A Complete List Of The 2025 NAACP Image Awards Winners

Outstanding New Artist 

Doechii – WINNER

Myles Smith

Samoht

Shaboozey

Tyla

Outstanding Male Artist 

Chris Brown – WINNER

J. Cole

Kendrick Lamar

October London

Usher

Outstanding Female Artist 

Beyoncé – WINNER

Coco Jones

Doechii

GloRilla

H.E.R.

Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album 

Heart of a Human, DOE

Live Breathe Fight, Tamela Mann – WINNER

Still Karen, Karen Clark Sheard

Sunny Days, Yolanda Adams

The Maverick Way Reimagined, Maverick City Music

Outstanding International Song

“Close,” Skip Marley

“Hmmm,” Chris Brown feat. Davido – WINNER

“Jump,” Tyla

“Love Me JeJe,” Tems

“Piece of My Heart,” Wizkid feat. Brent Faiyaz

Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album 

“Alright,” Victoria Monét

“Alter Ego (ALTERnate Version),” Doechii, JT

“Boy Bye,” Chloe Bailey

“Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar – WINNER

“Yeah Glo!,” GloRilla

Outstanding Album 

Alligator Bites Never Heal, Doechii

Cape Town to Cairo, PJ Morton

Coming Home, Usher

Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé – WINNER

Glorious, GloRilla

Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album 

Bob Marley: One Love (Soundtrack)

Genius: MLK/X (Songs from the Original Series)

Reasonable Doubt (Season 2) (Original Soundtrack)

The Book of Clarence (The Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Wicked: The Soundtrack – WINNER

Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song 

“Church Doors,” Yolanda Adams

“Do It Anyway,” Tasha Cobbs Leonard

“God Problems (Not By Power),” Maverick City Music feat. Miles Minnick

“I Prayed for You (Said a Prayer),” MAJOR.

“Working for Me,” Tamela Mann – WINNER

Outstanding Jazz Album

Creole Orchestra, Etienne Charles

Epic Cool, Kirk Whalum

Javon & Nikki Go to the Movies, Javon Jackson and Nikki Giovanni

On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute, Matthew Whitaker

Portrait, Samara Joy – WINNER

Outstanding Soul/R&B Song 

“16 CARRIAGES,” Beyoncé

“Here We Go (Uh Oh),” Coco Jones

“I Found You,” PJ Morton

“Residuals,” Chris Brown – WINNER

“Saturn,” SZA

Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song 

“Mamushi,” Megan Thee Stallion feat. Yuki Chiba

“Murdergram Deux,” LL Cool J feat. Eminem

“Noid,” Tyler, the Creator

“Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar – WINNER

“Yeah Glo!,” GloRilla

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional) 

Adam Blackstone & Fantasia, “Summertime” – WINNER

Leela James feat. Kenyon Dixon, “Watcha Done Now”

Maverick City Music feat. Miles Minnick, “God Problems (Not By Power)”

Muni Long & Mariah Carey, “Made for Me”

Sounds of Blackness feat. Jamecia Bennett & Buddy McLain, “Thankful”

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Contemporary) 

FLO & GloRilla, “In My Bag”

GloRilla feat. Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music, Kierra Sheard, Chandler Moore, “RAIN DOWN ON ME”

USHER & Burna Boy, “Coming Home”

Victoria Monét feat. Usher, “SOS” (Sex on Sight)

Wizkid feat. Brent Faiyaz, “Piece of My Heart” – WINNER

Outstanding Original Score for Television/Motion Picture

Challengers (Original Score)

Dune: Part Two (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

The American Society of Magical Negroes (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

The Book of Clarence (Original Motion Picture Score)

Star Wars: The Acolyte (Original Soundtrack) – WINNER

Outstanding Documentary (Film) 

Daughters

Frida

King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones

The Greatest Night in Pop

Luther: Never Too Much – WINNER

Outstanding Documentary (Television) 

Black Barbie: A Documentary – WINNER

Black Twitter: A People’s History

Gospel

Simone Biles Rising

Sprint

Outstanding Short Form Documentary (Film) 

Camille A. Brown: Giant Steps

Danielle Scott: Ancestral Call

Judging Juries

Silent Killer

How to Sue the Klan – WINNER

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series 

Ashley Nicole Black — Shrinking, “Changing Patterns”

Brittani Nichols — Abbott Elementary, “Breakup”

Crystal Jenkins — No Good Deed, “Letters of Intent” – WINNER

Diarra Kilpatrick — Diarra From Detroit, “Chasing Ghosts”

Jordan Temple — Abbott Elementary, “Smoking” (ABC)

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series 

Azia Squire — Bridgerton, “Tick Tock”

Ben Watkins — Cross, “Hero Complex” – WINNER

Francesca Sloane, Donald Glover — Mr. & Mrs. Smith, “First Date”

Geetika Lizardi — Bridgerton, “Joining of Hands”

Lauren Gamble — Bridgerton, “Old Friends”

Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special 

Brandon Espy, Carl Reid — Mr. Crocket

Bree West, Chazitear, A Wesley South African Christmas

Juel Taylor, Tony Rettenmaier, Thembi L. Banks, — Young. Wild. Free. – WINNER

Rudy Mancuso, Dan Lagana — Música

Tina Mabry, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Cee Marcellus — The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture

Barry Jenkins — The Fire Inside

RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes — Nickel Boys – WINNER

Steve McQueen — Blitz

Titus Kaphar — Exhibiting Forgiveness

Virgil Williams, Malcolm Washington — The Piano Lesson

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series 

Ayo Edebiri — The Bear, “Napkins”

Bentley Kyle Evans — Mind Your Business, “The Reunion”

Robbie Countryman — The Upshaws, “Ain’t Broke”

Tiffany Johnson — How to Die Alone, “Trust No One” – WINNER

William Smith — The Vince Staples Show, “Brown Family”

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series 

Carl Franklin — Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, “Blame It on the Rain”

Marta Cunningham — Genius: MLK/X, “Protect Us”

Marta Cunningham — Genius: MLK/X, “Who We Are”

Paris Barclay — Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”

Rapman — Supacell, “Supacell” – WINNER

Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie, Documentary, or Special 

Kelley Kali — Kemba

Marcelo Gama — BET Awards 2024

Shanta Fripp — Black Men’s Summit

Thembi L. Banks — Young. Wild. Free

Tina Mabry — The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can Eat – WINNER

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture 

Jeymes Samuel — The Book of Clarence

Malcolm Washington — The Piano Lesson

RaMell Ross — Nickel Boys – WINNER

Reinaldo Marcus Green — Bob Marley: One Love

Steve McQueen — Blitz

Outstanding Directing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture) 

Bao Nguyen — The Greatest Night in Pop

Dawn Porter — Luther: Never Too Much – WINNER

Deborah Riley Draper — James Brown: Say It Loud

Jason Pollard, Sam Pollard — Ol’ Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys

Nneka Onuorah — Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words

The NAACP Image Award Winners continue after the flip!

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction 

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde — Tia Williams

Grown Woman — Sarai Johnson

Neighbors and Other Stories — Diane Oliver, Tayari Jones (Foreword)

One of Us Knows: A Thriller — Alyssa Cole – WINNER

What You Leave Behind — Wanda M. Morris

Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction 

A Passionate Mind in Relentless Pursuit: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune — Noliwe Rooks

Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest — Fawn Weaver – WINNER

Picturing Black History: Photographs and Stories that Changed the World — Daniela Edmeier, Damarius Johnson, Nicholas B. Breyfogle and Steven Conn

The 1619 Project: A Visual Experience — Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine

The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America — Larry Tye

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author

A Kind of Madness — Uche Okonkwo

AfroCentric Style: A Celebration of Blackness & Identity in Pop Culture — Shirley Neal

Grown Woman — Sarai Johnson – WINNER

Masquerade — O.O. Sangoyomi

Swift River — Essie Chambers

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography 

Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me — Whoopi Goldberg

By the Time You Read This: The Space Between Cheslie’s Smile and Mental Illness ― Her Story in Her Own Words — Cheslie Kryst and April Simpkins

Do It Anyway: Don’t Give Up Before It Gets Good — Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Sarah Jakes Roberts (Foreword)

Lovely One: A Memoir — Ketanji Brown Jackson

Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America — Joy-Ann Reid – WINNER

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional 

Black Joy Playbook: 30 Days of Intentionally Reclaiming Your Delight — Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggets

I Did a New Thing: 30 Days to Living Free (A Feeding the Soul Book) — Tabitha Brown

Loving Your Black Neighbor as Yourself: A Guide to Closing the Space Between Us — Chanté Griffin

Radical Self-Care: Rituals for Inner Resilience — Rebecca Moore (Author), Amberlee Green (Illustrator)

Wash Day: Passing on the Legacy, Rituals, and Love of Natural Hair — Tomesha Faxio – WINNER

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry 

Bluff: Poems — Danez Smith

Good Dress — Brittany Rogers

Load in Nine Times: Poems — Frank X Walker

Song of My Softening — Omotara James

This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets — Kwame Alexander – WINNER

Outstanding Literary Work – Children 

All I Need to Be — Rachel Ricketts (Author), Tiffany Rose (Illustrator) with Luana Horry

Cicely Tyson — Renée Watson (Author), Sherry Shine (Illustrator)

Crowning Glory: A Celebration of Black Hair — Carole Boston Weatherford (Author), Ekua Holmes (Illustrator)

My Hair Is a Book — Maisha Oso (Author), London Ladd (Illustrator)

You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!): A Lil TJ Book — Taraji P. Henson (Author), Paul Kellam (Illustrator) – WINNER

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens 

American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky — Sherri L. Smith and Elizabeth Wein

Barracoon Adapted for Young Readers The Story of the Last Black Cargo — Zora Neale Hurston, Ibram X. Kendi (Adapted by), Jazzmen Lee-Johnson (Illustrator)

Black Star: The Door of No Return — Kwame Alexander

Brushed Between Cultures: A YA Coming of Age Novel Set in Brooklyn, New York — Samarra St. Hilaire – WINNER

Clutch Time: A Shot Clock Novel (Shot Clock, 2) — Caron Butler and Justin A. Reynolds

Outstanding Graphic Novel

Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined — David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson

Black Defender: The Awakening — Dr. David Washington, Mr. Zhengis Tasbolatov (Illustrator), Mr. Billy Blanks (Foreword)

Gamerville — Johnnie Christmas

Ghost Roast — Shawneé Gibbs, Shawnelle Gibbs, Emily Cannon (Illustrator)

Punk Rock Karaoke — Bianca Xunise – WINNER

Outstanding News and Information Podcast 

#SundayCivics

After the Uprising

Into America: Uncounted Millions

The Assignment with Audie Cornish

Native Land Pod – WINNER

Outstanding Lifestyle/Self–Help Podcast 

Balanced Black Girl

Is This Going to Cause An Argument

The R Spot with Iyanla

Therapy for Black Girls

We Don’t Always Agree with Ryan & Sterling – WINNER

Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast 

Baby, This is Keke Palmer

Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay

We Don’t Always Agree with Ryan & Sterling

What now? with Trevor Noah

Club Shay Shay – WINNER

Outstanding Sports, Arts and Entertainment Podcast 

Naked Sports with Cari Champion

Nightcap

Questlove Supreme

R&B Money Podcast

Two Funny Mamas – WINNER

Outstanding Podcast – Limited Series/Short Form

About the Journey

Squeezed with Yvette Nicole Brown

The Wonder of Stevie

When We Win wih Maya Rupert

Stranded – WINNER

Outstanding Costume Design (Television or Film) 

Ernesto Martinez — Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist

Megan Coates — Shirley

Gersha Phillips — The Big Cigar

Francine Jamison-Tanchuck — The Piano Lesson

Paul Tazewell — Wicked

Outstanding Make-up (Television or Film) 

Carol Rasheed — Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist

Debi Young — Shirley – WINNER

Rebecca Lee — Shōgun

Matiki Anoff — The Book of Clarence

Para Malden — The Piano Lesson

Outstanding Hairstyling (Television or Film) 

Terry Hunt — Bel-Air

Lawrence Davis — Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist – WINNER

Nakoya Yancey — Shirley

Brian Badie — The Penguin

Andrea Mona Bowman — The Piano Lesson

Outstanding Stunt Ensemble (TV or Film)

Cross

Grotesquerie

Red One

Them: The Scare

Rebel Ridge – WINNER