Not a Tie: Maricel Soriano Wins FAMAS Best Actress as Maris Racal Gets First-Ever ‘Actress of Distinction’ Award
MARIS RACAL – Fans who celebrated a supposed Best Actress tie between Maris Racal and Maricel Soriano at the 74th FAMAS Awards got a correction on Wednesday, October 28, 2026: the two actresses actually won two different trophies.
Social media posts after the awards night on Tuesday, October 27, at The Manila Hotel claimed that both stars had shared the Best Actress plum, Soriano for Meet, Greet & Bye and Racal for Sunshine. Many fans believed it, especially since the two had just tied for Best Actress at the Star Awards days earlier, as covered in Maricel Soriano and Maris Racal Tie for Best Actress at 42nd Star Awards.
The official list of winners, however, shows that the “Diamond Star” is the sole Best Actress of FAMAS 2026. Racal was given the Actress of Distinction award, a special honor handed out for the first time in the history of the award-giving body.
Vince Tañada, director of this year’s FAMAS Awards, explained the difference between the two recognitions. He said 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.”
The new honor, on the other hand, “recognizes an artist whose singular, extraordinary performance in a particular film demonstrates exceptional artistic mastery, emotional depth, originality, and memorable cinematic impact,” Tañada said.
In Meet, Greet & Bye, Soriano plays Baby, a mother with a terminal illness whose last wish is to meet her favorite Korean idol. Racal plays a promising rhythmic gymnast in Sunshine whose Olympic dreams are put at risk by an unexpected pregnancy.
The result is a small setback for Racal’s bid for a movie acting grand slam. She already won Best Actress at the Gawad Urian this month and is next eyeing the Luna Awards in December.
At the same FAMAS rites, In Thy Name won Best Picture, with McCoy de Leon named Best Actor.