What began as a local race involving handmade wire cars has become an internationally recognised South African story.
Philipstown, South Africa (02 October 2026) – It started with children, scrap materials and handmade wire cars racing through a small Northern Cape town. Now the Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix is heading to one of the biggest stages in international television.
The documentary has been nominated for a 2026 International Emmy Award in the Sports Documentary category, putting the quirky and proudly South African story among just four productions recognised in the category globally.
The 54th International Emmy Awards will take place in New York on 23 November.
Every year, young racers in the small Karoo town build their own wire cars from scrap materials before taking part in a roughly three-kilometre race through the community.
The documentary captures the creativity, determination and excitement behind the event, while also shining a light on the town and its youth upliftment programme.
Created by Accenture Song South Africa in partnership with the Philipstown WireCar Foundation and produced by Giant Films, the film was directed by South African filmmaker Paul Ward.
It also brought technology into the story, using data from the race to digitally map Philipstown and recreate the event as a virtual Grand Prix.
“Technology and creativity gave us a new way to tell a very human story,” says Tseliso Rangaka, Chief Creative Officer of Accenture Song South Africa. “During the race, we tracked the children’s handmade wire cars and digitally mapped Philipstown, using that data to recreate the race as a virtual Grand Prix.”
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The documentary, which is available to watch on Prime Video, is up against productions from Brazil, Spain and the UK in the Sports Documentary category.
And there is another South African connection at this year’s International Emmys, with actor Ian Roberts nominated for A Kind of Madness.
For a town like Philipstown, the international attention is another reminder that a big story does not always need a big setting.
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