The Golden Globes air this weekend. Game of Thrones Season 6 stands to win a couple of awards there, including one for Lena Headey (Best Actress) and one for the show itself (Best Drama). Later this month, the show could take home an ACE Eddie Award for the editing brilliance on display in “Battle of the Bastards.” And now, the Art Directors Guild has announced nominations for the 21st Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards. And wouldn’t you know it—Game of Thrones Season 6 made the cut.
The Art Directors Guild honors production design in TV, movies, commercials and music videos. Game of Thrones is nominated in the category of One-hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Series. Check out the field:
- Game of Thrones: “Blood of My Blood,” “The Broken Man,” “No One.” Production Designer: Deborah Riley
- Stranger Things: “The Vanishing of Will Byers,” “Holly, Jolly,” “The Upside Down.” Production Designer: Chris Trujillo
- The Crown: “Wolferton Splash,” “Hyde Park Corner,” “Smoke and Mirrors.” Production Designer: Martin Childs
- The Man in High Castle: “The Tiger’s Cave,” “Land O’ Smiles,” “Fallout.” Production Designer: Drew Boughton
- Westworld: “Pilot.” Production Designer: Nathan Crowley
Deborah Riley has been the production designer on the show since the start of Season 4, meaning that she’s designed for big scenes like Joffrey’s wedding, the Massacre at Hardhome, and the Battle of the Bastards. Here, she’s nominated for her work on “Blood of My Blood,” “The Broken Man,” and “No One.” We visit a lot of striking locations between those episodes, including an outdoor playhouse in Braavos, a verdant valley in the Riverlands, and the siege at Riverrun.
Those are sumptuous areas all, so it’s easy to see why Riley is up for this award. What’s more, Riley has triumphed in this category before. She won Excellence in Production Design Awards for her work on Season 5 (for “High Sparrow,” “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” and “Hardhome”) and Season 4 (for “The Laws of Gods and Men” and “The Mountain and the Viper”). Before that, Riley’s predecessor Gemma Jackson won awards for her work on Season 3 (“Valar Dohaeris”) and Season 2 (“The Ghost of Harrenhal”). The only time Game of Thrones hasn’t won in this category was after Season 1, when Jackson was nominated for her work on “A Golden Crown.”
The 21st Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards will be handed out on Saturday, February 11 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles.