Nineteen Canadian programs are in the running for the Rockie Awards at this year’s Banff World Television Festival, a ‘banner year’ for Canucks, say organizers, who will compete with nominees from 16 other countries at the 26th annual awards gala on June 13.

The Brits and the U.S. still lead the pack with between 35 and 19 nods, respectively, going to such titles as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Desperate Housewives and MI-5 (aka Spooks). They and other shows from Denmark, China, Israel and elsewhere will compete for $75,000 in prize money, including the $50,000 Global Television grand prize, and the $25,000 award for those in high-definition.

The Canuck nominees are also up for the newest Rockie, for best Canadian show, which is sponsored by Playback.

‘We couldn’t have picked a better year to launch this new best Canadian program award,’ says Playback publisher Marcelle Wallace. ‘The record number of nominees and the quality of each one of these programs tells me that Canadian TV is as vibrant as ever.’

The noms show ‘just how creative, ground-breaking and sophisticated our national television industry is,’ adds festival CEO Robert Montgomery.

Among the nominees are eps of Corner Gas, Da Vinci’s Inquest and The Newsroom, as well as Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire and the U.K. copro Sex Traffic.

The Banff fest runs June 12-15.

-www.banff2005.com