NAACP Image Awards 2025 - Complete Winners List

Actress, singer, and television host Keke Palmer took home the Entertainer of the Year trophy on Saturday night at the 56th NAACP Image Awards.

Palmer also won the award for outstanding host in a reality/reality competition, game show or variety show for hosting NBC’s Password.

Netflix’s The Six Triple Eight was named outstanding motion picture, and ABC’s Abbott Elementary picked up the award for outstanding comedy series.

Poppa’s House star Damon Wayans won for outstanding actor in a comedy series. His son and co-star Damon Wayans Jr. took home the trophy for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series. And the Wayans family was inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame.

Dave Chappelle was honored with the President’s Award for outstanding achievements in comedy and distinguished public service.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris received the NAACP Chairman’s Award for her “service legacy to America” and the Black community.

The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee urged the audience to take action because there are “shadows gathering over our democracy” under the Trump administration.

“We organize, mobilize, educate and advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path. Our strength flows from our faith, faith in God, faith in each other, and our refusal to surrender to cynicism and destruction. Not because it is easy but because it is necessary. Not because victory is guaranteed, but because the fight is worth it,” Harris said.

Comedian Deon Cole hosted the awards from Pasadena, California.

The ceremony aired on BET and CBS, and included a special segment honoring residents of nearby Altadena, which was devastated during the Los Angeles wildfires. Several residents from the historically Black community gathered on stage and received a standing ovation.

Following the awards, the NAACP held a benefit concert to raise money for the Altadena Community Preservation Fund.

Below is the list of winners from the 56th NAACP Image Awards. Additional information on the awards can be found on the BET website.

Outstanding Actress in Drama Series
Queen Latifah

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Michael Rainey Jr.

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Damon Wayans

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Martin Lawrence

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Kerry Washington

Outstanding Motion Picture
The Six Triple Eight

Entertainer of the Year
Keke Palmer

Outstanding Soul/R&B song
“Residuals” — Chris Brown (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)

Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song
“Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar (pgLang, under exclusive license to Interscope Records)

Outstanding Male Artist
Chris Brown (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)

Outstanding New Artist
Doechii

Outstanding Children’s Program
“Gracie’s Corner” – YouTube TV

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series)
“Percy Jackson and the Olympics” – Leah Sava Jeffries (Disney+)

Outstanding Animated Series
“Gracie’s Corner” – YouTube TV

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television)
Cree Summer – “Rugrats” (Nickelodeon)

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction
“One of Us Knows: A Thriller” – Alyssa Cole (William Morrow – HarperCollins Publishers)

Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction
“Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest” – Fawn Weaver (Melcher Media Inc.)

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author
“Grown Women” – Sarai Johnson (Harper – HarperCollins Publishers)

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography
“Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America” – Joy-Ann Reid (Mariner Books – HarperCollins Publishers)

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional
“Wash Day: Passing on the Legacy, Rituals, and Love of Natural Hair” – Tomesha Faxio (Clarkson Potter – Crown Publishing Group)

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry
“This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets” – Kwame Alexander (Little, Brown and Company – Hachette Book Group)

Outstanding Literary Work – Children
“You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!): A Lil TJ Book” – Taraji P. Henson, Paul Kellam (Zonderkidz – HarperCollins Publishers)

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens
“Brushed Between Cultures: A YA Coming of Age Novel Set in Brooklyn, New York” – Samarra St. Hilaire (Self-Published)

Outstanding Literary Work – Graphic Novel
“Punk Rock Karaoke” – Bianca Xunise

Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)
“Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was” (Netflix)

Outstanding Guest Performance
Marlon Wayans – “Bel-Air” (Peacock)

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Crystal Jenkins – “No Good Deed – Letters of Intent” Netflix)

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
Ben Watkins – Cross “Hero Complex” (Prime Video)

Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special
Juel Taylor, Tony Rettenmaier, Thembi L. Banks – “Young. Wild. Free.” (BET+)

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television)
Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear” (FX/Hulu)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Television (Series, Special, Movie)
Taraji P. Henson – “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” (Peacock)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Television (Series, Special, Movie)
Samuel L. Jackson – “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” (Peacock)

Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special
Tina Mabry – “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” (Hulu)

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
Tiffany Johnson – “How to Die Alone – ‘Trust No One’” (Hulu)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series
Rapman – “Supacell – ‘Supacell’” (Netflix)

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)
“The Reidout” – MSNBC

Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble
Keke Palmer – “Password” (NBC)

Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition Services/Game Show
“Celebrity Family Feud” (ABC)

Outstanding ShortForm Series or Special – Reality/Nonfiction/Documentary
“The Prince of Death Row Records” (YouTube TV)

Outstanding Short Form Documentary (Film)
“How to Sue the Klan”

Outstanding Short Form (Live Action)
“Superman Doesn’t Steal”

Outstanding Short Form (Animated)
“Peanut Headz: Black History Toonz “Jackie Robinson” (Exhibit Treal Studios)