Social distancing ‘Level 2.5’ also applies to the SDA!

15th Seoul International Drama Awards to be non-face-to-face

- The format of the awards ceremony has been changed from ‘without an audience’ to ‘non-face-to-face’ as winners and presenters will not be attending

- The awards ceremony will be recorded with the smallest number of people possible through adjusting the meeting times of the performers and on-site staffs of the celebratory performance

- Instead of being livestreamed, the awards ceremony will be aired on MBC at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, and will also be available on MBC drama's official YouTube channel and wavve

Seoul, South Korea (September 3, 2020) – The social distancing measures for the Seoul International Drama Awards 2020(SDA) also have been strengthened.

The Seoul International Drama Awards Organizing Committee (Chairman Sung-jae Park) announced that the awards ceremony will now be non-face-to-face as there has been a spike in COVID-19 cases nationwide. The live broadcast of the awards ceremony scheduled for September 10 will now be replaced by a recorded broadcast on September 15. It was also announced that the audience, presenters and winners will not be attending the awards ceremony.

Initially, SDA 2020 was to be held on September 10 without an audience and with only local winners and presenters in attendance. However, with the recent spike in COVID-19 cases and the Korean government raising its social distancing level to 2.5, the organizing committee has decided to change the format of the awards ceremony in order to protect the safety of participants and strengthen community quarantine efforts.

As a result, not only the audience but also local presenters and winners will not participate in this year’s awards ceremony. The organizing committee will be personally delivering the trophies separately to local and overseas winners. The winners will share their speech through a video presentation for the fans around the world.

Celebratory performances will take place to help create a more lively atmosphere for the award ceremony, as none of the audience, presenters and winners will be in attendance. The celebratory performances will be held under a strict social distance policy. The performers and on-site staff will not be allowed to gather at any place at the same time as safety is a top priority. Also, only a few key personnel will present at a specific time on a team by team basis.

The SDA 2020 award ceremony will be aired on MBC at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15. The ceremony will also be broadcasted on ‘wavve’ in South Korea, while international fans can watch the recording on MBC drama's official YouTube channel.