The NAACP Image Awards will introduce 10 new categories dedicated to African music, film and television at its 58th edition in 2027.
The new categories are:
- Outstanding African Album
- Outstanding African New Artist
- Outstanding African Song
- Outstanding African Motion Picture
- Outstanding Actor in an African Motion Picture
- Outstanding Actress in an African Motion Picture
- Outstanding Directing in an African Motion Picture
- Outstanding African Television Series
- Outstanding Actor in an African Television Series
- Outstanding Actress in an African Television Series
The categories cover three areas of African entertainment: music, film and television. The recording categories give African artists dedicated recognition for albums, songs and emerging artists, while the film and television categories extend that recognition to productions and individual performers.
According to the NAACP, the new categories are part of an effort to build a cultural connection between Africa and the global Black diaspora and recognise the influence of African creative work across music, film and television. The 58th edition will have 108 categories in total.
The introduction is particularly notable for African music, where artists have increasingly appeared in the broader NAACP Image Awards categories. Tems, for example, is among the artists previously recognised by the awards.
For African creatives, the new categories could provide a more direct route to recognition within one of the longest-running awards programmes for Black entertainment. The bigger question will be how the new categories interact with the awards’ existing international and general categories, and whether African artists will continue to compete outside the Africa-specific fields as their work reaches wider audiences.
Submissions for the 58th NAACP Image Awards opened in August, with the 2027 ceremony date yet to be announced. Projects released between January 1 and December 31, 2026 are eligible for consideration.
