The U.K. and the U.S. lead the race into this year’s Rockie Awards, followed closely by Canada on the strength of programs including Little Mosque on the Prairie, Til Debt Do Us Part and several pilots.

Some 200 nominees for the awards of the Banff World Television Festival were announced at MIPTV, with the Brits and the Americans coming out on top. U.S. shows including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Scrubs and Two and a Half Men appear to have cornered the comedies, while many nods went to the U.K. for history, environmental and other nonfiction categories.

Canada also placed among the comedy nominees – Little Mosque on the Prairie is in the running – while shows including the homegrown How to Look Good Naked and two episodes of Til Debt Do Us Part scored in the lifestyle and reality format categories, respectively.

Nomad Films’ Empire of the World, seen on edu-channels including TVO and Knowledge, is nominated for best social/humanitarian doc, as is Force Four Entertainment’s 65_RedRoses, the doc that turned heads last year on the festival circuit and on CBC.

Sienna Films and its partners are up best miniseries for Diamonds. The NFB’s much-praised iPhone app is in the running for best branded entertainment, along with Divani Films’ Athletes in Motion for BravoFACT and Glassbox Television’s West 49: Ambition Skatecamp.

This year the Rockies will for the first time award pilots, a new category that Canada all but dominates with 10 out the 15 nominees. Aircraft Pictures’ pilot for Todd and the Book of Pure Evil and Pink Triangle Press’ The Gayest Show Ever are nominated, as are marblemedia’s Camerahead and Involuntary Muscles from Devonshire Productions.