Are you ready? The 53rd NAACP Image Awards will air Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on BET. This is one of the most entertaining Awards Shows that celebrates and honors excellence from people of color in music, television, film, and literature.

The 53rd NAACP Image Awards will be hosted by six-time NAACP Image Awards winner Anthony Anderson who is also nominated again this year for his outstanding role in the hit TV series "Black-ish."

The star-studded ceremony will feature presenters: Issa Rae, Kerry Washington, LL Cool J, Morgan Freeman, Questlove, Tiffany Haddish and Zendaya among others. Samuel L. Jackson will be presented with the NAACP Chairman's Award and Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project, will receive the Social Justice Impact Award.

Additional winners of the show will also be unveiled on Feb. 21-23 in streaming presentations on NAACPImageAwards.net and during the Image Awards dinner, Feb. 25, in Los Angeles.

The 17th Annual Virtual NAACP Hollywood Bureau Symposium: A Report-- Industry Executives of Color" takes place on Feb. 24 at 7 pm (ET/PT).

N2Entertainment.net was selected once again to serve on the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and vote on this year's nominees.

It should be noted that the 2021 Oscar nominees, "Judas and the Black Messiah" and the "United States vs. Billie Holiday," were released early last year and are also up for multiple NAACP Image awards this year (and were not nominated last year) due to the eligibility period for last year's nominations only running through Dec. 31, 2020. This year's nominees were required to be released within the 2021 calendar year.

In addition to the NAACP Image Awards 80 categories, four new podcast categories are among the mix. With so much talent on tap, it becomes increasingly difficult to choose just one.

Congratulations to all of the NAACP Image Awards Nominees. Here is the list of nominees in major categories. N2Entertainment.net's picks are bolded. The music categories are on the N2Entertainment.net music page. Enjoy the show.

Entertainer Of The Year: Lil Nas X, Megan, Jennifer Hudson Thee Stallion, Regina King and Tiffany Haddish.

Outstanding Motion Picture: Judas and the Black Messiah, King Richard, Respect, The Harder They Fall and The United States vs. Billie Holiday.

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Jonathan Majors, The Harder They Fall , Will Smith, King Richard, LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah and Mahershala Ali, Swan Song. Editor's Note: I sure wish there was a tie in this category because both Denzel Washington and Will Smith are worthy of it.

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Halle Berry, Bruised, Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Jennifer Hudson, Respect, Tessa Thompson, Passing and Zendaya, Malcolm & Marie.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Algee Smith, Judas and the Black Messiah, Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah, Delroy Lindo, The Harder They Fall, Idris Elba, The Harder They Fall and LaKeith Stanfield, The Harder They Fall.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Audra McDonald, Respect , Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard Danielle Deadwyler, The Harder They Fall, Dominique Fishback, Judas and the Black Messiah and Regina King, The Harder They Fall.

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture: Bruised, CODA, Test Pattern, American Skin and The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain.

Outstanding International Motion Picture: 7 Prisoners, African America, Eyimofe (This is My Desire), Flee and The Gravedigger's Wife, and American Skin.

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture: Danny Boyd, Jr., Bruised, Jalon Christian, A Journal For Jordan, Lonnie Chavis, The Water ManAriana DeBose, West Side Story, and Sheila Atim, Bruised.

Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture: Coming 2 America, Judas and the Black Messiah, King Richard, Respect and The Harder They Fall.

Outstanding Animated Motion Picture: Luca, Encanto, Raya and the Last Dragon Sing 2 and Vivo.

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance/Motion Picture: Andre Braugher, Spirit Untamed, Awkwafina, Raya and the Last Dragon, Brian Tyree Henry, Vivo, Eric Andra, Sing 2 and Letitia Wright, Sing 2.

Outstanding Short-Form (Live Action): Aurinko in Adagio, Blackout, The Ice Cream Stop, These Final Hours and When The Sun Sets (Lakutshon' Ilanga).

Outstanding Short-Form (Animated): Blush, Robin Robin, She Dreams at Sunrise, Twenty Something and Us Again.

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture): Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Jamila Wignot, Ailey, Jeymes Samuel, The Harder They Fall, Liesl Tommy, Respect and Rebecca Hall, Passing.

TELEVISION + STREAMING CATEGORIES:

Outstanding Comedy Series: Black-ish, Harlem, Insecure, Run the World and The Upshaws.

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: Cedric the Entertainer, The Neighborhood, Anthony Anderson, Black-ish, Don Cheadle, Black Monday, Elisha 'EJ' Williams, The Wonder Years and Jay Ellis, Insecure.

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series: Issa Rae, Insecure, Loretta Devine, Family Reunion, Regina Hall, Black Monday, Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish and Yvonne Orji, Insecure.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Andre Braugher - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC), Deon Cole, Black-ish,Kenan Thompson - Saturday Night Live (NBC), Kendrick Sampson, Insecure and Laurence Fishburne, Black-ish.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Amanda Seales, Insecure, Jenifer Lewis, Black-ish, Marsai Martin, Black-ish, Natasha Rothwell, Insecure and Wanda Sykes, The Upshaws.

Outstanding Drama Series: 9-1-1, All-American, Godfather of Harlem, Pose and Queen Sugar.

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series: Billy Porter, Pose, Damson Idris, Snowfall, Forest Whitaker, Godfather of Harlem, Kofi Siriboe, Queen Sugar, and Sterling K. Brown, This is Us.

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series: Angela Bassett, 9-1-1, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Queen Sugar, Octavia Spencer, Truth Be Told, Queen Latifah, The Equalizer and Rutina Wesley, Queen Sugar.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Alex R. Hibbert, The Chi, Cliff Method Man Smith, Power Book II: Ghost, Daniel Ezra, All-American, Giancarlo Esposito, Godfather of Harlem, Joe Morton and Our Kind of People.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Alfre Woodard, SEE, Bianca Lawson, Queen Sugar, Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy, Mary J. Blige, Power Book II: Ghost and Susan Kelechi Watson, This is Us.

Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special: Colin in Black & White, Genius: Aretha, Love Life, Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia and The Underground Railroad.

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special: Anthony Mackie, Solos, Jaden Michael, Colin in Black & White, Kevin Har, True Story Wesley Snipes, True Story and William Jackson Harper, Love Life.

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special: Betty Gabriel, Clickbait, Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha, Danielle Brooks, Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, Jodie Turner-Smith, Anne Boleyn and Taraji P. Henson, Annie Live!

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special: Courtney B. Vance, Genius: Aretha, Keith David, Black As Night, Tituss Burgess, Annie Live!, Will Catlett, True Story and William Jackson Harper, The Underground Railroad.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special: Anika Noni Rose, Maid, Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus, Pauletta Washington, Genius: Aretha, Regina Hall, Nine Perfect Strangers, Sheila Atim, The Underground Railroad.

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special): Blood on Black Wall Street: The Legacy of the Tulsa Massacre, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Soul of A Nation, The Reidout and Unsung.

Outstanding Talk Series: Desus & Mero, Hart to Heart, Red Table Talk, Tamron Hall and The Real.

Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition or Game Show (Series): Celebrity Family Feud, Iyanla: Fix My Life, Sweet Life: Los Angeles, The Voice and Wild 'n Out.

DOCUMENTARY CATEGORIES:

Outstanding Documentary (Film): Attica (Showtime), Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power (Greenwich Entertainment), My Name Is Pauli Murray (Amazon Studios in association with Participant), Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (Searchlight Pictures, Onyx Collective, Hulu) and Tina (HBO Documentary Films).

Outstanding Documentary (Television): 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything (Apple TV+), American Masters: How It Feels to Be Free (PBS), Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali (Netflix), High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America (Netflix) and Insecure: The End Documentary (HBO).

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out the 53rd NAACP Image Awards Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on BET. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the NAACP Image Awards will be without an in-person audience.