Thai soft power. She performed “Bangkok City”, followed by new-generation luk thung group New Country, helping set the tone for a night built around Thai entertainment, pop culture and cultural identity.

KT KRATAE later received a special award from the Ministry of Culture as an artist promoting Thai identity internationally. She dedicated the award to Thais who take pride in their culture and helped turn the sabai-and-jeans look into a global online trend.

Another Ministry of Culture honour, for a drama/series creatively presenting Thai identity, went to Interminable, a Thai cultural BL series directed by Mai Phawat Panangkasiri, best known for period dramas.

Complete winners list

Special awards by the Ministry of Culture

• Artist promoting Thai identity internationally: KT KRATAE
• Drama/series creatively presenting Thai identity: Interminable

Thai popular music

• Best new artist: Keng Harit — “Montra”, OST Khemjira Tong Rod
• Best female solo artist: Prang Prangthip — “Duang Jai”, Song Rider
• Best male solo artist: YOUNGOHM — “Jai Chan Tam Ther Pai”, BKK Legacy Entertainment
• Best female T-pop artist: 4EVE — “Snooze”, XOXO Entertainment
• Best male T-pop artist: LYKN — “Thak First Sight”, Riser Music, and ATLAS — “Peh”, XOXO Entertainment
• Best group artist: Tilly Birds x POLYCAT — “Lom Champ”, Gene Lab and Smallroom
• Best Thai pop song: “Jai Chan Tam Ther Pai” — YOUNGOHM, BKK Legacy Entertainment

Film awards

• Best screenplay: Arak Amornsupasiri, Wuttipong Sukhanin, Paween Purijitpanya and Kittikhun Chatthongkam — The Stone
• Best director: Arak Amornsupasiri and Wuttipong Sukhanin — The Stone
• Best supporting actor: Chulachak Chakrabongse — Everybody Loves Me When I’m Dead
• Best supporting actress: Apasiri Nitibhon — A Useful Ghost
• Best actor: Sukollawat Kanaros — Suea
• Best actress: Fatima Dechawaleekul — Flat Girls
• Best film: The Stone

Drama-series awards

• Best screenplay: Nathapol Boonprakob, Tosaphon Thiptinnakorn, Thaneeda Hanthaweewattana, Phatthanat Pibulsawad and Vasudhorn Piyaromna — Mad Unicorn
• Best director: Nathapol Boonprakob — Mad Unicorn
• Rising screen couple: Keng and Namping — Khemjira Tong Rod
• Best supporting actor: Yuk Songpaisan — Shine
• Best supporting actress: Manatsanun Panlertwongsakul — Sathu 2
• Best actor: Natara Nopparatayapon — Mad Unicorn
• Best actress: Melada Susri — Good Heavens! I’m a Goose Not a Swan
• Best drama/series: Mad Unicorn, Netflix

Popular Vote awards

• Popular drama/series: Poisonous Love
• Popular luk thung artist: Nook Thanadon
• Popular mor lam artist: Unging Petchbanpaeng
• Popular T-pop artist: DEXX
• Popular Thai pop singer: FirstOne Wannakorn
• Popular female actor: Ginny Natnicha
• Popular male actor: Pavel Naret
• Popular Y screen couple: Zee and NuNew
• Popular Yuri screen couple: Ginny and Jayna

Bangkokbiznews