“The Piano Lesson,” Netflix’s adaptation of the August Wilson drama, scored a leading 14 nominations today for the 56th NAACP Image Awards, while ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” collected 10 nods and Peacock’s limited series “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” earned nine. The Image Awards celebrate outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in categories including film, television, music, literature and podcasts.
“The Piano Lesson” will compete for outstanding motion picture honors with “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” “Bob Marley: One Love,” “The Six Triple Eight” and “Wicked.” “Abbott Elementary” was nominated for best comedy series along with “How to Die Alone,” “Poppa’s House,” “The Neighborhood,” and “The Upshaws.”
For best drama series, nominations went to “9-1-1,” “Bel-Air,” “Cross,” “Found” and “Reasonable Doubt.” “Fight Night” was nominated for best TV limited series or special along with “Genius: MLK/X,” “Griselda,” “Rebel Ridge” and “The Madness.” “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo was nominated for the top prize of Entertainer of the Year, along with Keke Palmer, Kendrick Lamar, Kevin Hart and Shannon Sharpe. The Image Awards will be presented Feb. 22 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, airing on BET and CBS. Many of the awards will be presented at a separate pre-telecast ceremony on Feb. 21, dubbed the Creative Honors Ceremony.
“We look forward to celebrating the brilliance of Black talent and creativity whose stories shape culture, ignite change, and inspire generations,” NAACP President/CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement. “Through film, music, literature and more, their voices weave a rich tapestry that honors our heritage, celebrates our identity and proves that storytelling is a powerful force for driving true progress.”
Here is a small look at some of the notable cat-
egory and nominees:
Social Media Personality of the Year
Kai Cenat
Keith Lee
RaeShanda Lias
Shirley Raines
Tony Baker
MOTION PICTURES
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)
RECORDING
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 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 Album
“Alligator Bites Never Heal,” Doechii (Epic
Records)
“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)
A full list of all nominees and categories can be found at naacpimageawards.net. Voting for music artists, films, and other talent for the award ceremony is now open to the public through the website. The live telecast will take place on Saturday Feb. 22, 2025 from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, at 8 pm/est and 8pm on CBS and BET.