The annual ceremony with a theme of “We See You” celebrates Black achievement throughout a number of areas and can air throughout a two-hour LIVE TV particular, airing Saturday, February 28, 2026, from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, at 8 PM ET/ 8 PM PT on BET and can simulcast on the CBS Television Network.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners leads all movement image contenders with 18 nominations, adopted by Highest 2 Lowest with 9.
Television standouts embrace Bel-Air with seven nominations, whereas Abbott Elementary, Reasonable Doubt, and Ruth & Boaz every earned six nods; Forever follows with 5.
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Netflix topped all platforms with an industry-leading 47 nominations, whereas Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, Michael B. Jordan, and Teyana Taylor will compete for Entertainer of the Year.
Speaking of Teyana, Teyana is among the most-nominated artists total, accumulating six nods, together with Entertainer of the Year, recognition for her roles in One Battle After Another and Tyler Perry’s Straw, and her album Escape Room.
Similarly, Cynthia Erivo scored 4 nominations, together with Entertainer of the Year and appearing recognition for Wicked: For Good.
In music recording classes, Kendrick Lamar led the sector with six nominations, whereas Cardi B and Leon Thomas earned 4 apiece; Doechii and Taylor adopted carefully with three every. RCA Records paced labels with eight nominations, whereas HarperCollins led literary publishers with eight, forward of Penguin Random House’s six.
The NAACP can also be debuting two new classes this yr: Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism, honoring nationally distributed journalism centered on racial fairness, social justice, or group impression, and Outstanding Editing in a Motion Picture or Television Series, Movie, or Special, recognizing excellence in post-production storytelling.
Nominations have been introduced reside on CBS Mornings by Image Awards host Deon Cole and NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson, with further reveals on YouTube/NAACPPlus by Gail Bean and Marcel Spears.
“The NAACP Image Awards is our declaration to our group that ‘We See You,’ affirming Black creativity, excellence and humanity throughout each area the place our tales are informed,” Johnson mentioned. “From movie, tv and music to literature and past, the voices of all of our nominees inform tales that honor our previous, have fun our id and remind us that storytelling has the ability to maneuver tradition ahead.”
BET president Louis Carr added,
“The NAACP Image Award nominations underscore what we’ve at all times recognized to be true—our persons are the heartbeat of tradition. Their creativity, excellence, and dedication to telling our tales with authenticity and objective proceed to set the usual.”
Public voting is now open in choose classes at NAACPImageAwards.net by Feb. 7 at midnight ET. Winners will likely be introduced in the course of the Feb. 28 telecast, whereas non-televised classes will likely be honored on the Creative Honors on Thursday, Feb. 26, and nearly on YouTube/NAACPPlus from Feb. 23–25.
The full listing of nominees could be discovered on the flip!
Entertainer of the Year
Cynthia Erivo
Doechii
Kendrick Lamar
Michael B. Jordan
Teyana Taylor
Outstanding Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Harlem (Prime Video)
Survival of the Thickest (Netflix)
The Residence (Netflix)
The Upshaws (Netflix)
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Cedric The Entertainer – “The Neighborhood” (CBS)
David Alan Grier – “St. Denis Medical” (NBC)
David Oyelowo – “Government Cheese” (Apple TV)
Mike Epps – “The Upshaws” (Netflix)
Vince Staples – “The Vince Staples Show” (Netflix)
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear” (FX/Hulu)
Maya Rudolph – “Loot” (Apple TV)
Michelle Buteau – “Survival of the Thickest” (Netflix)
Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Uzo Aduba – “The Residence” (Netflix)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Colman Domingo – “The Four Seasons” (Netflix)
Giancarlo Esposito – “The Residence” (Netflix)
Josh Johnson – “The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)
Wendell Pierce – “Elsbeth” (CBS)
William Stanford Davis – “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Edwina Finley – “The Residence” (Netflix)
Ego Nwodim – “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Janelle James – “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Jerrie Johnson – “Harlem” (Prime Video)
Wanda Sykes – “The Upshaws” (Netflix)
Outstanding Drama Series
Bel-Air (Peacock)
Beyond The Gates (CBS)
Forever (Netflix)
Paradise (Hulu)
Reasonable Doubt (Hulu)
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Forest Whitaker – “Godfather of Harlem” (MGM+)
Jabari Banks – “Bel-Air” (Peacock)
Michael Cooper Jr. – “Forever” (Netflix)
Morris Chestnut – “Watson” (CBS)
Sterling Ok. Brown – “Paradise” (ABC)
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Angela Bassett – “9-1-1” (ABC)
Emayatzy Corinealdi – “Reasonable Doubt” (Hulu)
Lovie Simone – “Forever” (Netflix)
Patina Miller – “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” (STARZ)
Queen Latifah – “The Equalizer” (CBS)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Adrian Holmes – “Bel-Air” (Peacock)
Ato Essandoh – “The Diplomat” (Netflix)
Caleb McLaughlin – “Stranger Things” (Netflix)
Jacob Latimore – “The Chi” (Showtime)
Wood Harris – “Forever” (Netflix)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Aisha Hinds – “9-1-1” (ABC)
Audra McDonald – “The Gilded Age” (HBO Max)
Karen Pittman – “Forever” (Netflix)
Karen Pittman – “The Morning Show” (Apple TV)
Nicole Beharie – “The Morning Show” (Apple TV)
Outstanding Limited Television (Series, Special, or Movie)
G20 (Prime Video)
Ironheart (Disney+)
Ruth & Boaz (Netflix)
Straw (Netflix)
Washington Black (Hulu)
Outstanding Actor in a Limited Television (Series, Special, or Movie)
Brian Tyree Henry – “Dope Thief” (Apple TV)
Giancarlo Esposito – “Please Don’t Feed The Children”( Tubi)
One of Them Days (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Madison Gate Records, TriStar Productions)
Sinners (Original Motion Picture Score) (Proximity Media LLC, underneath unique license to Sony Classical, a label of Sony Music Entertainment)
Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction
Can’t Get Enough – Kennedy Ryan (Forever/Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group)
Chronicles of Ori: An African Epic – Harmonia Rosales (W. W. Norton & Company)
Death of the Author – Nnedi Okorafor (William Morrow)
Happy Land – Dolen Perkins-Valdez (Berkley, Penguin Random House)
Harlem Rhapsody – Victoria Christopher Murray (Berkley, Penguin Random House)
Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction
A More Perfect Party: The Night Shirley Chisholm & Diahann Carroll Reshaped Politics – Juanita Tolliver (Legacy Lit/Hachette Book Group)
Born in Flames – Bench Ansfield (W. W. Norton & Company)
From These Roots – Tamara Lanier (Penguin Random House, Crown)
Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners from the Pioneer Days to the Civil Rights Era – Calvin Stovall Jr. (Brown Books Publishing Group)
I Am Nobody’s Slave – Lee Hawkins (HarperCollins Publishers)
Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author
Anela Malik – American Soul: The Black History of Food within the United States (National Geographic Partners, LLC)
Charles B. Fancher – Red Clay (Blackstone Publishing)
Dr. Judith Joseph – High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy (Little, Brown Spark)
Lorna Lewis – A Sky Full of Love (Lake Union)
Zoe B. Wallbrook – History Lessons (Soho Crime)
Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/ Autobiography
107 Days – Kamala Harris (Simon & Schuster)
The Look – Michelle Obama (Crown)
Toni at Random – Dana A. Williams (Amistad, HarperCollins)
Truly – Lionel Richie (HarperOne)
Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three – Dawn Staley (Black Privilege Publishing (Atria Books, Simon & Schuster))
Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional
American Soul: The Black History of Food within the United States – Anela Malik (National Geographic Partners, LLC)
Braided Heritage: Recipes and Stories on the Origin of American Cuisine – Dr. Jessica Harris (Penguin Random House/Clarkson Potter)
We the Pizza: Slangin’ Pies and Savin’ Lives – Muhammad Abdul-Hadi (Penguin Random House/Clarkson Potter)
Who Better Than You? – Will Packer (Penguin Random House)
Wine Pairing for the People – Cha McCoy (Harvest, an imprint of WilliamMorrow, HarperCollins)
Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry
Death of the First Idea – Rickey Laurentiis (Alfred A. Knopf)
Florida Water – Aja Monet (Haymarket Books)
The Grace of Black Mothers – Martheaus Perkins (Trio House Press)
The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems – Patricia Smith (Scribner)
We Look Better Alive – Ali Black (Burnside Review Press)
Outstanding Literary Work – Children
Black Boy, Rise – Brynne Barnes (Chronicle Books)
Black Diamond Kings: Heroes of Negro League Baseball – Charles R. Smith Jr. (Candlewick Press)
My Quiet Place – Monica Mikai (Chronicle Books )
The History of We – Nikkolas Smith (Penguin Young Readers)
Yvonne Clark and Her Engineering Spark – Allen R. Wells; Illustrated by DeAndra Hodge (Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers/Macmillan)
Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens
(S)Kin – Ibi Zoboi (HarperCollins/Versify)
Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi – Angie Thomas (HarperCollins/Clarion Books)
The Scammer – Tiffany D. Jackson (HarperCollins – Quill Tree Books)
The Story of My Anger – Jasminne Mendez (Penguin Young Readers)
Through Our Teeth – Pamela N. Harris (HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books)
Outstanding Literary Work – Graphic Novel
Creaky Acres: A Graphic Novel – Calista Bril (Penguin Young Readers)
Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls – Rob Edwards (Stranger Comics)
One Crazy Summer: The Graphic Novel – Rita William-Garcia (HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books)
Parable of the Talents A Graphic Novel Adaptation – Octavia E. Butler, tailored by Damien Duffy, Illustrated by John Jennings and David Brame (Abrams ComedianArts)
They Choose Violence – Sheldon Allen (AWA Studios)
Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism
As Black New Yorkers Move Out, N.Y.C. Politics May Be Reshaped – Maya King (Newspaper)
Audra McDonald Took The Stage and Rewrote The Rules – Adam Davenport (Online)
Black pleasure and boots: How line dancing is fanning cultural connection – Lisa Respers France (News Service)
HBCUs Reel as Trump Cuts Black-Focused Grants: ‘This Is Our Existence’ – Jasper Smith (Online)
On Borrowed Time – Anissa Durham (Online)
Outstanding Motion Picture
Highest 2 Lowest (A24)
One of Them Days (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Sarah’s Oil (Amazon MGM Studios)
Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
André Holland – Love, Brooklyn (Greenwich Entertainment)
Denzel Washington – Highest 2 Lowest (A24)
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Nnamdi Asomugha – The Knife (Relatively Media)
Tyriq Withers – HIM (Monkeypaw Productions)
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Danielle Deadwyler – 40 Acres (Magnolia Pictures)
Keke Palmer – One Of Them Days (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Kerry Washington – Shadow Force (Lionsgate)
Tessa Thompson – Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
A$AP Rocky – Highest 2 Lowest (A24)
Damson Idris – F1 (Apple Original Films)
Delroy Lindo – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Jeffrey Wright – Highest 2 Lowest (A24)
Miles Caton – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Janelle James – One Of Them Days (Sony)
Jayme Lawson – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Regina Hall – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
40 Acres (Magnolia Pictures)
Love, Brooklyn (Greenwich Entertainment)
Magazine Dreams (Briarcliff Entertainment)
Opus (A24)
Unexpected Christmas (3 Diamonds Entertainment)
Outstanding International Motion Picture
40 Acres (Magnolia Pictures)
My Father’s Shadow (MUBI)
Souleymane’s Story (Kino Lorber)
The Fisherman (Luu Vision Media)
The Secret Agent (NEON)
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture
A$AP Rocky – Highest 2 Lowest (A24)
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Miles Caton – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Tabitha Brown – Unexpected Christmas (3 Diamonds Films)
Tyriq Withers – HIM (Monkeypaw Productions)
Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture
Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Buddy Guy, Delroy Lindo, Peter Dreimanis, Lola Kirke, Li Jun Li, Saul Williams, Yao – “Sinners” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Keke Palmer, SZA, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lil Rel Howery, Katt Williams – “One Of Them Days” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Coleman Domingo, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh – “Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke – “A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
Outstanding Animated Motion Picture
Elio (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Sneaks (Briarcliff Entertainment)
The Bad Guys 2 (DreamWorks Animation)
Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance – Motion Picture
Anthony Mackie – Sneaks (Briarcliff Entertainment)
Craig Robinson – The Bad Guys 2 (DreamWorks Animation)
Danielle Brooks – The Bad Guys 2 (DreamWorks Animation)
Lil Rel Howery – Dog Man (DreamWorks Animation)
Quinta Brunson – Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Outstanding Short Form (Live Action)
ADO (Baylor University)
Before You Let Go (Find Your People Program)
Best Eyes (American Film Institute Conservatory)
Ella (Netflix)
Food for the Soul (P.A. Works)
Outstanding Short Form (Animated)
ASALI: Power of The Pollinators (Upenndo! Productions)
Black Man, Black Man (Chainwheel Productions)
Captain Zero: Into the Abyss Part II (Cutting Edge Animation)
