Inside the 2026 NAACP Image Awards: A Celebration of Black Excellence in Arts and Culture

The 57th NAACP Image Awards featured a week-long celebration of events, including three nights of virtual award presentations (non-televised, Feb 23–25), a Creative Honors night (Feb 26), a reception and Fashion Show (Feb 27), and the live telecast airing on BET and CBS that concluded on Saturday, Feb 28 in Los Angeles. The stars came […] The post Inside the 2026 NAACP Image Awards: A Celebration of Black Excellence in Arts and Culture first appeared on Upscale Magazine.

Mar 3, 2026 - 04:02

Inside the 2026 NAACP Image Awards: A Celebration of Black Excellence in Arts and Culture

The 57th NAACP Image Awards featured a week-long celebration of events, including three nights of virtual award presentations (non-televised, Feb 23–25), a Creative Honors night (Feb 26), a reception and Fashion Show (Feb 27), and the live telecast airing on BET and CBS that concluded on Saturday, Feb 28 in Los Angeles.

The stars came out, turning the ice blue carpet into a runway of resistance, resilience, and pure style. The evening was filled with glamorous gowns, sharp tailoring, and glitz. A space that honored our stories and brilliance, where creativity and culture intersected and were felt through standing ovations, powerful speeches, and comedy.

Here are some of the most unforgettable moments from last night’s final night, like the tribute to the late civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson led by actor Samuel L. Jackson… that sent Black History Month out on a powerful note.

Viola Davis Accepts Chairman’s Award: Her Hero’s Journey

Viola Davis graced the carpet in a stunning burgundy pleated gown that glowed against her radiant chocolate skin (we need that skincare regimen lol!) with husband Julius Tennon and daughter Genesis. Later, she accepted the Chairman’s Award, a recognition for those who excel in public service and use their platforms to drive real change. She spoke about her hero’s journey; being a little chocolate girl from Rhode Island chasing success through struggle, finally landing at self-acceptance and her awakened power.

Her speech.

Sterling K. Brown looking — and feeling — good at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards. He won Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Xavier Collins, a lead Secret Service Agent. Click the link above to hear his excitement about the award show:

“I feel really damn good, man… I feel good any time I get a chance to be around us… all I want to do is reign supreme in the beauty shop and the barber shop… everybody looks so good.”
Sterling K. Brown

Ryan Michelle Bathe and Sterling K. Brown | Photo : Variety via Getty Images

Michael B. Jordan Wins Outstanding Actor and Entertainer of the Year

“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.”
MBJ, 2026 NAACP Image Awards

Actor Michael B. Jordan | Photo: Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images

Michael B. Jordan won Outstanding Motion Picture and Entertainer of the Year for his roles playing twins Smoke and Stack in the high-grossing film, Sinners. His rise from growing up in Newark, sneaking into the NAACP awards during his teen years, playing Wallace in his debut on The Wire, to becoming Hollywood’s leading man, a director, and producer resonated with his speech that success isn’t far-fetched, as long as you keep dreaming and put in the work.

He dedicated his Outstanding Actor award to his late friend Chadwick Boseman and thanked his mother Donna Jordan for her endless love.

Actor Miles Caton won Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture.

Entertainer of the Year nominee Teyana Taylor arrives on the blue carpet at the NAACP Image Awards

Sinners Rack Up 13 Wins at the NAACP Image Awards

Sinners dominated with 13 awards total after securing 18 nominations, 10 during the non-televised ceremonies.

(From Left to Right)Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, and Sev Ohanian at the 57th NAACP Image Awards | (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)Variety via Getty Images

Director Ryan Coogler, left, and actor Delroy Lindo on stage presenting an award | via Chris Pizzello / invision/AP)

Ryan Coogler and Delroy Lindo from Sinners stepped up to present an Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, and the room gave them a standing ovation. Just a week after that incident at the BAFTAs in London (an attendee yelling a racial slur while they were onstage), they stood tall amongst family, turning pain into pure strength.

Hip-Hop Legends Salt-N-Pepa & DJ Spinderella Inducted Into NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame

Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella | via Photo: Variety via Getty Images

Salt-N-Pepa (Cheryl James known as Salt and Sandra Denton as Pepa) and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper) were officially inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame. The hip-hop trailblazers shifted culture in the 1980s-90s hip-hop era and were the first female rap group to go platinum and win a Grammy in a male-dominated industry. The group created space for women in hip-hop to be bold, feminine, unapologetic, inspiring women to express and say what they wanted to say. One of the most influential groups of our time.

Below is the full list of 2026 NAACP Image Awards nominees and the winners honored during last night’s ceremony.

Entertainer of the Year