2026 NAACP Image Awards Winners List

Sinners dominated the 2026 NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, winning 13 awards after scoring a leading 18 nominations, including best motion picture. Additionally, star Michael B. Jordan took home the NAACP Image Awards’ top honor of entertainer of the year.

The Ryan Coogler-written and -directed film, which scored a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations, racked up 10 awards across various non-televised ceremonies earlier this week. During Saturday’s broadcast ceremony, airing live on BET and CBS from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Sinners picked up three more, for best motion picture, best actor (Michael B. Jordan) and breakthrough performer (Miles Caton).

Accepting for best motion picture, Coogler praised the audience for “wrapping [their] arms around the movie” and shouted out Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy for believing in the film and encouraged them to stand in the audience.

Coogler ended his speech with powerful comments about representation and identity.

“Since our people been here over four centuries, there’s always been a lot of lies told about us,” he said. “And a lie, no matter how powerful the person saying it is, is still a lie and the truth, no matter how little power the person saying it has, is still the truth, and the truth is y’all are loved, y’all are beautiful and y’all are powerful and mighty. And bless y’all. Thank y’all so much.”

Accepting his best actor award, Jordan spoke about what the NAACP Image Awards means to him and dedicated the trophy to his late friend and co-star Chadwick Boseman.

“Y’all really don’t understand how much this means to me, being here. I used to come here when I was a kid, when I was about 15 years old, sneaking in through the back as best I could,” Jordan said. “This is a place where I always felt encouraged, always felt like I was being celebrated and nourished. … You told me it was OK to keep going because I felt seen here, I felt comfortable, I felt the love. That’s why I love being here, and I love you guys so much. And I was thinking about lead actor, and I was thinking about what lead actor meant to me, and, honestly, I’ve got to dedicate this award to Chadwick Boseman.”

In closing, he said, “I love being Black. I love y’all.”

Stars Jordan and Delroy Lindo, who were presenting an award onstage at the BAFTA Awards in London on Sunday when a guest with Tourette Syndrome could be heard shouting the N-word, also received support from presenters and the audience at the ceremony.

Taking the stage with Coogler a little over an hour into the ceremony, Lindo, who won the NAACP Image Award for best supporting actor for his role in Sinners earlier this week, offered some of his first public comments on the incident.

“I’d just like to officially say, I appreciate, we appreciate all the support and love we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend. It means a lot to us,” he said.

He added the moment is a “classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive” and reflected on the “honor” of being at the NAACP Image Awards.

BAFTA has since offered a full apology for the incident, which reached a wider audience when it aired during the BBC broadcast of the awards show, and vowed to launch a “comprehensive review” of the ceremony.

Earlier, presenter Regina Hall and best actress in a comedy series winner Quinta Brunson offered their support for Sinners and host Deon Cole joked about the incident.

Presenting the first award of the evening, to Caton, Hall took a moment to recognize “kings” Jordan and Lindo for their “class,” comments that led to a standing ovation.

Brunson also offered a shoutout to the cast and crew of Sinners.

“We see you,” she said. “We’re behind you … love you.”

During a segment in his monologue listing humorous prayers for Teyana Taylor, 50 Cent and Nicki Minaj (who Cole said has been “going through a lot lately and hasn’t been herself”), Cole offered a prayer for anyone in the audience with Tourette’s to “read the room.”

Other top winners Saturday night included Cynthia Erivo (best actress in a motion picture for Wicked: For Good) and best drama actor and actress winners Sterling K. Brown (Paradise) and Angela Bassett (9-1-1). While Bassett and Erivo weren’t in attendance, Brown offered some charged comments about the Trump administration’s policies in his acceptance speech.

“We are living under an administration that has an attack on diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, is trying to erase critical race theory but they can’t erase us because, as [earlier presenter] Sam[uel L. Jackson] said, ‘There’s no America without us,’” Brown said.

Saturday’s awards took place just hours after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, in which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. But the Iran strikes weren’t mentioned during the ceremony.

Still, host Cole’s monologue included some critical remarks about Trump, ICE and Trump supporter Nicki Minaj.

As Cole took the stage, he called the event the “Trump image awards,” joking, “we had to do that.”

He continued of the president, who has added his name to the Kennedy Center and reportedly wants it added to other facilities like Washington’s Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station, “He wants his name on everything. If we didn’t do that, we’d go to commercial and come back to a rerun of Matlock.”

As for ICE, Cole asked for permission to curse and, in remarks that were bleeped for the television audience but were greeted with a great deal of applause in the room, appeared to say, “Fuck ICE.”

“I don’t want to see no ICE ever again,” he said, joking that he took guests like Ice Cube and Ice Spice off the guest list and couldn’t watch the Winter Olympics because there was too much ice.

Special honorees recognized Saturday night include Chairman’s Award recipient Viola Davis and President’s Award recipient Colman Domingo. Additionally, Salt-n-Pepa and DJ Spinderella were inducted into the NAACP Image Awards’ Hall of Fame.

The ceremony also paid tribute to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, with NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson honoring the late civil rights activist, whose family was in attendance at the ceremony.

“He worked to open the eyes of those who could not see and give hope to those without it,” Johnson said.

Samuel L. Jackson spoke about how the leader who shared his last name “inspired” him and others who have spoken out and protested.

“Even though we can no longer hear his voice, when we see a wrong we can ask ourselves, ‘What would Jesse do?’”

Jesse Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson said, made him realize “I am somebody,” referencing one of Jesse Jackson’s most famous quotes. After the audience joined him on “somebody,” Samuel L. Jackson led the crowd in the affirmation.

“Reverend Jackson, because of you, we are somebody,” Samuel L. Jackson added. “Power to the people!”

Prior to Saturday night’s broadcast ceremony, numerous winners were already revealed in non-televised ceremonies earlier this week, including virtual ceremonies on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

In the virtual ceremonies, Michelle Obama, Will Packer and Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show were among the winners on night one. Lamar, SZA and Cardi B were among the night two winners. And Sinners, Gracie’s Corner, Ironheart, Celebrity Family Feud and Straw were among the multiple award winners on night three.

Additional winners were revealed at the NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors, where Sinners racked up four wins, in addition to the five trophies it received during the virtual ceremonies. Even more winners were revealed Friday, during the NAACP Image Awards’ Reception & Fashion Show, where A$AP Rocky was honored with the Vanguard Award for Fashion. There, Sinners‘ Ruth E. Carter won best costume design.

Other Friday awards included best hairstyling for TV or film, which went to Reasonable Doubt; best makeup for TV or film, which went to Bel-Air; and best digital content creator – fashion/beauty, which went to Wisdom Kaye.

A complete list of the 2026 NAACP Image Awards winners in the categories presented during Saturday’s broadcast ceremony follows.

Entertainer of the Year

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Outstanding Drama Series

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Outstanding Motion Picture

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture

This story was first published on Feb. 28 at 5:10 p.m.

A previous version of this story included an incorrect total for the number of awards won by Sinners at the NAACP Image Awards. The film won 13 awards.