Books by Michelle Obama and producer Will Packer and Kendrick Lamar‘s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance a year ago were among the winners on the first night of the 2026 NAACP Image Awards.
The winners in the literary, short-form and creator categories were revealed Monday during the first of three streaming presentations this week honoring Image Awards winners that won’t be part of Saturday’s televised main program.
The pre-ceremonies continue Wednesday highlighting the music and podcast categories, and Thursday with the non-televised film, TV and writing categories — together they make up the most of the Image Awards’ 93 categories.
The remaining winners will be revealed during the main 57th NAACP Image Awards ceremony set for Saturday, February 28 live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on BET and CBS from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Viola Davis (Chairman’s Award) and Colman Domingo (President’s Award) are among those being tributed Saturday with honorary awards.
Meanwhile, on Monday night, Obama won in the Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography for her fashionography book The Look, while Packer’s self-help title Who Better Than You? won in the Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional category. Fox’s presentation of last year’s Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar won for Outstanding Short-Form Series or Special – Reality/Nonfiction/Documentary.
Lamar is also up this year for the marquee Entertainer of the Year prize, among six total noms, which tie him with Teyana Taylor for the most among individuals.
Warner Bros’ smash Sinners leads all nominees this year with 18. Its star Michael B. Jordan is also up for Entertainer of the Year, joined by Lamar, Taylor, Cynthia Erivo and Doechii.
Below is the 2026 winners list. Check back as more are announced.
2026 NAACP Image Awards
Night 1
Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/ Autobiography
“The Look” – Michelle Obama (Crown)
Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction
“A More Perfect Party: The Night Shirley Chisholm & Diahann Carroll Reshaped Politics” – Juanita Tolliver (Legacy Lit/Hachette Book Group)
Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional
“Who Better Than You?” – Will Packer (Penguin Random House)
Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism
“On Borrowed Time” – Anissa Durham (Online)
Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author
Charles B. Fancher – “Red Clay” (Blackstone Publishing)
Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction
“Death of the Author” – Nnedi Okorafor (William Morrow)
Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry
“The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems” – Patricia Smith (Scribner)
Outstanding Literary Work – Children
“Yvonne Clark and Her Engineering Spark” – Allen R. Wells; Illustrated by DeAndra Hodge (Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers/Macmillan)
Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens
“Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi” – Angie Thomas (HarperCollins/Clarion Books)
Outstanding Literary Work – Graphic Novel
“Parable of the Talents: A Graphic Novel Adaptation” – Octavia E. Butler, adapted by Damien Duffy, Illustrated by John Jennings and David Brame (Abrams ComicArts)
Outstanding Short-Form Series or Special – Reality/Nonfiction/Documentary
The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar – (Fox)
Outstanding Digital Content Creator – Gaming/Tech
Berlin Edmond Jr. – @Berleezy
Outstanding Digital Content Creator – Fitness/Wellness/Food
Keith Lee – @keith_lee125
