From small town to the international stage: Local kids story nominated for Emmy Award

The already multi-award-winning The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix has been nominated for a 2026 International Emmy Award (Image supplied)

Philipstown is a small Karoo town in the Northern Cape, making the scale of the documentary’s international recognition particularly striking.

Created by Accenture Song South Africa in partnership with the Philipstown WireCar Foundation, this multi-award-winning documentary is one of just four productions nominated in the Sports Documentary category at the 54th International Emmy Awards.

It was produced by Giant Films, with South African filmmaker Paul Ward as director, and tells the story of an annual race in which children from Philipstown build handmade wire cars from scrap materials and race them over roughly three kilometres.

The documentary formed part of a larger campaign to increase the town’s visibility and attract sponsorship for its youth upliftment programme.

The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix: Creating sound from wire, scrap metal and found materials

27 Aug 2026

Major recognition

The film's Emmy nomination is also one of just two nominations for South Africa at this year's International Emmys, alongside actor Ian Roberts' nomination for A Kind of Madness.

The piece has already attracted major international recognition, including at Cannes Lions, The One Show, Tribeca X, Webbys, the Clio Awards and BrandStorytelling, the Sundance-affiliated festival celebrating brand-funded entertainment.

The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix has had an exceptional awards run in 2026, including:

• Cannes Lions – Silver Lion in Entertainment; Bronze Lion in Creative Data, shortlisted for Titanium Lion
  
• The One Show – 3 Gold Pencils, 2 Silver Pencils, 2 Bronze Pencils and 6 Merit Awards
  
• Tribeca X – Social Impact Award
  
• Clio Awards – Bronze Award
  
• BrandStorytelling – Impact Award and Official Selection
  
• IAB South Africa Bookmark Awards – 8 Golds, 4 Silvers and 1 Bronze, including the Pixel for Purpose Black Pixel
  
• Philipstown WireCar Foundation – Digital Brand of the Year at the Bookmark Awards
  
• Webby Awards – winner Video & Film: Best Documentary Storytelling 2026 and Technical Achievement Honoree
  
• D&AD – Shortlisted in Impact and Sports Entertainment (Long Form Film)
  
• AICP Next Awards – Finalist

Executive creative director team Cameron Watson and Devin Kennedy say the aim of the Philipstown project was always to get the kids’ story seen by as many different people and institutions as possible, which in turn would create sustainable change for the town.

“An International Emmy nomination changes the scale of that visibility.

“A story that began with children racing wire cars in a small Karoo town is now being seen alongside some of the biggest names in global television.

“That is an extraordinary achievement for Philipstown – and Accenture Song South Africa. It shows how a genuinely great South African story can cross borders and resonate with audiences around the world,” they say.

Ferrari wire cars: From the Karoo to the world stage

18 Sep 2026

Storytelling and technology

The documentary combines storytelling with technology developed by Accenture Song to give audiences a new perspective on the race.

“Technology and creativity gave us a new way to tell a very human story,” says Tseliso Rangaka, chief creative officer of Accenture Song South Africa.

“During the race, we tracked the children’s handmade wire cars and digitally mapped Philipstown, using that data to recreate the race as a virtual Grand Prix.

“We could then transform the children and their cars into larger-than-life digital racers.

“The technology wasn’t there for technology’s sake; it helped us see the race through the children’s eyes and bring that perspective to audiences in a way film alone couldn’t.”

It goes up against Baila, Vini from Brazil, Temps Mort (Time-Out) from Spain and Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds from the UK, produced with Warner Bros. Discovery and the Olympic Channel.

It is available to view on Prime Video.

The 54th International Emmy Awards take place in New York on 23 November 2026.

To support the Philipstown WireCar Foundation visit www.philipstownwirecar.com.

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