Nominees Announced for the “57TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS”
- NAACP announces nominees for the 57th Image Awards, including Cynthia Erivo, Kendrick Lamar, and Teyana Taylor.
- Netflix leads all platforms with 47 nominations, while Sinners and Bel-Air top the motion picture and TV categories.
- New award categories recognize outstanding journalism and editing, amplifying diverse storytelling.
Nominees Announced for the “57TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS”
Airing Live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium,
Saturday, February 28th at 8 PM ET/ 8 PT
ON BET AND SIMULCASTING ON CBS
The NAACP announced the complete list of nominees for the 57th NAACP Image Awards®, celebrating excellence across film, television, music, literature, and more. Nominees for Entertainer of the Year include Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, Michael B. Jordan, and Teyana Taylor.
Select award categories will be announced during a two-hour LIVE broadcast airing Saturday, February 28, 2026, from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium at 8:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM PT on BET, with a simulcast on the CBS Television Network. This year’s theme is “We See You.”
In motion picture categories, Sinners leads with 18 nominations, followed by Highest 2 Lowest with nine. On the television side, Bel-Air tops the list with seven nominations, while Abbott Elementary, Reasonable Doubt, and Ruth & Boaz each earned six, and Forever received five. Netflix leads all platforms overall with an impressive 47 nominations.
Teyana Taylor leads all individual nominees with six nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, acting recognition for One Battle After Another and Tyler Perry’s Straw, and a nomination for her album Escape Room. Cynthia Erivo earned four nominations, including Entertainer of the Year and recognition for her role in Wicked: For Good.
In the music recording categories, Kendrick Lamar received the most nominations with six, followed by Cardi B and Leon Thomas with four each. Doechii and Teyana Taylor each earned three nominations. RCA Records leads all record labels with eight nominations. In literary categories, HarperCollins tops publishers with eight nominations, followed by Penguin Random House with six.
This year, the NAACP introduces two new award categories:
Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism, honoring nationally distributed journalism that informs, uplifts, and authentically reflects Black experiences and U.S. national affairs through lenses of racial equity, social justice, or community impact.
Outstanding Editing in a Motion Picture or Television Series, Movie, or Special, recognizing excellence in post-production editing that enhances storytelling, narrative flow, and emotional impact.
Nominees were announced live on CBS Mornings by 57th NAACP Image Awards® host Deon Cole and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, as well as on YouTube/NAACPPlus by Gail Bean and Marcel Spears.
“The NAACP Image Awards is our declaration to the community that We See You—affirming Black creativity, excellence, and humanity across every space where our stories are told,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP. “The voices of our nominees honor our past, celebrate our identity, and remind us that storytelling has the power to move culture forward.”
“The NAACP Image Award nominations reinforce what we’ve always known—our people are the heartbeat of culture,” said Louis Carr, President of BET. “Their creativity, excellence, and commitment to authenticity continue to set the standard. We are proud to partner with the NAACP in celebrating the visionaries who move our culture forward.”
Public voting is now open at www.naacpimageawards.net and closes February 7, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. ET. Winners will be announced during the 57th NAACP Image Awards® live telecast on Saturday, February 28, on BET. Additional winners in non-televised categories will be honored during the NAACP Image Awards® Creative Honors on Thursday, February 26, and virtually on YouTube/NAACPPlus from Monday, February 23 through Wednesday, February 25.
Watch this 15 minute recap of last year’s 56th NAACP Image Awards.
https://youtu.be/9U-p-l6UBxY?si=ViykaqKsWOIHmvAe
