The 56th NAACP Image Awards Pre-Awards Show has announced the first winners in its non-televised categories, with Samuel L. Jackson and Taraji P. Henson taking home two of the top honors.
The first round of awards were handed out at a virtual event that aired Tuesday night on the NAACP Image Awards YouTube channel. Angel “That Chick Angel” Laketa Moore And Marcus Tanksley hosted the gathering.
The awards celebrate Black achievement and excellence. The final night of the awards culminate with a televised ceremony airing live on CBS and BET on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 8:00 PM ET/PT.
Winners so far at the Image Awards included Ayo Edebiri for Outstanding Breakthrough Creative for Television; Cree Summer for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance; Gracie’s Corner for Outstanding Animated Series; and Keke Palmer for Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special).
Related: NAACP Image Awards 2025: Kamala Harris to Receive Chairman’s Award
Also honored were Marlon Wayans for Outstanding Guest Performance; Netflix’s Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was for Outstanding Variety (Series or Special); Samuel L. Jackson for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Television (Series, Special, Movie); and Taraji P. Henson for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Television (Series, Special, Movie).
The NAACP Image Awards honor outstanding performances in film, television, theater, music, and literature. More than 40 categories are recognized by the Image Awards, which are voted on by NAACP members. Additional details on the awards can be found on the official website.
Below is the full list of winners from Tuesday night:
Outstanding Children’s Program
“Gracie’s Corner” – YouTube TV
Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series)
Leah Sava Jeffries – “Percy Jackson and the Olympics” (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
Sarai Johnson – “Grown Women” (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)
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