Confusion erupts over Maris and Maricel’s Best Actress ‘tie’ at FAMAS

Confusion erupts after social media posts mistake a new special award for a shared victory.

What initially appeared to be a tie between Maricel Soriano and Maris Racal for Best Actress at the 74th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards turned out to be a misunderstanding over two separate acting honors.

Following the awards ceremony on Tuesday, October 27, at The Manila Hotel, several social media posts reported that Soriano and Racal had both won Best Actress for their performances in “Meet, Greet, & Bye” and “Sunshine,” respectively.

The reports sparked confusion among movie fans, with some believing that FAMAS had declared a tie in the prestigious category.

However, a closer look at their trophies and the official winners’ list clarified that Soriano was the sole winner of Best Actress, while Racal received a newly introduced special recognition called Actress of Distinction.

Not a tie after all

The confusion apparently stemmed from the introduction of the Actress of Distinction award, a first-time honor at this year’s FAMAS ceremony.

In a phone call to radar Entertainment on Wednesday afternoon, Vince Tañada, director of the 74th FAMAS Awards, explained that the two honors recognize different aspects of an actor’s achievement.

The Best Actress award “recognizes an actress whose collective body of work, sustained artistic excellence, versatility, and significant contributions to Philippine cinema demonstrate exceptional achievement in the acting profession,” Tañada explained.

Meanwhile, the Artist (or Actress) of Distinction award “recognizes an artist whose singular, extraordinary performance in a particular film demonstrates exceptional artistic mastery, emotional depth, originality, and memorable cinematic impact.”

The distinction clarifies that the two awards are not a tie, but separate recognitions with different criteria.

Two acclaimed performances

In “Meet, Greet, & Bye,” Soriano portrays Baby, a terminally ill mother whose final wish is to meet her favorite Korean idol. Her emotionally charged performance anchors the family drama.

Meanwhile, Racal stars in “Sunshine” as a promising rhythmic gymnast whose Olympic aspirations are threatened by an unexpected pregnancy shortly before national team tryouts.

While both actresses earned recognition for their performances, their awards carry different official titles.

For FAMAS 2026, Maricel Soriano won Best Actress, while Maris Racal received the inaugural Actress of Distinction award.

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