Ryan Coogler’s Sinners won three more awards on Saturday (Feb. 28) on the 57th NAACP Image Awards’ live telecast, which aired at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and CBS. Sinners won outstanding motion picture, while its star Michael B. Jordan won outstanding actor in a motion picture and 20-year-old newcomer Miles Caton won outstanding breakthrough performance in a motion picture.
The live telecast, hosted by Deon Cole, followed three nights of virtual awards held from Monday (Sept. 23) through Wednesday (Sept. 25) and a Creative Honors ceremony on Thursday (Sept. 26).
Across the five nights of awards presentations, Sinners took a total of 13 awards (counting awards for its soundtrack and score albums). ABC’s Abbott Elementary won five awards, The Don Lemon Show (on YouTube and Lemon Media Network) and Straw (Netflix) each won four.
Jordan won a second award on Saturday as entertainer of the year. The other nominees in the category were Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar and Teyana Taylor. Jordan and Taylor are current Oscar nominees for their performance in Sinners and One Battle After Another, respectively.
Erivo won outstanding actress in a motion picture for Wicked: For Good, a film that was passed over in the Oscar nods.
Colman Domingo was presented with the President’s Award. Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella were inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame. Viola Davis received the Chairman’s Award. In a tribute led by Samuel L. Jackson, the Image Awards honored the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died on Feb. 17 at age 84. Members of the Jackson family were in attendance.
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Over the years, Coogler has directed three films that won outstanding motion picture at the Image Awards – more than any other director. Coogler’s Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever previously won the award. Taylor Hackford, Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry have each directed two films that won the award. Hackford scored with An Officer and a Gentleman and Ray; Washington with Antoine Fisher and The Great Debaters; Perry with For Colored Girls and The Six Triple Eight.
At the Creative Honors ceremony, there was a tribute honoring both Angie Stone (who died last March at 63) and D’Angelo (who died in October at 51), performed by Jane Handcock and BJ the Chicago Kid, followed by a performance by Mali Music.
Cardi B and Kendrick Lamar were the big winners on Tuesday (Feb. 24), night 2 of the virtual show awards. Cardi won outstanding female artist; outstanding album for Am I the Drama?; and outstanding hip-hop/rap song for “ErrTime.” Cardi is the first hip-hop artist to win female artist since Lauryn Hill in 1999. This was the third time the award for outstanding album has gone to a hip-hop album, with this album preceded by Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1999) and Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. (2018).
Moreover, this marked the eighth consecutive year that the award for outstanding album has gone to a female solo artist. The streak started in 2019 with Ella Mai and has continued with Beyoncé (three times), Jhené Aiko, Jazmine Sullivan and Victoria Monét.
Lamar won outstanding male artist and outstanding music video/visual album for “Luther,” his megahit collab with SZA. Lamar was the third hip-hop artist to win outstanding male artist, following LL Cool J (2003) and Drake (2021).
Monaleo, a 24-year old rapper/songwriter, won outstanding new artist. This is the sixth year in a row a female artist has won that award. The streak started with Doja Cat in 2021 and has continued with Saweetie, Coco Jones, Victoria Monét and Doechii.
On night 1 of the virtual awards on Monday, “The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar” won outstanding short-form series or special – reality/nonfiction/documentary, giving Lamar three awards across the nights, which puts him in a tie with Cardi B for the most among music acts. Chris Brown featuring Bryson Tiller won two awards.
Here’s the full list of nominees for the 2026 NAACP Image Awards, with winners marked.