The 57th Annual NAACP Image Awards will light up the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles on Feb. 28, and celebrate excellence in film, television, music, and culture.

The star-studded ceremony hosted by comedian Deon Cole will air live at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on BET and CBS.

Winners in non-televised Image Awards categories will be showcased during the 57th NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors on Feb. 26, with additional celebrations streaming virtually on YouTube and NAACP Plus from Feb. 23-25.

N2Entertainment.net was selected for the ninth consecutive year to serve on the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee, joining other distinguished film critics in voting for the best films and performances of 2025.

With such an exceptional slate of contenders this year, the process proved both challenging and deeply rewarding.

Director Ryan Coogler's blockbuster movie "Sinners" leads the NAACP Image Awards nominations with 18 nods including "Outstanding Motion Picture," and "Supporting Actor" nominations for Delroy Lindo and Miles Caton, along with "Supporting Actress" nominations for Jayme Lawson and Wunmi Mosaku and "Outstanding Actor" for Michael B. Jordan.

Spike Lee's drama, "Highest 2 Lowest" received nine nominations including "Outstanding Motion Picture" and Denzel Washington garnered an "Outstanding Actor" nomination along with a "Supporting Actor" nom for A$AP Rocky and Jeffrey Wright.

Leading television nominees is "Bel-Air" (Peacock), which in its final season received seven nominations, followed by "Abbott Elementary" (ABC), "Reasonable Doubt" and "Ruth & Boaz" (Netflix) with six nominations each.

Mara Brock Akil's adaptation of "Forever" also received five nominations.

Teyana Taylor and Kendrick Lamar lead in overall individual nominations with six each, including "Entertainer of the Year," the top honor for which Cynthia Erivo, Doechii and Michael B. Jordan are also nominated. Erivo and Lamar were both nominated for the award last year, which went to Keke Palmer.

The NAACP Image Awards has also introduced two new categories this year: "Outstanding Literary Work-- Journalism" and "Outstanding Editing In A Motion Picture Or Television Series, Movie Or Special."

"The NAACP Image Awards is our declaration to our community that "We See You," affirming Black creativity, excellence and humanity across every space where our stories are told," said NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson in a news release. "From film, television and music to literature and beyond, the voices of all of our nominees tell stories that honor our past, celebrate our identity, and remind us that storytelling has the power to move culture forward."

Two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo who is set to play papa Joe Jackson in the biopic "Michael" (April 24), and Emmy Award winning actress Viola Davis have been named honorary recipients at the 57th NAACP Image Awards.

Domingo will receive the President's Award for his "trailblazing career and influence across entertainment and culture." He has also received two nominations for the comedy series "The Four Seasons" as a "Supporting Actor" and "Director."

Davis will be presented with the Chairman's Award, which is bestowed annually to "individuals who excel in public service and leverage their unique platforms to ignite and drive meaningful change."

Take a look at the nominees for this year's 57th Annual NAACP Image Awards in the major Motion Picture categories.

Below are the selections N2Entertainment.net voted for and who we're hoping to see take home the honors. Our picks are bolded. Congratulations to all the nominees.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR:
Cynthia Erivo
Doechii
Kendrick Lamar
Michael B. Jordan
Teyana Taylor

MOVIES:

OUTSTANDING MOTION PICTURE:
"Highest 2 Lowest" (A24)
"One of Them Days" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
"Sarah's Oil" (Amazon MGM Studios)
"Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
"Wicked: For Good" (Universal Pictures)

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE:
Andre Holland, "Love, Brooklyn" (Greenwich Entertainment)
Denzel Washington, "Highest 2 Lowest" (A24)
Michael B. Jordan, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Nnamdi Asomugha, "The Knife" (Relatively Media)
Tyriq Withers, "HIM" (Monkeypaw Productions)

OUTSTANDING ACTRESSS IN A MOTION PICTURE:
Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked: For Good" (Universal Pictures)
Danielle Deadwyler, "40 Acres" (Magnolia Pictures)
Keke Palmer, "One Of Them Days" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Kerry Washington, "Shadow Force" (Lionsgate)
Tessa Thompson," "Hedda" (Amazon MGM Studios)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE:
A$AP Rocky, "Highest 2 Lowest" (A24)
Damson Idris, "F1" (Apple Original Films)
Delroy Lindo, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Jeffrey Wright, "Highest 2 Lowest" (A24)
Miles Caton, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS/MOTION PICTURE:
Janelle James, "One Of Them Days" (Sony)
Jayme Lawson, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Regina Hall, "One Battle After Another" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Teyana Taylor, "One Battle After Another" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Wunmi Mosaku, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

OUTSTANDING INDEPENDENT MOTION PICTURE:
"40 Acres" (Magnolia Pictures)
"Love, Brooklyn" (Greenwich Entertainment)
"Magazine Dreams" (Briarcliff Entertainment)
"Opus" (A24)
"Unexpected Christmas" (3 Diamonds Entertainment)

OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL MOTION PICTURE:
"40 Acres" (Magnolia Pictures)
"My Father's Shadow" (MUBI)
"Souleymane's Story" (Kino Lorber)
"The Fisherman" (Luu Vision Media)
"The Secret Agent" (NEON)

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A MOTION PICTURE:
A$AP Rocky, "Highest 2 Lowest" (A24)
Chase Infiniti, "One Battle After Another" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Miles Caton, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Tabitha Brown, "Unexpected Christmas" (3 Diamonds Films)
Tyriq Withers, "HIM" (Monkeypaw Productions)

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE:
Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Buddy Guy, Delroy Lindo, Peter Dreimanis, Lola Kirke, Li Jun Li, Saul Williams, Yao, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Keke Palmer, SZA, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lil Rel Howery, Katt Williams, "One Of Them Days" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Coleman Domingo, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh," "Wicked: For Good" (Universal Pictures)
Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky, "Highest 2 Lowest" (A24)
Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke, "A House of Dynamite" (Netflix)

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED MOTION PICTURE:
"Elio" (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
"KPop Demon Hunters" (Netflix)
"Sneaks" (Briarcliff Entertainment)
"The Bad Guys 2" (DreamWorks Animation)
"Zootopia 2" (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE-MOTION PICTURE:
Anthony Mackie, "Sneaks" (Briarcliff Entertainment)
Craig Robinson, "The Bad Guys 2" (DreamWorks Animation)
Danielle Brooks, "The Bad Guys 2" (DreamWorks Animation)
Lil Rel Howery, "Dog Man" (DreamWorks Animation)
Quinta Brunson, "Zootopia 2" (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM (LIVE ACTION):
"ADO" (Baylor University)
"Before You Let Go" (Find Your People Program)
"Best Eyes" (American Film Institute Conservatory)
"Ella" (Netflix)
"Food for the Soul" (P.A. Works)

OUTSTANDING SHORT FILM (ANIMATED):
"ASALI: Power of The Pollinators" (Upenndo! Productions)
"Black Man, Black Man" (Chainwheel Productions)
"Captain Zero: Into the Abyss Part II" (Cutting Edge Animation)
"Jazzy Bells" (Deep C Digital)
"Wednesdays with Gramps" (DreamWorks Animation)

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH CREATIVE (MOTION PICTURE):
Cassandra Mann, "Unexpected Christmas" (3 Diamonds Entertainment LLC)
Contessa Gayles, "Songs from the Hole" (Netflix)
Nnamdi Asomugha, "The Knife" (Relativity Media)
R.T. Thorne, "40 Acres" (Magnolia Pictures)
Rachael Abigail Holder, "Love, Brooklyn" (Greenwich Entertainment)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH IN A MOTION PICTURE:
Amari Price, "The Knife" (Relativity Media)
Estella K. Kahiha, "The Woman in the Yard" (Athena Studios)
Jahleel Kamara, "Shadow Force" (Lionsgate)
Naya Desir-Johnson, "Sarah's Oil" (Amazon MGM Studios)
Peyton Jackson, "The Woman in the Yard" (Universal Pictures)

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A MOTION PICTURE:
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Kira Kelly, "HIM" (Universal Pictures)
Martim Vian, "Love, Brooklyn" (Greenwich)
Sean Bobbitt, "Hedda" (Amazon MGM Studios)
Shabier Kirchner, "Materialists" (A24)

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY: (FILM)
"Being Eddie" (Netflix)
"Fatherless No More" (First Gen Films)
"Left Behind" (Corso Films)
"The Perfect Neighbor" (Netflix)
"Who in the Hell is Regina Jones?" (Weigel Productions)

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A MOTION PICTURE:
Chloe Zhao, "Hamnet" (Focus Features)
Nora Garrett, "After the Hunt" (Amazon MGM Studios)
Ryan Coogler, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Syreeta Singleton, "One of Them Days" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Walter Mosley, Nadia Latif, "The Man in My Basement" (Andscape)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A MOTION PICTURE:
Elijah Bynum, "Magazine Dreams" (Briarcliff Entertainment)
Guillermo del Toro, "Frankenstein" (Netflix)
Lawrence Lamont, "One of Them Days" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
R.T. Thorne, "40 Acres" (Magnolia Pictures)
Ryan Coogler, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A DOCUMENTARY (TV OR FILM):
Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson, "Sly Lives!" (aka The Burden of Black Genius) (Hulu)
Andre Gaines, "Boo-Yah, A Portrait of Stuart Scott" (ESPN)
Contessa Gayles, "Songs from the Hole" (Netflix)
Reginald Hudlin, Shola Lynch, "Number One on the Call Sheet" (Apple TV)
Yemi Oyediran, "King of Them All: The Story of King Records" (PBS)

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN (TV OR FILM):
Bel-Air, "Queensylvia Akuchie" (Peacock)
"Highest 2 Lowest," Francine Jamison-Tanchuck (A24)
"Love, Brooklyn," Missy Mickens (Greenwich Entertainment)
"Sinners," Ruth E. Carter (Warner Bros. Pictures)
"Wicked: For Good," Paul Tazewell (Universal Pictures)

"OUTSTANDING MAKEUP" (TV OR FILM):
"All's Fair," Kate Biscoe (Hulu)
"Bel-Air," Alyssa Hudson (Peacock)
"Chief of War," Christian Tinsley (Apple TV)
"Highest 2 Lowest," Ngozi Olandu Young (A24)
"Sinners," Ken Diaz (Warner Bros. Pictures)

OUTSTANDING HAIR STYLING (TV OR FILM)
"All's Fair," Valerie Jackson (Hulu)
"Bel-Air, Terry Hunt (Peacock)
"Beyond the Gates, Wankala L. Hinkson (CBS)
"Reasonable Doubt, Deaundra Metzger (Hulu)
"Sinners," Shunika Terry (Warner Bros. Pictures)

OUTSTANDING EDITING IN A MOTION PICTURE OR TV SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL:
Deanna Nowell, ACE, "Ironheart" (Disney+)
Maysie Hoy, ACE, "Ruth & Boaz" (Netflix)
Michael P. Shawver, "Sinners" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ralph Jean-Pierre, "The Beast in Me" (Netflix)
Shaheed Qaasim, "Poker Face" (Peacock)

OUTSTANDING STUNT ENSEMBLE (TV OR FILM):
"Butterfly," Yeonheon Jung (Prime Video)
"F1," Gary Powell (Apple TV)
"G20," Grant Powell (Prime Video)
"Shadow Force," Dartenea Bryant (Starz)
"Sinners," Andy Gill (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Editor's Note: Don't miss the The 57th Annual NAACP Image Awards hosted by comedian Deon Cole and airing Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on BET and CBS. For a complete list of the NAACP Image Awards nominees log on to https://naacpimageawards.net/