The first winners of the 2026 NAACP Image Awards were announced Monday in the non-televised literary, short form and creator awards categories.
Michelle Obama, who received a total of five nominations for the NAACP Image Award this year, received the award for Outstanding Literary Work – Autobiography/Autobiography of The looka retrospective on her fashion choices as the former First Lady of the United States.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar, who received a total of six nominations overall — including Artist of the Year — and the most nominations in the music recording categories, won Outstanding Miniseries or Special for his halftime show at Apple Music Super Bowl LIX.
Director and producer Will Packer also won the Outstanding Literary Work – Educational Award for his 2025 self-help book Who is better than you? The art of healthy arrogance and dreaming big.
The awards were announced during the first of a three-night virtual event hosted by actress and writer Angel “ThatChickAngel” Lakita Moore and actor and rapper Khleo Thomas exclusively on the NAACP Image Awards’ YouTube channel. Additional non-televised awards will be announced on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the Rev. Dr. Jamaal Harrison Bryant scheduled to receive the Mildred Bond Roxborough Social Justice Impact Award at the 57th NAACP Image Awards Creative Recognition Awards on Thursday, and A$AP Rocky receiving the Vanguard Award at the NAACP Image and Fashion Show Awards reception on Friday night.
The 57th NAACP Image Awards, which she hosted Average Joe Star and comedian Deon Cole will air live on Saturday, February 28, at 8:00pm ET/PT on BET and CBS from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Special honorees include Viola Davis, who will receive the President’s Award, and Colman Domingo, who will receive the President’s Award.
Below is the full list of non-televised winners from the first night.
Outstanding literary work – autobiography/autobiography
- 107 days – Kamala Harris (Simon & Schuster)
- The look – Michelle Obama (Crown Prince) (winner)
- Tony randomly – Dana A. Williams (Amistad, HarperCollins)
- truly -Lionel Richie (Harper One)
- An Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I’ve Learned from All Three -Dawn Staley (Black Privilege Publishing (Atria Books, Simon & Schuster))
Outstanding literary work – non-fiction
- A More Perfect Party: The Night Shirley Chisholm and Diahann Carroll Reshaped Politics -Juanita Toliver (Legacy Lit/Hachette Book Group) (winner)
- Born in flames – Bench Ansfield (W.W. Norton & Company)
- From these roots – Tamara Lanier (Penguin Random House, Crown)
- Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners from the Pioneer Days to the Civil Rights Era – Calvin Stovall Jr. (Brown Publishing Group)
- I am nobody’s slave – Lee Hawkins (Harper Collins Publishers)
Outstanding literary work – educational
- American Soul: The Black History of Food in the United States -Anila Malik (National Geographic Partners, LLC)
- Braided Heritage: Recipes and Stories about the Origin of American Cuisine – Dr. Jessica Harris (Penguin Random House/Clarkson Potter)
- We Are Pizza: Slangin’ Pies and Life Savers -Mohamed Abdel Hadi (Penguin Random House/Clarkson Potter)
- Who is better than you? – Will Packer (Penguin Random House) (winner)
- Wine pairing for people – Cha McCoy (Harvest, an imprint of William Morrow, HarperCollins)
Distinguished literary work – journalism
- “As black New Yorkers move out, New York City politics may be reshaped.” – Maya King (newspaper)
- “Audra McDonald took the stage and rewrote the rules” – Adam Davenport (online)
- “Black joy and shoes: how line dancing enhances cultural communication” – Lisa Respers France (News Service)
- “Black Universities at Black Colleges Reel as Trump Cuts Black-Focused Endowments: ‘This Is Our Existence’” – Jasper Smith (online)
- “On Borrowed Time” – Anissa Durham (Online) (WINNER)
Outstanding literary work – first author
- Anila Malik – American Soul: The Black History of Food in the United States (National Geographic Partners, LLC)
- Charles P. Fancher – Red clay (Blackstone Publishing) (winner)
- D. Judith Joseph – High Performance: Overcome your hidden depression and regain your happiness (Little, Brown Spark)
- Lorna Lewis – A sky full of love (Lake Union)
- Zoe B. Woolbrook – History lessons (soho crime)
Outstanding literary work – fiction
- I can’t get enough -Kennedy Ryan (Forever/Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group)
- The Ori Chronicles: An African Epic – Harmonia Rosales (W.W. Norton & Company)
- Death of the author – Nnedi Okorafor (William Morrow) (winner)
- Happy Earth -Dolin Perkins Valdez (Berkeley, Penguin Random House)
- Harlem Rhapsody -Victoria Christopher Murray (Berkeley, Penguin Random House)
Outstanding literary work – poetry
- “The Death of the First Idea” – Ricky Laurentiis (Alfred A. Knopf)
- “Florida Waters” – Aja Monet (Haymarket Books)
- “The Blessing of Black Mothers” – Martius Perkins (Trio House Press)
- ““Thunder Intentions: New and Selected Poems” – Patricia Smith (Scribner) (winner)
- “We Look Better Alive” – Ali Black (Burnside Review Press)
Outstanding literary work – children
- Black boy, get up – Brian Barnes (Chronicle Books)
- The Black Diamond Kings: Champions of the Negro League Baseball – Charles R. Smith, Jr. (Candlewick Press)
- My quiet place -Monica Mikay (Chronicle Books)
- Join us – Nicholas Smith (Penguin Young Readers)
- Yvonne Clarke and her engineering company -Allen R. Wales; Illustrated by DeAndra Hodge (Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers/Macmillan) (winner)
Outstanding Literary Work – Young Adult/Teenager
- (leather -Ebi Zoboi (HarperCollins/Versify)
- Nick Blake and the Wonder Woman: Anansi Book —Angie Thomas (HarperCollins/Clarion Books) (winner)
- The deceiver – Tiffany D. Jackson (HarperCollins – Quill Tree Books)
- The story of my anger -Yasmine Mendez (Penguin Young Readers)
- Through our teeth -Pamela N. Harris (HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books)
Outstanding literary work – graphic novel
- Squeaky Acres: A Graphic Novel – Calista Brill (Penguin Young Readers)
- Defiant: The Robert Smalls Story -Rob Edwards (Weird Comics)
- One Crazy Summer: The Graphic Novel -Rita William Garcia (HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books)
- Parable of Talent: A Graphic Novel Adaptation – Octavia E. Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings and David Bram (Abrams ComicArts) (winner)
- They chose violence – Sheldon Allen (AWA Studios)
Outstanding or special short series – nonfiction/nonfiction/documentary
- College Gameday: Michael Vick (ESPN)
- Glam Through the Ages (KeyTV Network)
- Noochie’s Live From The Front Porch (YouTube TV)
- Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar (FOX) (winner)
- The Daily Show: After the Cut (Comedy Central)
Outstanding Digital Content Creator – Gaming/Technology
- Berlin Edmunds – @Berleezy (winner)
- Cory Kenshin – @CoryxKenshin
- Gerard Williams – @Hiphopgamer
- Jay Ann Lopez – @blackgirlgamers
- Khleothomas – @khleothomas
Outstanding Digital Content Creator – Fitness/Wellness/Food
- Alex Hill – @justaddhotsauce
- Janet Jenkins – @msjeanettejenkins
- Keith Lee – @Keith_Lee125 (winner)
- Kimberly Villalobos – @KimmysKreations.1
- Massy Arias – @Massy.arias
