The 12th annual SOVAS Voice Arts Awards once again placed voiceover performance at the center of industry recognition, honoring work across animation, gaming, audiobooks, dubbing, promos, and narration. As one of the few awards programs dedicated entirely to voice, SOVAS continues to serve as a benchmark for professional achievement in a field that often operates behind the scenes.
This year’s winners reflect the breadth of modern voiceover work, spanning major studio releases, long-running franchises, independent projects, and multilingual programming. While the full SOVAS program includes a wide range of creative and technical honors, the following highlights focus specifically on categories most closely tied to voiceover performance and craft.
Voiceover-Centered Winners at the 12th SOVAS Awards
Animation and Character Performance
Outstanding Animation Character – Motion Picture – Best Voiceover
This category recognized standout character work in animated features. Winners and nominees reflected the continued strength of feature animation as a voice-driven medium, with performances that balanced emotional range, character continuity, and audience connection.
Notable winners included Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson for Moana 2, underscoring the film’s strong presence across multiple voiceover categories.
Outstanding Animation Character – TV or Web – Best Voiceover
Television and web animation performance was also strongly represented, with recognition for episodic consistency and character durability.
Winners included Wesley Eagle for Wands Deep, alongside recognized performances from projects such as Hamsters of Hamsterdale, Loud & Proud, Paw Patrol: To the Rescue, and LK: School Daze.
Video Game Voiceover
Outstanding Video Game Character – Best Voiceover
Game voice acting continues to receive increased recognition for its technical and emotional demands. This year’s honored performances highlighted the intensity, adaptability, and vocal endurance required in interactive storytelling.
Among the winners was Eduardo De Los Reyes for Digimon Time Story: Stranger, with additional nominated performances spanning action, fantasy, and narrative-driven titles.
Audiobook Narration
Outstanding Audiobook Narration – Best Voiceover
Audiobook performance remains one of the fastest-growing areas of voiceover, and this year’s winners reflected a range of narrative styles, from memoir to long-form storytelling.
Matthew McConaughey received top recognition for his narration work, with additional honors acknowledging both author-narrated and professionally performed audiobooks.
Dubbing, Promo, and Commercial Voiceover
SOVAS also recognized excellence in voiceover disciplines that support global and broadcast media, including:
- Outstanding Dubbing Performance, highlighting localization work that preserves emotional intent across languages
- Outstanding Promo – TV or Streaming – Best Voiceover, recognizing voice performance as a defining element of network and platform identity
- Outstanding Commercial Voiceover, honoring clarity, tone, and delivery in advertising formats
These categories reinforce how voice performance shapes viewer experience even outside traditional narrative roles.
Voiceover Demos and Career Development
Outstanding Animation or Gaming Demo – Best Voiceover
Demo work received focused recognition once again, acknowledging the role demos play as professional gatekeepers within the industry. This category honored performers whose demo reels demonstrated casting clarity, vocal control, and market readiness, rather than finished character performances.
Organizational and Industry Recognition
Beyond individual performances, the 12th SOVAS Awards also recognized organizations and institutions contributing to the growth and visibility of voiceover. HITN was among those honored for its work in Spanish-language programming, reflecting the expanding global footprint of professional voice performance.
Special honors and legacy awards further underscored SOVAS’ role in celebrating long-term impact within the voiceover community, highlighting careers and contributions that have shaped the industry over decades.
A Snapshot of the Voiceover Industry Today
Taken together, this year’s SOVAS winners paint a picture of a voiceover industry that continues to expand across formats, languages, and platforms. From animation and games to audiobooks and promos, voice performance remains a foundational element of modern media, even as delivery methods evolve.
For professionals and audiences alike, the 12th SOVAS Voice Arts Awards serve as a reminder that voiceover is not a supporting detail, but a craft deserving of focused recognition. As the industry moves forward, these honors continue to document where voiceover stands, and where it is headed next.
