The 56th NAACP Image Awards, which honour outstanding achievements in the arts and entertainment industry, has revealed its highly anticipated nominations.
The Nigerian contingent of Davido, Burna Boy, Ayo Edibiri, Cynthia Erivo, Tems, and Wizkid earned nods at the 2025 NAACP Awards.
The NAACP Image Awards is organised by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.
Full List:
Entertainer of the year
Cynthia Erivo
Keke Palmer
Kendrick Lamar
Kevin Hart
Shannon Sharpe
Outstanding social media personality of the year
Kai Cenat
Keith Lee
RaeShanda Lias
Shirley Raines
Tony Baker
Outstanding album
Alligator Bites Never Heal — Doechii (Capitol Records/Top Dawg Entertainment)
Cape Town to Cairo — PJ Morton (Morton Records/EMPIRE)
Coming Home — Usher (mega/gamma.)
Cowboy Carter — Beyoncé (Columbia Records/Parkwood Entertainment LLC)
Glorious — GloRilla (Collective Music Group/Interscope Records)
Outstanding soul/R&B song
“16 CARRIAGES” — Beyoncé (Columbia Records/Parkwood Entertainment LLC)
“Here We Go (Uh Oh)” — Coco Jones (Def Jam Recordings)
“I Found You” — PJ Morton (Morton Records/EMPIRE)
“Residuals” — Chris Brown (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)
“Saturn” — SZA (RCA Records/Top Dawg Entertainment)
Outstanding hip hop/rap song
“Mamushi” — Megan Thee Stallion feat. Yuki Chiba (Hot Girl Productions LLC/Warner Music Group)
“Murdergram Deux” — LL Cool J feat. Eminem (Def Jam Recordings)
“Noid” — Tyler, the Creator (Columbia Records)
“Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar (pgLang, under exclusive license to Interscope Records)
“Yeah Glo!” — GloRilla (Collective Music Group/Interscope Records)
Outstanding male artist
Chris Brown (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)
J. Cole (Dreamville/Interscope Records)
Kendrick Lamar (pgLang, under exclusive license to Interscope Records)
October London (Death Row Records/gamma.)
Usher (mega/gamma.)
Outstanding female artist
Beyoncé (Columbia Records/Parkwood Entertainment LLC)
Coco Jones (Def Jam Recordings)
Doechii (Capitol Records/Top Dawg Entertainment)
GloRilla (Collective Music Group/Interscope Records)
H.E.R. (RCA Records)
Outstanding new artist
Doechii (Capitol Records/Top Dawg Entertainment)
Myles Smith (RCA Records/Sony Music Entertainment)
Samoht (Affective Music)
Shaboozey (American Dogwood/Empire)
Tyla (Epic Records)
Outstanding duo, group or collaboration (traditional)
Adam Blackstone & Fantasia — “Summertime” (BASSic Black Entertainment Records/Anderson Music Group/EMPIRE)
Leela James feat. Kenyon Dixon — “Watcha Done Now” (Shesangz Music, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC)
Maverick City Music feat. Miles Minnick — “God Problems (Not by Power)” (Tribl Records)
Muni Long & Mariah Carey — “Made for Me” (Supergiant Records/Def Jam Recordings)
Sounds of Blackness feat. Jamecia Bennett & Buddy McLain — “Thankful” (McLain Music, LLC)
Outstanding duo, group or collaboration (contemporary)
FLO & GloRilla — “In My Bag” (Island Records)
GloRilla feat. Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music, Kierra Sheard, Chandler Moore — “RAIN DOWN ON ME” (Collective Music Group/Interscope Records)
Usher & Burna Boy — “Coming Home” (mega/gamma.)
Victoria Monét feat. Usher — “SOS” (Sex on Sight) (RCA Records/Lovett Music)
Wizkid feat. Brent Faiyaz — “Piece of My Heart” (RCA Records/Sony Music International/Starboy Entertainment)
Outstanding gospel/Christian album
Heart of a Human — DOE (Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration)
Live Breathe Fight — Tamela Mann (Tillymann Music Group)
Still Karen — Karen Clark Sheard (Karew Records/Motown Gospel)
Sunny Days — Yolanda Adams (Epic Records)
The Maverick Way Reimagined — Maverick City Music (Tribl Records)
Outstanding international song
“Close” — Skip Marley (Def Jam Recordings)
“Hmmm” — Chris Brown feat. Davido (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)
“Jump” — Tyla (Epic Records)
“Love Me JeJe” — Tems (RCA Records/Since ‘93)
“Piece of My Heart” — Wizkid feat. Brent Faiyaz (RCA Records/Sony Music International/Starboy Entertainment)
Outstanding music video/visual album
“Alright” — Victoria Monét (RCA Records/Lovett Music)
“Alter Ego (ALTERnate Version)” — Doechii, JT (Capitol Records/Top Dawg Entertainment)
“Boy Bye” — Chloe Bailey (Columbia Records/Parkwood Entertainment LLC)
“Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar (pgLang, under exclusive license to Interscope Records)
“Yeah Glo!” — GloRilla (Collective Music Group/Interscope Records)
Outstanding soundtrack/compilation album
Bob Marley: One Love (Soundtrack) (Tuff Gong/Island Records)
Genius: MLK/X (Songs from the Original Series) (Hollywood Records)
Reasonable Doubt (Season 2) (Original Soundtrack) (Hollywood Records)
The Book of Clarence (The Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Geneva Club under exclusive license to Roc Nation Records, LLC)
Wicked: The Soundtrack (Republic Records)
Outstanding gospel/Christian song
“Church Doors” — Yolanda Adams (Epic Records)
“Do It Anyway” — Tasha Cobbs Leonard (TeeLee Records/Motown Gospel)
“God Problems (Not by Power)” — Maverick City Music feat. Miles Minnick (Tribl Records)
“I Prayed for You (Said a Prayer)” MAJOR. — (NowThatsMAJOR/MNRK Music Group)
“Working for Me” — Tamela Mann (Tillymann Music Group)
Outstanding jazz album
Creole Orchestra — Etienne Charles (Culture Shock Music)
Epic Cool — Kirk Whalum (Artistry Music)
Javon & Nikki Go to the Movies — Javon Jackson and Nikki Giovanni (Solid Jackson Records)
On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute — Matthew Whitaker (MOCAT Records)
Portrait — Samara Joy (Verve Records)
Outstanding original score for television/motion picture
Challengers (Original Score) (Milan Records)
Dune: Part Two (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (WaterTower Music)
Star Wars: The Acolyte (Original Soundtrack) (Walt Disney Records)
The American Society of Magical Negroes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Back Lot Music)
The Book of Clarence (Original Motion Picture Score) (Milan Records)
Outstanding motion picture
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Sony Pictures)
Bob Marley: One Love (Paramount Pictures)
The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
The Six Triple Eight (Netflix)
Wicked (Universal Pictures)
Outstanding actor in a motion picture
André Holland — Exhibiting Forgiveness (Roadside Attractions)
Colman Domingo — Sing Sing (A24)
John David Washington — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Kingsley Ben-Adir — Bob Marley: One Love (Paramount Pictures)
Martin Lawrence — Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Sony Pictures)
Outstanding actress in a motion picture
Cynthia Erivo — Wicked (Universal Pictures)
Kerry Washington — The Six Triple Eight (Netflix)
Lashana Lynch — Bob Marley: One Love (Paramount Pictures)
Lupita Nyong’o — A Quiet Place: Day One (Paramount Pictures)
Regina King — Shirley (Netflix)
Outstanding supporting actor in a motion picture
Brian Tyree Henry — The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios)
Corey Hawkins — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
David Alan Grier — The American Society of Magical Negroes (Focus Features)
Denzel Washington — Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
Samuel L. Jackson — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Outstanding supporting actress in a motion picture
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor — Exhibiting Forgiveness (Roadside Attractions)
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor — Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Danielle Deadwyler — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Ebony Obsidian — The Six Triple Eight (Netflix)
Lynn Whitfield — Albany Road (Faith Filmworks)
Outstanding independent motion picture
Albany Road (Faith Filmworks)
Exhibiting Forgiveness (Roadside Attractions)
Rob Peace (Republic Pictures)
Sing Sing (A24)
We Grown Now (Sony Pictures Classics)
Outstanding international motion picture
El lugar de la otra (Netflix)
Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films)
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (NEON)
The Wall Street Boy, Kipkemboi (ArtMattan Films)
Outstanding breakthrough performance in a motion picture
Brandon Wilson — Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Clarence Maclin — Sing Sing (A24)
Danielle Deadwyler — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Ebony Obsidian — The Six Triple Eight (Netflix)
Ryan Destiny — The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios)
Outstanding ensemble cast in a motion picture
Bob Marley: One Love (Paramount Pictures)
The Book of Clarence (Sony Pictures)
The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
The Six Triple Eight (Netflix)
Wicked (Universal Pictures)
Outstanding animated motion picture
Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Kung Fu Panda 4 (DreamWorks Animation)
Moana 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Piece by Piece (Focus Features)
The Wild Robot (DreamWorks Animation)
Outstanding character voice–over performance – motion picture
Aaron Pierre — Mufasa: The Lion King (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Anika Noni Rose — Mufasa: The Lion King (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Ayo Edebiri — Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Blue Ivy Carter — Mufasa: The Lion King (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Lupita Nyong’o — The Wild Robot (DreamWorks Animation)
Outstanding short form (live action)
Chocolate with Sprinkles (AFI)
Definitely Not a Monster
If They Took Us Back
My Brother & Me (MeowBark Films)
Superman Doesn’t Steal
Outstanding short form (animated)
if(fy) (OTB/The Hidden Hand Studios)
Nate & John (Unity Animation Project, LLC)
Peanut Headz: Black History Toonz “Jackie Robinson” (Exhibit Treal Studios)
Self (Pixar Animation Studios)
Walk in the Light (419 Studios)
Outstanding breakthrough creative (motion picture)
David Fortune — Color Book (Tribeca Studios)
Malcolm Washington — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
RaMell Ross — Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Titus Kaphar — Exhibiting Forgiveness (Roadside Attractions)
Zoë Kravitz — Blink Twice (Amazon MGM Studios)
Outstanding youth performance in a motion picture
Anthony B. Jenkins — The Deliverance (Netflix)
Blake Cameron James — We Grown Now (Sony Pictures Classics)
Percy Daggs IV — Never Let Go (Lionsgate)
Jeremiah Daniels — Color Book (Tribeca Studios)
Skylar Aleece Smith — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Outstanding cinematography in a motion picture
Andrés Arochi — Longlegs (NEON)
Jomo Fray — Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Justin Derry — She Taught Love (Andscape)
Lachlan Milne — Exhibiting Forgiveness (Roadside Attractions)
Rob Hardy — The Book of Clarence (Sony Pictures)
